We Declare! Songs, Chants, Dances, and Multimedia Projects by composer and musician Merrill Collins presents a unique melding of music, interactive projects, and learning about musical instruments from around the world. This collection of songs are based on Towards a Global Ethic: An Initial Declaration, a document that outlines the common values of all the world's religions. This book contains instructions, lyrics, scores and educational materials for songs, chants, dances, and multimedia projects based on the music, rich with photos and facts about instruments from around the world.

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There are instructions for eight musical experiences in this book, adaptable for all ages, from preschoolers to children to teens to adults to senior citizens. The parts for participants are largely chant and percussion, which can stand alone or be played with the instrumental music soundtrack, which is available wherever music is streamed or sold (see www.spiralingmusic.com).

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The text of Towards a Global Ethic: An Initial Declaration, reprinted with permission from the Council for a Parliament of World Religions.

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We Are Interdependent "We are interdependent. Each of us depends on the well-being of the whole, and so we have respect for the community of living beings, for people, animals, and plants, and for the preservation of the Earth, the air, water and soil." Golden Rules "We must treat others as we wish others to treat us. We make a commitment to respect life and dignity, individuality and diversity, so that every person is treated humanely, without exception. We must have patience, and acceptance. We must be able to for- give, learning from the past but never allowing ourselves to be enslaved by memories of hate. Opening our hearts to one another, we must sink our narrow differences for the cause of the world community, practicing a culture of solidarity and relatedness." Forsaking Violence "We commit ourselves to a culture of non-violence, respect, justice, and peace. We shall not oppress, injure, torture, or kill other human beings, forsaking violence as a means of settling differences. Make a just and peaceful world, with nature-friendly ways of life." Humankind Is Our Family "We consider humankind our family. We do not live for ourselves alone, but also serving others, never forgetting the children, the aged, the poor, the suffering, the disabled, the refugees, and the lonely." Opening Our Hearts "Opening our hearts to one another, we can move mountains." Cause and Effect "We take individual responsibility for all we do. All our decisions, actions, and failures to act have consequences." Every Man, Woman, and Child* "Give every man, woman, and child our human rights."

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*this bonus track is from the song, Every Man, Woman, and Child, which is a musical setting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. More info can be found in the Every Man, Woman and Child volume of the We Agree! series.

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This is book two of the We Agree! series by Merrill Collins. Learn more at www.spiralingmusic.com