Social Commitment  

Music School

Teo explains: music has always been a passion of mine. When I created Baladin, one of the pillars of the pub, in addition to beer of course, was music in its many expressions. All Baladin bars offer regular live music shows and our “BalaDJ” friends create playlists to accompany our evenings. Over the years, the "Festival dell'Arpa" first, and then the "Musica e Dintorni" summer festival have been created in Piozzo.

But it is my friend Marco Biaritz whom I need to thank for giving me the opportunity to join a project which tries to go the extra mile and bring music to as many people as possible, regardless of their age, social or physical conditions. It was with great joy that I supported the creation of "La Scala del Re", a music school for everyone – and when I say everyone, I do mean everyone.

It is wonderful to see children and older people “make music” with passion and enthusiasm. I felt a special shiver of pride and happiness when the school launched its most exciting project: using music to give the disabled guests of the Papa Giovanni XXIII community (with the help of the Social Cooperative Il Ramo from Cuneo) the opportunity and joy to feel like everybody else, and to give us – the so called “normal” guys – a chance to feel moved that rarely happens in life.

Marco Biaritz, musician and music teacher, tells his experience with “La Scala del Re”:

“When me and my wife Flora started thinking about a music school, no matter how beautiful the idea and how “colorful” my imagination, I would have never thought that the small project of a music center in Piozzo could become “La Scala del Re”! The idea was supported by Teo through the Baladin cultural association and by the then mayor of Piozzo. They both took a chance with us to create a unique place. A place where everybody can express and grow the music they have inside… and where, in turn, people can grow through music. A “clean” place for children, where people can meet after work or after school to communicate through the wonderful language of music… A place for everyone. Starting from the age of three, all that matters is being able to communicate… or more importantly, wanting to communicate. At “La Scala del Re” I play with kids from kindergarten. We use microphones, electric guitars, the drums and percussions, and it’s as beautiful and exciting as a rock concert! The following hour, I try and play the same game, but it gets a little more difficult, and I play with adults, disabled or elderly people. There are no emotional differences in music; the only obstacle is the instrument playing technique… But we have our teachers for this! I am surrounded by great people, both as musicians and human beings. The teachers at “La Scala del Re”, like me, know that it is not enough to teach notions and techniques to make a good musician. A good musician reaches emotions. And the soul”.

The most enthralling and exciting project is certainly “Una Nota in Più”.

During the week, people with physical disabilities or mental disorders meet at the music school, between microphones, instruments and amplifiers. At first, some of them certainly thought: “Well, what are we doing here?" But our idea took many by surprise… the goal of the project s not to teach music, but to take out the music that we all have inside. We believe that each one of us has a special note inside, which triggers all the others and becomes the mirror of who we are and what we feel. The experiment went so well that at one point we thought it was worth taking such an enriching experience out of those four closed walls to share it with others. This is why we recorded some CDs and even organized a tour of concerts.

“Una Nota in Più” in 2007, “Vieni Via con Me” in 2008, “Mani in Su” in 2010 and “Sorriso” in 2011.

“Sorriso” paved the way for a series of concerts - the “Sorriso Tour”. It opened in Piedmont and ended in Rome with the help of Eataly Roma, which hosted the guys at its premises. It was an incredible journey for the members of the band, who experienced a true adventure: playing in the capital city of Italy! The journey was funded by Banca Alpi Marittime from Carrù, an historical partner of the school and the project. The exclusive sponsor of the tour was singer and friend Nada Malanima.

Music is happiness, and UNA NOTA IN PIÙ is the band which shall “be looked at from the inside, after listening to it from the outside”.

10.000 Gardens in Africa (Slow Food)

The project of Slow Food – Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity – Terra Madre: creating 10,000 good, clean and fair food gardens in African schools and communities means not only raising awareness among young generations about the importance of food biodiversity and access to healthy, fresh food, but also training a network of leaders aware of the value of their land and their culture who can serve as protagonists for change and the continent’s future. 

Baladin adopted 4 gardens. 

African spices in one of his favorite beers, travels, an “authentic” Cola, made from the cola nuts of the Slow Food Presidium in Sierra Leone, and a future project: open a brewery in Africa, to achieve beers related to agriculture in that continent. Teo Musso, founder and soul of Baladin, tells of his deep bond with Africa and announces its latest initiative: supporting the project 10,000 Gardens in Africa

“I owe a lot to Slow Food and to my friend Carlin”, he tells us. “The history of my brewery has often intertwined with Slow Food initiatives. The association was among the first groups to believe that craft brewing was possible in Italy, taking concrete steps to support the spread of its culture. When I started selling my beer outside of Piozzo, I bought a Slow Food guide to choose the restaurants to send samples to, assuming that since these were places chosen by an authoritative non-profit entity they would be open to new food and cultural experiences, which is precisely what I was offering.

These days my relationship with Slow Food is better structured but the goal is still the same. We have produced a Cola with an African Presidium that we’re very proud of, and we support initiatives thanks also to the positive responses that Baladin fans have given to our proposals. What’s more, we have now created a limited edition of bottles labeled “We Feed The Planet” that are sold during our event (the Baladin Open Fest in Turin) whose aim is to contribute to supporting this great initiative. 

Today Baladin has chosen to support one of Slow Food’s most ambitious projects: the creation of 10,000 gardens in Africa. The company’s contributions will be given to four gardens: two in South Africa (Mawisa and Mvuleni community gardens) and two in Morocco (the Anasr Ain Aouda and Iben Zaydoun school gardens, in Skhirat).

“I produce in Italy because I believe in my country and in the fruits of its soil,” he continues. “I am, however, tied to Africa by my love for that continent, which I have visited many times. My partner is African and one of my favorite beers is made with spices that are reminiscent of the intense aromas of Morocco. One of my projects for the near future is to set up a Baladin brewery in Africa; this will not be a place to produce beers that are already well known, but rather a place to make new ones dedicated to Africa and, hopefully, to its agriculture”. 

“Supporting the 10,000 Gardens in Africa project is a fundamental step in a path of personal growth and awareness for my company. With the Cola we wanted to let people know what’s behind the authentic version of the most globalized drink in the world: what the fruit is that gives it its name and where it comes from. This is why we chose to hazard the amaranth color, despite the fact that it is different to a drink that we usually see in a completely different way. The gardens, on the other hand, are first and foremost a personal satisfaction, though I hope that in the future they can be the start of an active collaboration, which will eventually help increase job opportunities for the farmers who take part in the project”.

To support the project, take one of the 10,000 African gardens click here >> http://www.fondazioneslowfood.com/en/what-we-do/10-000-gardens-in-africa/

Here are the gardens supported by us. 

MOROCCO 

- Rabat-Salé-Zemmour-Zaer >> Anasr Ain Aouda School Garden >> http://www.fondazioneslowfood.com/en/slow-food-gardens-africa/anasr-ain-aouda-school-garden/

- Rabat-Salé-Zemmour-Zaer >> Iben Zaydoun School Garden, Skhirat >> http://www.fondazioneslowfood.com/en/slow-food-gardens-africa/iben-zaydoun-school-garden-skhirat/

SOUTH AFRICA

- Limpopo province >> Mawisa Community Garden >> http://www.fondazioneslowfood.com/en/slow-food-gardens-africa/mawisa-community-garden/

- Limpopo province >> Mvuleni Community Garden >> http://www.fondazioneslowfood.com/en/slow-food-gardens-africa/mvuleni-community-garden/