Playing for Change
Depending on the day of the week, time of the year or lead story of the mainstream media news parade, I admit to alternating between a died-in-the-wool idealism tempered with a no-holds-barred cynicism which leaves me, hopelessly, ambivalent.
Yet, I continue to hold dear my childhood penchant for good old cock-eyed optimism and discover from time to time, miracles are still to be found. A soulful concept and brilliantly executed idea making the rounds is something called “Playing for Change.” Its genesis is simple: born out of the idea that we have to inspire each other to come together as a human race, why not try doing that in the most fundamental of ways — through the universal language of music.
Started four years ago on the streets of Santa Monica, California, founder, Mark Johnson and his crew recorded a lone musician, Roger Ridley, singing “Stand By Me.” That simple recording spawned a journey throughout the world, through subways and streets, native Indian reservations, African villages, Himalayan mountains and hamlets in the heart of Dublin. None of the musicians had ever met; it was the music that united them. That, and the belief that we can do more for this world by working together than apart. A worthy ideal deserving of a few minutes of your time.
~ by Errant Aesthete on 07/12/09.
Posted in Global Matters
Tags: humanity, markjohnson, Music, playingforchange, standbyme
