Welcome to our 1st newsletter! We're grateful you're here. |
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"We’re building bridges. Bridges with music. Celebrating differences, flying distances spreading rhythm and love. Bridges, bridges with music. Sprinkling peace and harmony, a chant of empathy, a better space to be…us. Compassion, peace, understanding, empathy, love. Compassion, peace, understanding, empathy, love. Compassion, peace, understanding, empathy, love." ~Written by Peace Bell and Joel Fluent Greene (excerpt taken from the theme song of our animation project. Stay tuned…) |
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Hi! We’ve been around for 30 years doing this work, but we’re evolving (as all things do) so it feels important to introduce and reintroduce ourselves. Sooooo…. A warm welcome to you! We’re Building Bridges with Music, a non-profit organization in Traverse City, MI. We’re on a mission to construct pathways in our community and beyond that connect us to our shared humanity, using music & the creative arts to facilitate open-mindedness and break down the barriers that divide us. When you strip away everything on the surface, we’re all made of the same stuff & trying to survive and find happiness in the world, am'ma right?! What does that look like from our perspective? It begins with the understanding that sustainable, healthy growth requires nurturing. Our goal is to cultivate programming and experiences for youth that invites observation, listening, & questioning within the realm of what people need at a basic level in order to survive, and to perhaps think more critically and with more compassion about the obstacles that can get in the way of one’s ability to thrive. How do we do that? With music and the creative arts, of course! Why? Because it's the perfect space to take chances, ponder our universal needs and desires, and to practice being open-minded. What did that look like for us this year? |
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MLK Day event: We gathered as a community at the Commongrounds building to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. for advocating for the rights and dignity of all people, & shouting from the rooftops that, "Love is the greatest force in the universe" and the "heartbeat of the moral cosmos." We agree. We sang, danced, created, laughed, played, listened, filled our bellies, conversed, and sat deeply in remembrance. From little to big, young to old, from The Alluvion to NoBo Mrkt, to Milliken Auditorium, the force of love was something to be reckoned with, indeed! | | |
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| | Sisters in Jazz: A program created for northern Michigan female and non-binary high school students to encourage and promote the art form of jazz and the collaboration it cultivates. The facilitation and mentorship of this workshop took place one Saturday per month for 5 months, and was led by Detroit-based, Marion Hayden, internationally acclaimed jazz bassist, educator, and one of the founders of the national Sisters in Jazz program. This workshop was a true masterclass. Students learned the art of improvisation, the benefits of risk-taking, and grew their confidence. On June 21st at Traverse City’s newest concert venue, The Alluvion, their ensemble got to be the opening act for the last show of our 2023-24 Jazz Series: The Ellen Rowe Octet "Momentum, Portraits of Women in Motion". Epic! | | | | |
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| | Poetry Workshops: Poetry is a way of feeling, learning, and deepening our connection to self, others, and the community at large. In keeping with our mission to create safe spaces for personal expression and to encourage peer support, Building Bridges with Music has contracted with Detroit poets & hip hop artists, Joel Fluent Greene and Peace Bell to host workshops with local youth. We launched the program with workshops in West Middle School, Suttons Bay Schools and Buckley Schools. | | |
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| | Joel Fluent Greene: From authoring books, to hip hop, to hosting Detroit’s iconic Cafe' Mahogany poetry nights, to Detroit Lions commercials, Joel is an artistic force to be reckoned with. With his warm energy and down-to-earth vibe, he has an effortless way of facilitating safe spaces for students to sit with and process their feelings through creative writing. When he was asked about his passion for sharing poetry with students, he said: “I love being the kind of person I needed when I was in school, and I love sharing this powerful tool that students have at their fingertips to build confidence, think critically, and be heard. Putting a thought down on paper is a beautiful thing.” By the number of students lined up to get his autograph after his workshops, what he does with (and for) youth, works. | | |
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| | Peace Bell: PEACE is a two-time Recording Artist, two-time Grand Slam Champion, and lover of all things music. A lead writer-in residence with Inside Out Literary Arts and performance poet that continues to inspire crowds with her energetic wordplay, she uses the (h)e(art) of writing to facilitate workshops that empower youth to dis-cover their creative voices. Her current projects include writing in preparation for publishing her book entitled, "If I Were a Writer", and touring throughout the country. With a name that encapsulates her spirit, and with her warm, soft-spoken yet powerful tone, she captivates the attention of anyone fortunate enough to be in her presence. | | |
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School Assemblies: "Every thought we have, every word we utter, every action we take is either based in LOVE or FEAR." ~Martin Luther King, Jr. Disrespect and misunderstanding is EVERYWHERE these days - in our schools, workplaces, neighborhoods & communities, and in our politics. Through music and storytelling, our workshops create spaces for youth to examine the thoughts, words, and attitudes they have about people, especially those they perceive to be different than themselves. Challenging everyone to be UPSTANDERS and part of the solution, rather than BYSTANDERS and part of the problem, is the heart of our mission. Change requires self-awareness and a commitment to PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE! | | |
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Building Bridges with Music gets animated! Say whaaaaaaat?! | | |
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Compassion, peace, understanding, empathy, LOVE. We're not in this for profit. We're in it because we care. As a non-profit organization, your one time, monthly, or yearly donation has a real time impact on the FREE programming we are able to offer to our community and beyond. Please consider giving back if you can. | | |
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