M.U.S.I.C.ť Melodies Unlocking Social Intuitiveness in Children

Everyone is always talking about tolerance, acceptance, diversity, difference, and inclusion. They constantly seek to answer hard questions about how to achieve these principles especially in the classroom among students inherently different from each other culturally, ethnically, socially or economically. As a performing artist-ethnomusicologist working with a new generation, I identify what I do as key to answering these questions. I call it “M.U.S.I.C: Melodies Unlocking Social Intuitiveness in Children” because the music I share is inM.U.S.I.C. Blog Phototended to speak to hearts across boundaries that impede cultural understanding. There are common terms in music -harmony, unison, consonance, or ensemble- that focus on blending tones artistically. On-the-other-hand, these terms also focus on values related to social awareness for blending hearts collectively. Who can harmonize in hate? Who can sing in a choir with discord? Who can play in an ensemble out-of-sync? Through M.U.S.I.C., I see group performances bring unity, global studies bring understanding, and cultural aesthetic bring compassion. M.U.S.I.C. are the keys I play on my instrument of love that keeps harmonious interaction in the world one child at a time.