[ music ] I AM EVERY DAY PEOPLE [ music ][ music ] >> WHAT I FOUND WAS WHEN THE CONCERT ENDED SO DID THE HARMONY, YOU KNOW.

AND HOW COULD WE TRANSFER THAT ENERGY THAT'S ON THAT STAGE AND IN THAT ROOM AND THEN EMPOWER THE AUDIENCE TO BECOME AGENTS OF CHANGE AS WELL?

MUSIC IS OUR PATH TO GET US TOWARD SOCIAL HARMONY BECAUSE OUR GOAL IS TO DISRUPT SOCIAL DIS A NENS, IT'S TO EMBRACE CULTURAL DIFFERENCE AND FIND THAT HARMONY IN THE COMMUNITY THAT EXISTS OUT THERE.

YOU DON'T REALLY GET TO KNOW SOMEBODY SITTING NEXT TO THEM SINGING IN CHOIR BECAUSE YOU'RE BUSY THE ENTIRE REHEARSAL, BUT WHAT WE DO OUTSIDE OF THE REHEARSAL IS WHERE WE CREATE BONDS, WHERE WE GET PEOPLE TO WORK ALONGSIDE OF EACH OTHER.

WE DON'T FORCE THE ISSUE, WE JUST CREATE THE SPACE AND THEN WE HOPEFULLY ALLOW PEOPLE TO GET INTO THAT SPACE AND WORK TOGETHER AND LET SOME OF THEIR STEREOTYPES, SOME OF THEIR THINKING, MAYBE, SHIFT A LITTLE BIT.

WE DON'T SAY NECESSARILY CHANGE, THAT'S NOT OUR JOB, BUT OUR JOB IS TO PROVIDE THAT SPACE IN WHICH PEOPLE CAN MAYBE SHIFT A LITTLE CLOSER TOWARD EACH OTHER.

WE'RE FOND OF SAYING THAT HARMONY DOESN'T EXIST IN MUSIC WITH ONLY ONE NOTE AND HARMONY DOESN'T EXIST IN THIS COMMUNITY WITH ONLY ONE POINT OF VIEW OR ONE VOICE.

OUR JOB IS TO BRING ALL THOSE VOICES TOGETHER AND FIND THAT SOCIAL HARMONY.

ONE OF MY FAVORITES IS WE BUILT A PLAYGROUND IN ONE DAY AND THE DAY BEFORE, THE PREP DAY, IT WAS LATE APRIL AND IT WAS 45 DEGREES AND POURING DOWN RAIN AND CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS WERE OUT THERE AND ALL THESE PEOPLE OUT THERE WITH MUD AND IT WAS DISGUSTING AND FELT LIKE IT WAS GOING TO BE A HUGE BUST.

THEN THE NEXT DAY LIKE THIS OHIO 73, BLUE SKIES, PERFECTLY DRY AND EVERYBODY GOT OUT THERE AND WORKED THEIR BUTTS OFF.

WHERE THERE WAS NO PLAYGROUND BEFORE THERE WAS NOW A PLAYGROUND.

ANOTHER ONE WAS PLANTING 100 TREES IN A DAY, TAKING PEOPLE TO DIFFERENT PARKS, LETTING THEM SEE DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE CITY THAT THEY LIVE IN.

TAKING PEOPLE TO MID OHIO FOOD BANK THEN COLLECTED NOW.

I HEARD ABOUT THIS BUT I HAD NO IDEA THE NEED WAS THIS GREAT IN MY OWN COMMUNITY.

THE MURALS ARE SUCH A FUN PROJECT, TOO, BECAUSE YOU DON'T HAVE TO HAVE ANY ARTISTIC EXPERIENCE WHATSOEVER, JUST LIKE YOU DON'T HAVE TO HAVE MUSICAL EXPERIENCE TO BE IN THE CHORUS.

WE HOPE THAT PEOPLE DON'T NECESSARILY CHANGE WHAT THEY BELIEVE OR THINK, BUT THAT THEY WILL MAYBE SHIFT WHAT THEY THINK ABOUT SOMEONE ELSE'S POINT OF VIEW AND JUST THINK MAYBE I NEVER THOUGHT OF IT THAT WAY BEFORE.

I NEVER HEARD IT THAT WAY BEFORE.

SERVICE IS THE PERFECT WAY TO DO THAT.

WHEN YOU ARE WORKING FOR TWO OR THREE HOURS, OUT IN THE SUN, SWEATING, YOUR WALLS COME DOWN, YOU REALIZE THAT THIS PERSON YOU'RE WORKING NEXT TO, YOU MAY VOTE DIFFERENTLY, PRAY DIFFERENTLY, LIVE DIFFERENTLY, BUT YOU HAVE SOMETHING IN COMMON, YOU'RE WORKING TOGETHER.

SO OUR PRISON ARTS PROGRAM, THE WHOLE IDEA WAS THAT IF WE'RE GOING TO TAKE MUSIC TO PLACES WHERE IT WASN'T AND IF WE REALLY DO WANT TO INCLUDE ALL THE VOICES IN OUR COMMUNITY, THEN WE NEED TO INCLUDE THOSE WHO ARE INCARCERATED AND WHEN THAT BEGAN, YOU KNOW, I WALKED IN WITH SOME TREPIDATION BECAUSE I HAD IDEAS OF WHAT THESE PEOPLE WOULD BE.

NOW I'M EMBARRASSED THAT I THOUGHT THAT BECAUSE I WALKED IN THE DOOR AND THEY LOOKED AT ME LIKE WHAT IS THIS PERSON?

IT WAS -- THEY FELT THE SAME THING THAT I FELT.

THEY DIDN'T TRUST ME, I DIDN'T TRUST THEM.

WHAT MUSIC DID WAS ALLOW US TO BUILD TRUST.

THE COMMUNITY ARTS PROGRAM, IT'S DIFFERENTLY ABLED ADULTS, MEN AND WOMEN WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED HOMELESSNESS, VETERANS, THEY WALK INTO A SPACE THEY DON'T TRUST.

OUR VOLUNTEERS DON'T KNOW WHO THEY ARE, THERE'S NO TRUST.

THAT PROGRAM IS ALL ABOUT TRUST.

THESE STUDENT PROGRAMS THAT WE DO, IT'S THE SAME THING.

IT'S TRUST.

IT'S TAKING A GROUP OF STUDENTS WHO ARE IN A WORLD TODAY WHERE THEY HAVE NO ONE TO TRUST.

THEY DON'T TRUST THE MEDIA, THEY DON'T TRUST SOCIAL MEDIA BECAUSE IT TURNS ON THEM SO FAST.

WE CREATE A SAFE SPACE WHERE THEY COME IN AND THEY CAN TRUST AND THE STUDENTS THAT WE ARE WORKING WITH NOW, I MEAN, I'VE BEEN DOING WHAT I DO FOR 30 YEARS ALMOST, IT'S THE HARDEST JOB I HAVE EVER HAD.

THERE'S NOT A LOT OF ENGLISH THAT'S SPOKEN, THEY'RE LEARNING THE LANGUAGE, BUT WHAT WE'RE FINDING IS THAT EVEN THOUGH THEY CAN'T COMMUNICATE WITH EACH OTHER BECAUSE THEY ALL SPEAK DIFFERENT LANGUAGES, THE SONG BECOMES THE LANGUAGE THAT THEY CAN SPEAK TO ONE ANOTHER WITH.

>> THE BEST THING ABOUT THE FREE.

THE PEOPLE DON'T HAVE SO MUCH EXPECTATION ABOUT THEIR VOICE, THEY JUST WANT YOU TO SING FOR THEM.

WHEN YOU SING FOR THEM, IT'S LIKE YOU GIVE THEM EVERYTHING THEY NEEDED OR YOU GIVE THEM THE MOST PRECIOUS THING EVER.

IT IS VERY POSITIVE AND CAREFREE AND THE ENERGY IS LIKE IT'S SHARING IT EVERYWHERE.

YOU FEEL SO PROUD.

IF YOU ARE FEELING EXHAUSTED AND JUST BESIDE HIM, I DON'T KNOW HOW, BUT HIS ENERGY IS SURROUNDING EVERYONE AND YOU FEEL LIKE, OKAY, I HAVE A LITTLE BIT, NOW I WILL SING FOR HIM.

[ music ] STARING AT THE BLANKNESS BEFORE YOU [ music ] OPEN UP THE DIRTY WINDOW [ music ][ music ] >> THESE KIDS CAME HERE TWO TO THREE YEARS AGO FROM WAR-TORN COUNTRIES.

THEY HAVE MORE TRAUMA IN THEIR LIVES THAN WE CAN POSSIBLY COMPREHEND AND THIS SAFE SPACE FOR THEM TO COME TO EVERY WEEK AND HAVE A PIECE OF DONATO'S PIZZA AND SING A SONG TOGETHER, WHO KNOWS WHAT FRAMING WE'RE GIVING THEM FOR THEIR FUTURE.

WHAT WE'RE GIVING THEM RIGHT NOW ARE SOME BOUNDARIES SO THEY CAN GROW DEEP BECAUSE THEY'RE GOING TO BE HERE FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES.

SO LET'S GIVE THEM A VIEW OF WHAT THAT LIFE COULD BE, LET'S HELP THEM WRITE THEIR OWN STORY.

I HAVE A LOT OF ENERGY.

I'VE NEVER REALLY THOUGHT OF IT THAT WAY.

I'VE THOUGHT OF ENERGY AS SOMETHING THAT YOU TAP INTO, BUT IT'S THERE, IT EXISTS.

YOU KNEW, WHEN YOU GET A ROOMFUL OF PEOPLE TOGETHER AND YOU CAN GET THEM TO BUY INTO THAT SAME ENERGY, YOU CAN TURN A GROUP OF 500 VOICES THAT WOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN QUALIFIED TO BE IN A 500-VOICE CHORUS TOGETHER AND YOU CAN TURN IT INTO A SOUND THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WAS MAYBE UNIMAGINABLE BEFORE THAT'S NOT BECAUSE OF MY LEADERSHIP OR THE BAND'S SKILLS, IT'S BECAUSE THEY TAP INTO THE ENERGY THAT EXISTS.

MUSIC BREAKS DOWN THOSE WALLS AND ALLOWS US TO TAP INTO THAT ENERGY A LOT FASTER BECAUSE IT GETS US MOVING, IT GETS OUR BODIES IN SYNCH WITH EACH OTHER, WE BEGIN TO BREATHE TOGETHER, OUR BRAIN WAVES STARTS TO ALIGN, OUR HEART RATES BEGIN TO GO AT THE SAME RATE.

THAT IS A REAL ENERGY THAT IS ACTUALLY CREATED BY SINGING TOGETHER.

SO SINGING IS THE TOOL, AND THEN THE ENERGY IS WHAT TRANSLATES THAT MESSAGE OUT TO THE AUDIENCE.

HARMONY IS NOT SOME SELFLESS ANGEL ON MY SHOULDER RENDITION, IT COMES FROM TRAUMA, IT COMES FROM NEGLECT, IT COMES FROM ABUSE, IT COMES FROM NOT BELONGING, IT COMES FROM NOT BEING HEARD.

I WAS THOSE KIDS THAT I WORK WITH IN DIFFERENT WAYS.

I WAS THE MEN AND THE WOMEN THAT I WORK WITH EACH WEEK IN PRISONS, I'VE LIVED IN A PRISON OF MY OWN FOR YEARS TRYING TO BATTLE EVANGELICAL CHRISTIANITY AND RIGHT WING POLITICS AND ALL OF THAT.

THE BEST ADVICE EVER, CREATE THE WORLD THAT YOU WANT TO LIVE IN BECAUSE YOU ONLY GET IT ONCE.

AND THAT'S LITERALLY WHAT I BEGAN TO DO.

MAKE THE CHOICES AND THE DECISIONS THAT WOULD CREATE THE WORLD THAT I FELT COMFORTABLE IN.

SO IT'S A SELFISH CHOICE.

AND THE MUSIC IS A SELFISH CHOICE.

I MEAN, EVERY NOW AND THEN I WILL DO A PIECE THAT SOMEBODY ELSE WANTS, BUT MOST OF THE TIME IT'S BECAUSE IT'S A PLAY LIST THAT I'M LISTENING TO IN THE MOMENT THAT I FEEL LIKE HELPS ME DEAL WITH WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE WORLD AND I JUST ASSUMED THAT OTHERS WILL BE GOING THROUGH THE SAME THING I'M GOING THROUGH BECAUSE WE ALL LIVE IN THE SAME SPACE.

BUT I FEEL LIKE -- I CHOSE TO DO THIS BECAUSE IT'S THE SKILL THAT I HAVE, BUT IT CHOSE ME IN A WAY.

[ MUSIC ][ music ] [ music ][ music ]