When Ambassadors Had Rhythm

“Armstrong, Goodman, Gillespie and the rest were linking freedom in music with freedom in life.” Above, Louis Armstrong in Cairo in 1961. We can argue all we want about the “intrinsic verses the instrumental value” of the arts. We can take our MBA’s and social entrepreneurs and calculate the SROI (return on social investment) and … [Read more…]

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It was a year that would teach her the satisfaction of tiny victories in a place where homelessness means that some kids cannot take their instruments home to practice, where chronic asthma forces some to switch from wind instruments to percussion, where the roar of a lunchroom leaves a newcomer stunned. Ms. Vegter, 25, was … [Read more…]

Introducing ImaginArtists

You’ve heard of the Civilian Conservation Corps, the PeaceCorps and AmeriCorps. Please join PeaceLabs, MNSi and the ImaginArtists Alliance in promoting the creation of a Music and Artist Corps.

Millions Flock to Watch Disney’s “Camp Rock”

Something about music… “Camp” debuted to 8.9 million total viewers Friday night, with fans holding viewing parties nationwide. A second airing Saturday night on ABC pulled in 3.6 million viewers, while a third airing Sunday on ABC Family averaged a solid 3.7 million viewers, according to Nielsen. Meanwhile, the movie’s premiere in Canada became Family … [Read more…]

Music Saves Lives: In Prison

“The despair gripped me, like a nightmare had become my life,” said Ms. Ahmad, 26, a shy law student from Malaysia who claims she is innocent of charges of trying to smuggle cocaine on a flight from Caracas to Paris. “But when the music begins, I am lifted away from this place.” Ms. Ahmad plays … [Read more…]

Rock, Pop & Soul with Huckabee & Obama

Music’s a uniter, not a divider! It certainly transcends political parties, religious affiliations, ethnicities and most everything else that can come between us. Senator Obama (Michelle above w/ Stevie) wants to create an “Artist Corps.” Governor Huckabee (above, smiling w/ his bass) wants to make universal music and arts education the law of the land…Hmmm, … [Read more…]

A symbol of mental willpower

From David Brooks, today, NYT: “Then they get spiritual. In Slate, Robert Wright only semi-facetiously compared Woods to Gandhi, for his ability to live in the present and achieve transcendent awareness. Analysts inevitably bring up his mother’s Buddhism, his experiments in meditation. They describe his match-mentality in the phrases one might use to describe a … [Read more…]

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Luke Russert, son of the late ‘Meet the Press’ moderator Tim Russert, touches his father’s empty chair on the darkened set at NBC studios in Washington. Democratic strategist James Carville and wife, Republican strategist Mary Matalin, regular ‘Meet the Press’ guests, burst into tears during taping of Sundays tribute show.—–

Missing Russert…

Tim Russert dies at 58. For me, Sundays will never be the same…but the loss of Tim Russert is bigger than the sadness we all feel in his absence. In my opinion, through his weekly show “Meet the Press,” Tim played a key role in making our democracy work. I’m not exaggerating. Tim was unique … [Read more…]

NPAC Endorses Artists Corps

NPAC Endorses Artists Corps: The final session of the 2008 National Performing Arts Convention in Denver ratifies the Artist Corps and commits participating organizations and thousands of artists to support its development. At the beginning of the convention, participants were asked to work together to design the future of “the Arts” America. On the final … [Read more…]