Since 2022 the campaign Voice for Ukraine UK (V4UUK) has worked with children, teachers and musicians across the country to bring hope and healing through music. In this context, music is more than a pastime – it's survival.
The campaign's mission is clear: support and contribute to the rebuilding of music education facilities by providing musical instruments to those in need and funding music and art therapy sessions in the Donetsk region. We also aim to discover and nurture young talent, ensuring that the dreams and potential of the next generation are not lost to the devastation of war.
Through creative workshops, fundraising concerts, music therapy and community partnerships, we've kept the music alive, even in frontline towns where the sky trembles in the wake of explosions.
The morning everything changed
I still remember that morning in February 2022. My mum's message simply read: ‘The war has started.’ I froze. At first, I refused to believe it; for a moment I thought I was dreaming. But as reality hit, cold and sharp, I felt a wave of disbelief, anger, fear and helplessness. I remember asking myself one question over and over: What can I do to help?
As a musician and someone who has dedicated their life to working with children, the answer became obvious. I wanted to protect the most innocent victims of this war – our children. What could be more important than the emotional and mental wellbeing of a child? Music shapes our souls, teaches us to love and care; it defines us. Music has always provided comfort and resilience in the darkest hours of history. And so, in March 2022, the campaign ‘Voice for Ukraine UK’ was born.
Unbreakable spirit
In December of that year, my daughter and I travelled to Ukraine to make a documentary, Unbreakable Spirit, which highlights the crucial role music plays in children's lives during war. We visited places devastated by tragedy – Borodyanka, Vorzel', Makariv – and witnessed the unbelievable strength and dedication from teachers and students who continued to make music despite the destruction around them.
Despite shattered windows, freezing classrooms (four degrees above zero) and damaged or destroyed buildings, teachers continued to teach music. Children in heavy coats learned theory, history and played instruments, illuminated only by the torches on their teachers' mobile phones. Some children had to travel long distances from nearby villages to reach places where they could learn.
In Borodyanka, the Children's Music School (CMS) was completely destroyed. When I asked ‘Why continue? Why music, now?’, one child responded: ‘Music is my life. It helps me survive.’
I spoke with Oksana Shevchenko, long-term head of the CMS, and asked her to comment on their work. How do they do it? ‘Music lessons for our children are an opportunity to move temporarily into a different reality – a positive, bright and peaceful one. The creative process captures the attention, physical sensations, and brings positive emotions.
‘Our children, like all of us, live in a state of chronic stress, fear and anticipation of trouble … Lessons for us are a chance, even if just for the duration of a class, to feel on an island of safety, where everything seems to be as it was before the war.’
The children have a strong desire to engage and participate in concerts and competitions. Naturally, air raid alerts disrupt lessons, which cannot continue, and so teachers and students work intensively between the alerts. ‘We reschedule lessons,’ explains Shevchenko, ‘hoping for luck – it's difficult, but everything is possible where there is a will!’
Oleksandr Tretyak, the headteacher of the Makariv Children's School of Arts (MCSA) from a nearby town (to whom V4UUK also provided help), described similar resilience: ‘We want the children to be able to distract themselves from the daily air-raid sirens. Communication through music is like medicine for fatigue. The children at MCSA need to communicate, understand each other, play and sing. And because they are Ukrainian, they do not give up.’
Svitlana Chyhun, who teachers bandura (the Ukrainian plucked-string folk instrument) at MSCA, also talks of being ‘ready to endure these conditions’, of children becoming strong and ‘carrying our culture into the world’.
During a visit to Borodyanka, one boy, Anton, agreed to perform on the very site where his music school once stood. That moment was unforgettable. The ruins around him spoke volumes – but so did his music. You can watch this performance, and many others, in Unbreakable Spirit, available on the V4UUK YouTube channel.
Anton on the site of his old school in Borodyanka (Georgii Tsygikal)
From war zone to concert hall
Returning from Ukraine, we immediately launched our next fundraising concerts to support these music schools. Within just six weeks, I founded the London Ukrainian Symphony Orchestra (LUSO), which performed its (sold-out) debut concert in January 2023. The orchestra brought together not only Ukrainian musicians but talented players from leading UK schools and conservatoires, including the Purcell School, Royal Northern College of Music, Royal College of Music, Guildhall School of Music & Drama, and Royal Academy of Music – and many amateur musicians. LUSO became a symbol of international solidarity.
Over the past three years, LUSO has raised over £20,000 through direct donations and the generous contribution of dozens of musical instruments. The latter have been delivered to 14 schools and organisations across Ukraine.
Obstacles along the way
Bringing support to Ukraine is no easy task – each journey holds its own challenges. There is a saying that war is like an X-ray: it amplifies the goodness in good people and exposes the flaws in others. On one of our first trips, after driving 30 hours non-stop, the vehicle owner abandoned us in the middle of the night – leaving us stranded on the roadside with all our instruments. On another occasion, Ukrainian customs officers held us for 12 hours and then refused entry, ignoring the fact that our cargo was for children. In those moments of exhaustion and despair, I often wondered: Why am I doing this? But then I saw the children, their smiles, their joy, their gratitude, as well as their parents', and I knew I would do it all again, no matter what.
Donetsk: a unique experience
One place we continue to support is the region of Donetsk – a place where the need is immense. The key person who coordinates the logistics and locations of the music sessions is Valeriia Kostiushko, head of the community organisation Svyatohirs'k na Dolony (which translates as ‘Holy mountains in the palm of your hand’). This person does incredible work; delivering these sessions without her help would be an impossible task. From the very first session, even without any prior connection to music, Valeriia saw its magic: ‘Music not only changes a child's emotional state and mood, it seems to unlock them’, with the music group becoming a true circle of support. ‘These sessions are like a breath of fresh air for children living under the constant shadow of war. In a region where no state or international support is available due to its proximity to the front line, V4UUK is their only support.’
During one of our early visits, we held music therapy sessions outdoors as their music school in Svyatohirs'k had been destroyed. Only 12 miles from the frontline, we sat under the open sky, teaching percussion using the instruments I had brought from the UK. Suddenly, a loud explosion echoed. I was surprised to see that the children did not react at all; they were simply used to it. So, we decided to treat the sound as part of our music – a new percussion instrument, almost.
I saw the hunger for knowledge in these beautiful children. Having no school, let alone after-school clubs, these music sessions became lifelines. In a typical session we create musical stories, each character with its unique sound (children create their own musical characters using different instruments), expressing emotions and stories through sound. The transformation is immediate: children's moods, attitudes and behaviours blossom right in front of your eyes. Currently, these sessions are held in one of the parents' homes or cellars, giving children a chance to interact socially, learn and experience the art of music.
Maryna Chornobaeva, the head music teacher in Svyatohirs'k, helps us run our programmes at her home. ‘The war continues,’ she said, ‘but music must not fall silent. The children are our inspiration… And we know our mission is to help them believe in themselves – to become strong, independent and creative. To rebuild their country.’
During our travels to the Donetsk region, one boy in particular stood out. A shy but extremely talented teenager named Dymytry needed his own violin. In April 2023 we presented him with one, gifted by V4UUK. Since then he has blossomed, playing the violin but also guitar and piano, even composing. His story is a powerful reminder of all that is at stake – untapped talent and fragile hope.
V4UUK is striving to become an organisation with its own orchestra, music therapy professionals, choirs and media team. You can find more information, including videos, at irynagouldmusic.com and on V4UUK's YouTube channel.
If you or someone you know has an instrument they no longer use, please contact V4UUK.
Musicians from LUSO, RNCM and the Ukrainian diaspora will be playing at Bury Parish Church, Manchester, on 27 September to raise funds for music schools in Ukraine.
