​

M&E's primary focus for the past three years has been an ever-growing repertoire of original songs. This music, which draws from a wide range of influences from around the world, honors the myriad ways in which the environment informs the cultural, emotional, and social journeys of humanity. This music is freely available to the public, and (with permission) can be used in academic, activist and therapeutic settings.

 

In addition to composing, producing, and releasing this music, Music & the Earth has also played a key role in the development of a wide range of outreach projects and programs in San Juan, Puerto Rico and beyond, aimed at supporting climate activism through music. Examples include: ​

​​

• Las Sesiones Isleñas (The Island Sessions), a community forum and public education initiative to explore and celebrate the power of music to foster solidarity among students and environmental activists on islands in the Caribbean and Mediterranean Seas, as well as the Pacific and Indian Oceans. ​​

​​

• Conciencias Sonoras, a conference hosted by the Conservatorio de Música de Puerto Rico, in April 2018. The multidisciplinary conference brought together musicians, musicologists, environmental scientists, climate activists, and journalists from Puerto Rico and around the world, to discuss the role of music in recovering from natural disasters. (The conference was held several months after Hurricane María devastated the island.) Priya Parrotta co-developed the conference program in collaboration with the Conservatorio, focusing on building climate solidarity among students and environment & arts professionals through musical dialogue.   The conference culminated in a volume of conference proceedings, for which she wrote an introduction. ​​

​

• Itinerarios Sonoros, a podcast and curriculum guide exploring the ways in which island-based music and soundscapes can help us to make sense of, recover from, and respond to the impacts of climate injustice. The podcast engaged with a variety of themes related to music and justice in the Caribbean. In addition to being co-producer of the series, Priya created the podcast's episode on island solidarity through music, and developed a curriculum to assist educators in demonstrating the ways in which music can provide a window into a nuanced understanding of environmental politics. 

​

• A series of discussions and workshops in Washington, DC, which utilized music to foster dialogue about environmental issues, particularly as they affect islands. Developed in partnership with Mayla, these events brought together artists, activists, environmental scientists, environmental policy-makers and public health professionals from the Caribbean, North America, and the Indian Ocean. 

​

• A concert series showcasing original, Caribbean-inspired interpretations of popular South Asian ghazals. The ghazal is a musical form of Sufi origin, with poetic lyrics that often celebrate the delicate webs of reciprocity between humans and the natural world. Through a series of concerts in San Juan, Puerto Rico (2018-19), we demonstrated the relevance of this genre of music for Caribbean environmentalism. 

​

• [In progress] A multicultural, music-filled curriculum on ecological injustice in the global tourism industry, based upon doctoral research in interdisciplinary environmental history. When completed, the curriculum will serve as a guide for secondary school teachers, university faculty, and community educators to explore the relationship between tourism and the climate crisis - and empower their students to utilize their own research capabilities and creative voices to visualize socially and environmentally just alternatives.​