page_title: Jeunesses Musicales International
section_title: 1960 – 1974
hierarchical_section_title: Jeunesses Musicales International / History / 1960 – 1974
caption_attribution_description: English: The Jeunesses Musicales World Orchestra (Berlin 1987. Photo: Clive Barda)
context_page_description: Jeunesses Musicales International is the largest youth music NGO in the world, created in Brussels, Belgium in 1945, with the mission to “enable young people to develop through music across all boundaries”. JMI has established four priority activity fields: Young Musicians, Young Audiences, Youth Empowerment and Youth Orchestras & Ensembles.
  With member organisations currently in almost 40 countries, JMI is a “global” network with over 36,000 diverse musical events annually. The events embrace all styles of music, reaching almost 5 million young people up to the age of 30. The work of JMI is supported by the Federal Government of Belgium - Belgian Federal Science Policy Office, ACTIRIS and the Creative Europe Programme of the EU.
context_section_description: The 60s was a period of many social, economic, technological and cultural changes. The JMI was already struck by the death of its founder, Marcel Couvelier, in 1959. The development of music was intertwined with the development of the media, which brought artists to the attention of the public more easily. In those times, the young were fascinated by the propagation of pop and rock music.
  A change within the JMI would come along with Paul Willems, named secretary-general of the society in the interval 1960–1974. One of his main concerns was the growth of the organization. In those years Yugoslavia was admitted, followed by East-block countries such as Hungary or Poland and Bulgaria in 1965 and 1966.
  In its trying to overcome cultural barriers, the organization also admitted countries such as Japan, South Korea or Morocco.
  The 1966 Conference was held in Paris, in the UNESCO building, and tackled the subject of musical education. Then, a world day of Jeunesses Musicales International was declared and the International Music Council took over the idea and turned October 1 into the International Music Day.
  1969 would become a meaningful year for the visibility of the organization. The initiative came from Yugoslavia and it involved the creation of a summer camp for young students in Grožnjan. After World War II, the population of the Croatian city was drastically decreasing, but the year 1965 marked its renaissance, by painters and sculptors who came to help at its restoration. This Croatian city, with an Italian feel, was dominated by medieval architecture, vineyards and a bohemian atmosphere. Ever since, Grožnjan is known as The City of Artists and holds music courses from June 15 to September 15: ‘‘With the arrival of the Jeunesses Musicales in Grožnjan, renovation began of the houses rented by the organization, new life came to the town with the bustle of numerous participants, teachers and guests of the Centre, various events and entertainment activities were organized, word about Grožnjan spread far and wide.‘‘
  Jeunesses Musicales International established the Cuvelier-Nicoly Foundation in 1972. It had the goal to help young musicians or to finance new exciting projects.
  The General Assembly, which took place in Stockholm in 1974, helped include ”contemporary music” in the objectives of JMI.
caption: The Jeunesses Musicales World Orchestra (Berlin 1987. Photo: Clive Barda).
exif: {}