Oktoberfest One....

We like to explain to folks that Listen for Life is "a global family of music listeners, performers, and producers, all working together to restore music as a unifying force for good, throughout the world".....and sometimes we find out that we have actually helped to accomplish that mission in a particular community, even without realizing it or intending it! Such is the case with the first annual Oktoberfest that Listen for Life was asked to help produce for a San Jose, CA neighborhood and parish this last weekend.
LfL has been involved in the area for the last 9 months or so, creating a year-round series of cross-cultural concerts and music-based events for the Race St/Rose Garden neighborhood and being held in the good acoustics and ambiance of St Leo the Great parish through the generosity and visionary planning of their pastor Fr Marcelo Navarro. When discussing a program for Fall 2011, LfL had suggested bringing in an authentic German band and doing traditional Oktoberfest music. At the first planning meeting I was in awe at the number of volunteers (from the parish, school and neighborhood) who showed up, the incredible ideas and energy that they brought with them, and the  speed with which this simple idea ramped up into a massive event with authentic German food, professional crafted desserts, special outdoor lighting to create a Bavarian beer garden area, children's games, a dancing area near the band.....all was great until I realized, with a sinking feeling, that I was being asked to coordinate the entire event and not just the music. Thankfully, a new arrival in the community, realtor Jacqueline Price, offered to put in just as many hours behind the scenes outlining tasks and connecting all of the people to do them, through constant emails and phone lists, and a rather large army of school parents and parishioners (from both the Hispanic-speaking and English-speaking communities) gradually took shape. The Don Sommerfeld band provided fantastic music and ambiance while the ticket line at the door just grew and grew. The event was a huge success in every way, and now the German Oktoberfest in this primarily Hispanic/English neighborhood is slated to be an annual happening that folks are already looking forward to.
But why is this story in a Listen for Life blog on music? Because we learned something very important through  this event as well. Music does indeed have the unique power to be a unifying force, perhaps even more-so on the local community level than on the global level where we are also frequently involved. The night of the Oktoberfest, as it was drawing to a close, several people explained to me in different ways that this was the first time in many years that the various communities within the parish, school and neighborhood had all shared in the planning, participated in the work, enjoyed the event together, and made new friends during the clean-up. The type of music was something unique to most all of them so it became the common denominator for a shared new experience.
So, for all of you Listen for Life music listeners and volunteers out there, or those interested in creating LfL chapters in other cities worldwide, take note! Look for opportunities to be a catalyst for building this unity -  donate your energies to create unique music events within the communities where you live, and involve as many of the different organizations or groups within the neighborhood as you can. Nothing is too small to be worthwhile, and nothing is too big to tackle. I am living proof that you will survive (the lack of sleep and extension of your working hours), and help will appear, and you will be so glad to have met and worked with so many new friends and wonderful people! It is a rather magical thing to suddenly realize that your "mission" has been accomplished for you, and by everyone involved. Thank you again, Oktoberfest team!

WANTED: your thoughts, ideas and opinions about.....

........Unity - through music! Is it possible?
Nearly every person on this planet listens to music in some form or another.
Research has shown that music can build bridges, ease tensions, create a common denominator for renewed discussion during conflict resolution, express emotions that are too powerful or dangerous for words, lift the spirits and enrich the hearts or minds of those listening in a group.....
So if most people on the planet participate in something with that many positive benefits, why not create a heightened awareness of that potential, and encourage the deliberate use of music as a unifying force throughout the world?

If you are interested in one particular organisation that works towards this mission/cause then you might like to view the following video link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6xE0iy7MXk

But I believe that the tremendous potential within the communicative power of music is much too important to be left to the success or failure of any one particular individual, group or organisation in any single generation -
EACH of us can start, in our individual lives, and we can create a positive "cause" or "movement" of sorts by spreading this awareness through social networks and online tools, while also sharing our own ideas or experiences of specific instances where music has provided (or can provide) a positive, all-important tool for mental/spiritual nourishment, conflict resolution, or cross-cultural communication.

I would love your ideas, not only on the potential uses/power of music , but also on ways in which to spread this awareness and message successfully around the globe, particularly to the people and regions that need it most.
We need your advice and participation!

Pomoja : Music in Action

Greetings! The word pomoja means "unity" or "together" in various African languages. I hope to create an online community that can be a pomoja (unity) amongst those of us- individuals, groups, and organisations, alike- who are working to make a difference in the world, while harnessing the power and unifying force of cross-cultural MUSIC to help achieve our goals.

Some of us may be educators, volunteers, or founders of NGOs; advocates for specific causes, diplomats, hospital care providers, or piano teachers; media producers, music composers or performers; staff members at non-profits or CEOs of new hybrid social ventures; donors, investors, and cultural travel enthusiasts....or simply avid music lovers!



I know that there are numerous websites or blogs that endeavor to provide information and inspiration to specific target groups, gather volunteers for a particular cause, or assist NGOs and foundations that are focused on a unique set of issues. And similarly, there are (almost literally!) innumerable websites featuring music of one type or another.

Nevertheless, musicians of all countries and all ages are looking for more opportunities where our hard-won skills can be used to help change people's lives; to know where we can volunteer time and talents to organisations that believe in the power and value of what we have to offer.



And those of us who are not musicians, but are looking for some uniquely potent ways to reach the hearts and minds of the individuals or groups whom we are trying to help, might be surprised to learn about the ways that music is currently being used as a critical tool in such important activities as conflict resolution, international relations, education (for all subjects and at all levels), cross-cultural diversity training, human rights issues and the UN Millennium Development Goals, gang prevention, music therapy for healing of refugees' traumas......to name just a few examples!



The goal of this blog, therefore, is to create a worldwide online community that can share experiences, contacts, ideas, resources, and inspiration which we can in turn share with the world. I hope that this site can become a catalyst that will bring many different organisations, websites, and individuals together around the common interests of music and service:

"Music in Action"!



I look forward very much to hearing from all those whom I've already met during my global travels in this exciting work (some might call it a "mission"), but I am also eager to "meet" new friends from all cultures and continents who will hopefully contribute your comments to this blog so that we can share in your ideas, experiences, vision, contacts and life stories.

We are unified in the belief that we can achieve community and global change most effortlessly and powerfully through music, but we can only do it "together": Pomoja!