Inspiring Ideas For A New World

It is incredible when you find something or someone that inspires you.  Recently, I have been checking out the TED.com website and its “Best Of The Web” speeches.  If you have not checked this site out, I would highly recommend that you do!  TED’s Executive Director, Chris Anderson has helped launched a site for organizations and individuals to share video of their inspiration or ideas with millions of viewers online.  This is a monumental time of change in the way we communicate and TED.com is an incredible way to share ideas with the world.  It is very powerful!

One of my favorite innovators, Bobby McFerrin has a video that was posted on the  “Best Of The Web” site.  Bobby appeared on a panel at the World Science Festival in 2009. He is featured demonstrating audience participation with the ubiquitous nature of human understanding of the pentatonic scale.  He sings and dances, and has the audience sing while following his movements.  Wow!  He is an amazing innovator and has captivated the audience.  I have posted the link at the end of my blog so you can take a look for yourself.

Bobby McFerrin has been inspiring me for years.  When I was working on my undergraduate degree at Western Michigan University, I performed with McFerrin with my college vocal jazz ensemble, Gold Company.  He was at the top of the charts back then with his well-known hit “Don’t Worry Be Happy”.   I remember that he had the audience captivated with his vocal abilities.  One of the audience favorites was his performance of the Wizard Of Oz in five minutes.  He sang and performed a recap of the classic film live on stage.  It was one of the most creative and entertaining moments I have witnessed on stage. 

As a vocalist, McFerrin often switches rapidly between modal and falsetto registers to create polyphonic effects, performing both the main melody and the accompanying parts of songs. He makes use of percussive effects created both with his mouth and by tapping on his chest. McFerrin is also capable of multiphonic singing; as observed in his song "Drive" from the 2005 DVD Live in Montreal.  I really do not know anyone else in the world capable of singing two notes at the same time.  He is truly an inspiration to the music and vocal jazz community.

 

Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_McFerrin

Retrieved from: http://www.ted.com/talks/bobby_mcferrin_hacks_your_brain_with_music.html

The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences

            I was recently on the website of The National Academy Of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS).  The reason for my visit was to vote for the current Grammy Award nominees, as I’ve been a voting member for the past ten years.  While I was there I re-discovered all the fantastic programs that NARAS has that support their members. Since this organization was created by and for music industry professionals, I thought I’d tell you about NARAS and three major programs that support their members. The member support is provided through the Producers & Engineers Wing (P&E Wing), GRAMMY University Network (GRAMMY U), and the MusiCares program.

            The Recording Academy is an organization of musicians, producers, recording engineers and other recording professionals dedicated to improving the quality of life and cultural condition for music and its makers.  The Academy has twelve chapters in key cities throughout the United States.  In order to accomplish their mission, The Recording Academy has developed these chapters to provide industry service and program development. These chapters serve their members and ensure a truly national scope to their endeavors.  

            The Academy has recently launched the Producers & Engineers Wing (the first of several planned wings), which encompasses an ambitious program of regional outreach aimed at serving all their members.  The P&E Wing is made up of producers, engineers, mixers, and other technically involved professionals. It is composed of almost 6,000 members. The Producers and Engineers wing assists with services related to the recording profession. They also support music and recording arts education. The P&E Wing advocates professional usage of recording technology as well as the preservation of recordings.  The members of this division make up a large portion of those who vote for the Grammy Award nominees each year.

            The GRAMMY University Network is an organization for college students who are pursuing a career in the music industry.  The Recording Academy created the Grammy University Network to help students prepare for a career in the music industry.  The program helps students establish themselves as music professionals in the field. They do this through forms of networking, interactive educational experiences and programs as well as performance opportunities.  The program is designed to enhance students’ current academic curriculum with access to recording industry professionals who can give them perspectives on entering the recording industry.

            Lastly, I’d like to discuss a program that directly affects the lives of music professionals. The program is called MusiCares. The mission of MusiCares, from the NARAS website (www.naras.org) states: "We provide a safety net of critical assistance for music people in times of need. The services and resources available cover a wide range of financial, medical and personal emergencies, and each case is treated individually with integrity and confidentiality. MusiCares also focuses the resources and attention of the music industry on human service issues that directly impact the health and welfare of the music community."  Check out www.naras.org for more great information about these programs that provide a huge direct impact to the recording community.

It is clear that NARAS is an incredible organization that supports music industry professionals.  Each year around the holiday season, I research charities to support with a personal donation.  I think MusiCares is the perfect choice for my holiday charitable donation this year.