This blog post is ongoing, which means it will be added to again and again, and the current one is always at the top.
A big and important part of my journey is music. For me, it was clear from the beginning that I wanted to take my guitar with me. And after a bit of deliberation, I decided to take an amplifier and a microphone with a stand.
I’m not interested in earning money for myself with music, but I just want to experience what it’s like to sing on the street, in bars, in the underground, etc. At the same time, the money you have to pay for music is not worth it. At the same time, the money you get for music is also a sign of appreciation and gives me a feeling if what I play and sing is liked.
That’s why I’ve decided that the money I earn from music should go to charitable organisations, and always from the country where I earn the money.
Here I tell you how it works, what I learn and which projects I support with the money.
Part 1: Switzerland to the Canary Islands (December 2022)
I have been on the road for 2 months now and have already made a lot of music. Since I was in Gibraltar, actually every day. Mostly just with young people in hostels, on the beach or similar. But I’ve also done a lot of music on the street and in bars, especially in Gran Canaria, and I’ve already been able to earn about 400 euros.
I notice that I’ve learned a lot: I’m not as nervous as I was the first few times, I understand more and more where I can stand, and I’m developing my own way of making street music. I have a laminated piece of paper that I usually stick to my guitar, on which there are 20 songs to choose from, so people can request a song. Via QR code, people come to my website www.jukaibox.com and find a songbook with over 100 songs. If you don’t know it yet, please have a look.
It often goes down well, especially when I go to bars. By the way, I don’t like to just stand in a bar and start playing, because then people don’t have a choice if they want to listen to the music (on the street they can keep walking). Instead, I approach people and ask if they want to listen to music. Many say no and that’s ok, but if they say yes, then they also feel like it and give money of their own accord without me having to beg (something I also don’t like and don’t do).
I made my first attempts at street music in Winterthur and Zurich. There I was still extremely nervous and hardly dared to do it. But then quite a bit of money came together (thanks to Switzerland), which really gave me a push!
I donated the money I raised in Switzerland to the organisation Suprise, which my friend Barbara recommended to me. Suprise supports socially disadvantaged people through employment opportunities, offers to participate in social life and low-threshold support. Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough time in Zurich to do one of their social city tours, but this gives me a reason to come back. They also create meeting places, a magazine with homeless people and much more. Go to Surprise here.
The money I made in mainland Spain was relatively little. In Barcelona, I let myself be very restricted by the regulations there, something I wouldn’t do today. So far, the police haven’t turned me away anywhere and I don’t think they do much more than that. In Granada I had a lot of competition from flamenco guitarists and I let them intimidate me a bit (great musicians). In La Linea near Gibraltar it went well and I got support from some boat hitchhikers who gave me a real audience.
I donated the money from mainland Spain to the organisation SMH, which operates sea rescue in the Mediterranean with the ship AITA MARI and whose ship I visited in Burriana in October. Here is the link to SMH.
Gran Canaria is where I’ve had the most fun so far and where I’ve also raised money. Especially in the bars, some people are very generous! And it’s great fun for me. I don’t think I’ve ever made as much music as I do here right now and everyone who meets me here actually only knows me with a guitar on my back or in my hand 😊.
Here on site, I will support a project for refugees, because many people from different African countries arrive here on boats. I currently live in a hostel where refugees also live – Atlas Gran Canaria. The whole thing is based on an association that does different projects for and with refugees. I will support one of these projects, but I will let you know which one.