Playing For Change
empowering women, families, and youth-at-risk through improved literacy, increased positive media, and tools for living.
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By Loretta Seal: January 2012
People throughout the world have been deeply moved by the idea and music of Playing For Change.
Playing For Change is a multimedia music project, started in 2004, whose self-described goal is “to inspire, connect, and bring peace to the world through music.”
American producer and sound engineer, Mark Johnson, along with his Timeless Media Group, traveled throughout the world with cameras and a mobile recording studio. Their intention was to use music, the universal language, to overcome barriers and show that there are many line-minded people who are interested in creating a better world. Their travels took them from the streets of the United States to African Villages, Native American reservations, the Himalayan mountains, and many other places. There they recorded local street performers performing the same song, one of which is their first single, “Stand By Me.” When it came out in 2008 this video had over 37 million hits on YouTube. According to Mark Johnson, “these songs and videos offer musicians, who have never met in person, the ability to collaborate and write through the power of music.” Mark and his team also interviewed the musicians and heard of how music helped them persevere through universal struggles.
The vision of Playing for Change extends far beyond just music and film. The PLAYING FOR CHANGE FOUNDATION was formed to build music and art schools around the world. The Foundation sees these schools as sources of inspiration and a means of promoting peace and breaking down negative stereotypes among people everywhere.
Learn more about Playing For Change and together we can accomplish much more than we can apart.
References:
1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Playing_For_Change.
2) Official website: http://www.playingforchange.com.
3) Bill Moyers Journal: http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/blog/2008/10/guest_blogger_mark
Playing For Change is a multimedia music project, started in 2004, whose self-described goal is “to inspire, connect, and bring peace to the world through music.”
American producer and sound engineer, Mark Johnson, along with his Timeless Media Group, traveled throughout the world with cameras and a mobile recording studio. Their intention was to use music, the universal language, to overcome barriers and show that there are many line-minded people who are interested in creating a better world. Their travels took them from the streets of the United States to African Villages, Native American reservations, the Himalayan mountains, and many other places. There they recorded local street performers performing the same song, one of which is their first single, “Stand By Me.” When it came out in 2008 this video had over 37 million hits on YouTube. According to Mark Johnson, “these songs and videos offer musicians, who have never met in person, the ability to collaborate and write through the power of music.” Mark and his team also interviewed the musicians and heard of how music helped them persevere through universal struggles.
The vision of Playing for Change extends far beyond just music and film. The PLAYING FOR CHANGE FOUNDATION was formed to build music and art schools around the world. The Foundation sees these schools as sources of inspiration and a means of promoting peace and breaking down negative stereotypes among people everywhere.
Learn more about Playing For Change and together we can accomplish much more than we can apart.
References:
1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Playing_For_Change.
2) Official website: http://www.playingforchange.com.
3) Bill Moyers Journal: http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/blog/2008/10/guest_blogger_mark
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