Before the ceasefire, 18 GEMS school teachers staged a show in Dubai with technical support from alumni.
Dubai: “Don’t worry about a thing, cause every little thing is gonna be alright.” The choice of Bob Marley’s Three Little Birds as the opening song was deliberate, its powerful line setting the tone for the performance.
Those words also captured the spirit of the moment for 18 school teachers who gathered at Dubai’s Folklore Theatre in the weekend before the ceasefire, many of them meeting in person for the first time.
At a time when schools across the UAE were operating on distance learning and the region was still affected by war, they came together on stage for a special event titled The UAE Resilience Project.
Organised by GEMS Our Own Indian School (OIS) in Al Quoz, the live musical show brought together teachers from eight schools across the GEMS Education network, turning the performance into an act of solidarity expressed through music and song.
Streaming live to an online audience from the venue, the event featured performances in English, Tamil, Hindi, Konkani, and Tagalog, with each teacher—whether from music or other disciplines—bringing a piece of their own culture to a stage they had likely never imagined sharing.
“This idea was born from an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the leaders of the UAE, who have indeed created a safe haven for all of us during these unprecedented times,” said Joe Peter, Head of Performing Arts at GEMS OIS and the driving force behind the project. “In moments when words fall short, music speaks,” he added.
Pipes of Peace
The idea had been quietly taking shape for some time. When the shift to online learning disrupted co-curricular activities, Peter and the OIS Music and Theatre Fraternity responded by producing a remote choral rendition of Sir Paul McCartney’s Pipes of Peace.
Rearranged by Immo Schröder, the piece was performed by the OIS choir and accompanied by students’ drawings celebrating the UAE, serving as a tribute of gratitude to the country’s founders and rulers. The response it received gave Peter a glimpse of music’s potential impact on a wider audience. The UAE Resilience Project emerged as his response to that realization.
WhatsApp group with a mission
What makes the in-person project remarkable is not just what unfolded on stage, but how it came together behind the scenes—across school boundaries and entirely over WhatsApp.
Peter, who founded the OIS Music and Theatre Fraternity 14 years ago, originally envisioned the project as an internal initiative. However, when invitations were extended to Indian schools within the GEMS network, the response was immediate and enthusiastic.
Teachers from GEMS Our Own High School (Al Warqa’a), GEMS Modern Academy, GEMS New Millennium School, GEMS Our Own English High School (Al Ain), GEMS Millennium School Sharjah, GEMS Our Own English High School Sharjah Girls, and GEMS Premier Music Academy all joined in.
Most had never spoken to one another before. A WhatsApp group became their only meeting space—a platform to plan, coordinate logistics, and address concerns, all while continuing to teach their own students remotely from home.
Rehearsals were conducted online, with a mock livestream held the day before the event to resolve technical issues. The participants only met in person on the evening of April 4, when they arrived at the venue for the first time. They gathered early for a soundcheck before the curtains went up and the cameras went live.
Alumni step in
The project also turned into a reunion of sorts for the organising school’s alumni and student community, who played key behind-the-scenes roles. Jehoash Jonah, an alumnus of GEMS OIS, served as the sound engineer, overseeing the vetting of MP3 tracks submitted by each performer.
Fellow alumnus Nihar Gandhi designed and produced promotional reels for social media, with support from current students Siddhi Roy and Darshit Moleti. The reels were shared across all participating schools to build anticipation ahead of the event.
The venue and production support were sponsored by Events Planet, a production company that provided the technical infrastructure for the live stream.
On stage, finally
The evening opened with the UAE national anthem, followed by the GEMS anthem. Written by GEMS Founder and Chairman Sunny Varkey and composed by Joe Peter, the anthem was performed by school alumna Ashnia Mary Roy.
A recorded address by Michael Guzder, Executive Vice President – Education at GEMS, captured the spirit of the initiative. “These have not been easy days,” he said. “But here you are, choosing to create, choosing to come together, choosing to bring light when the world seems very heavy… Even in difficult times, light does not disappear. It is created—and tonight, you are that light.”
What followed was an evening of solo, duo, and trio performances spanning five languages, with a keyboard and guitar available for those who preferred not to sing to backing tracks. The room was filled with educators who had created something meaningful together without ever having shared a staffroom.
“It was heartwarming to see teachers, including some of the exceptional music teachers across the GEMS network, come together so quickly to celebrate the UAE’s resilience,” said Dr Kapila Pawar, Head of Upper Primary and Middle School at GEMS OIS, who co-anchored the event. “For those few hours, music replaced uncertainty, creating a powerful sense of solidarity and gratitude,” she added.
‘The moment to say thank you’
Lorna Gomes, Upper Primary Supervisor, who co-anchored the show and performed the opening song, said, “The moment to say thank you is now… What better way to express this gratitude than through a language that transcends borders and is understood by all—the universal language of music.”
Derek Rolston, a Hindi teacher from GEMS Our Own High School, Al Warqaa, who performed in Hindi, said: “Being part of this project felt like singing not just with voices, but with purpose—spreading strength, unity, and hope through every note.”
Lalitha Suresh, Principal and CEO of GEMS Our Own Indian School, praised the teachers for what they achieved in expressing their love and gratitude to the country they call home. “The UAE Resilience Project stands as a shining example of how music can transcend barriers, bringing communities together and offering solace in times of need,” she said.
