“The act of playing music with people of different cultures, religions, economics, and politics is a powerful statement. It shows that we can find ways of working together and sharing our experiences with another in a positive way. Music has the power to break down the walls between cultures, to raise the level of human understanding.” – Mark Johnson, founder, Playing for Change
“After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music.” – Aldous Huxley, Music at Night, 1931
There has only been a few times when I have seen harmonic resonance in effect. Resonance in its simplest terms is when an object vibrating at its natural frequency causes another object to vibrate with that same frequency. An example would be to strum a note on a guitar and that same note vibrates on a second guitar.
The time that I’ve seen this theory of harmonic resonance in effect was in a New York City subway. A crowd was gathered around a man who played the guitar like it was the only thing he had ever known. He danced with that guitar as if he was the most peaceful free man in existence, he was the only man in the world. Everyone realized the connection between the man and his music, and the music and ourselves – we were all connected. The man stopped a crowd of people at the busiest hour in the most hectic of cities! The heart that he played that guitar with resonated throughout that entire station. I saw myself as if I wasn’t even inside a subway, but like that man alone in the world. I don’t mean alone as in lonely, but alone as in all-one, I was at peace. I only wish the whole world could hear that sweet song, because we all could use a moment of peace through music.
I first discovered the documentary Playing for Change over 6 months ago. I’ve been waiting for the release ever since I first watched an interview between Bill Moyers and the director Mark Johnson. The video brings together street musicians living all over the world as they play together, but remain within their countries thousands of miles away. I couldn’t believe the resonance that it reverberated through my soul. I understand now why Schopenhauer believed music to be the closest thing to the divine. Music has been around since the beginning of time. There are mantras tracked back so far in Hindu history that linguists say they contain not a single word, but are man singing bird song. Music takes us back in time to when we danced at the prom. Music can also stop us in our tracks and brings our minds to silence. Music can bring us out from our suffering of impossibility to looking up with our heads held high for any possibility. If I must find a way to peace, then I hope I can walk to a tune of a gentle song.
Join the movement! Click here: Playing for change
Share This:
