travel
Posted by Francois Viguie, 4 months ago
September 11th, Accra airport, Ghana: My flight from Bamako, Mali, just landed in Accra. I'm supposed to meet with Abdul Rahman, director of the school, who is coming to pick me up. I've never met him before but he'll be wearing a Playing For Change t-shirt so I can recognize him. After a brief glimpse at the people waiting in the arrival area of the airport, I see Abdul Rahman. He is smiling and says, "Welcome to Ghana," during our very first hug. We have to jump on a propeller airplane to reach Tamale, where the school is located. The flight is going to be quick and safe.
Tamale looks like a very spread out city, with thousands of little houses covered with sheet-metal roofs. Ghana has the most dynamic economy in Africa, and Tamale has grown very fast over the few last years. The Bizung Music School opens every afternoon between Monday and Friday. Most of the kids are between 8 and 15 years old and attend classes in traditional music, dance, chant and keyboard. I can't wait to meet everybody at the school! The goal of this trip is to maintain a close relationship between the Playing For Change Foundation and the people on the ground, but also to document the progress that has been made at the school since its opening last year.
If the students appear a little shy in front of the camera on the very first days, little by little they seem to forget that I'm filming and start to play the game. I also want to screen some videos for the kids; I'm editing a video on the road for them so they can see themselves on a big screen, but I also have a video message from the kids at the music school in Kirina to the kids in Tamale that I filmed while I was in Mali. The students from Mali are introducing their school to the kids in Tamale and ask them some questions through the video: "What language do you speak?” “What kind of music or instruments do you play ?”
Here is a link to this video message. There are only 850km (around 528 miles) between Kirina and Tamale; that's why we hope that one day we'll be able to create a cultural and musical exchange between the two schools. Kirina and Tamale have a lot in common and a lot to share, too.
This week in Tamale was absolutely beautiful. It has been very emotional to see the passion of our teachers at work and how talented and eager the students are to learn at the school. As words are not enough to share this experience and demonstrate the positive change currently happening in Tamale through this music school, here is a short video that will introduce you to the Bizung School of Music and Dance. You'll see and hear the school’s teachers and students playing and singing during the classes and also giving witness to the impact of this music school on their lives.
travel
Posted by Mark Johnson, 1 year ago
Well my time at Davos and the World Economic Forum has come to an end. I leave with a strong feeling of optimism. I understand that there is plenty of room for skepticism in the economics of the world, but somehow I feel that music and the arts left a strong impact on leaders of all kinds across the globe.
As I was walking out of the Congress Center on my last day a CEO of a major company stopped me and said after hearing about Playing For Change and watching our One Love video he has decided to implement a new job at his company titled, Chief Music Officer. The role will be to instill inspiration in the work place!
I believe that the power of music is being felt in places we never imagined. This project started Ten Years ago in a subway station with two monks singing and playing guitar. To this day I cannot tell you where they where from or what language they where singing in. I am starting to believe that this is meant to be, as they serve as a symbol that regardless of who we are or where we come from we are all united with music. Let's continue to build a global family with love and inspiration at our core so we honor the message of Roger Ridley, Grandpa Elliott and those monks in the subway station.
Changing the world for the better, and creating peace through music must always start from the inside out. I want to ask all of you to reach out to your friends and families and ask them to join our movement so we can expand our mission to everyone. Music is the greatest tool for healing broken countries, cultures and hearts!!!!
travel
Posted by Mark Johnson, 1 year ago
Hello Everyone, here is my latest update from the road with the PFC crew.
Everyday is a blessing with Playing For Change; we travel the world and meet different people offering us all greater insight into humanity and the power of music. Today was another great day of filming and recording with the Sierra Leone Refugee All Stars during their North American tour. We met the band in Chicago and spent a beautiful day together.
We are close to finishing our new Songs Around the World album (currently untitled) and I really want to share the experiences with all of you as this is your global family!! Today I learned, "One day you are suffering in this world and the next day you are healing other people's pain through music." I first heard about this band when I saw a movie about their lives titled "Sierra Leone Refugee All Stars." This group of musicians represent one of the great human triumphs of our time. They struggled through death, famine and genocide and yet moved forward with love in their hearts and melodies in their minds. They are not only searching for a better world, but are also creating one!!!
Thanks to the Sierra Leone Refugee All Stars, this is our ever growing PFC family and together we will connect the world through music.
One Love, Mark
We just got back from a fantastic day of recording in Shiba Rikyu, a lush oasis in the middle of Tokyo's urban sprawl. As we wended our way along the pristine paths of this beautifully maintained garden, we sometimes forgot that we were in fact still in downtown Tokyo. However the surrounding sky scrapers peeking down through the trees (and the elevated train that dodged between them) reminded us of where in fact we were.
The musician we worked with began the session with an upbeat traditional song. Then he demonstrated his versatiliity by improvising along the pentatonic scale in the keys of our new Songs Around the World. He added a unique sound to each track we recorded, and by the end of the day we were all very pleased with how the session had gone.
We are nearing the end of our stay here in Japan. We will not be recording tomorrow, instead we will be participating in a couple of amazing cultural experiences. Our crew has been invited to Togoshi Shrine to celebrate their Matsuri, an annual harvest festival. Before heading to Togoshi, we will be going to an exhibition that we feel will be very profound. It is called "Dialogue in the Dark," and offers small groups of people the opportunity to spend an afternoon in complete darkness. Visitors are led through a building by a staff of guides that are all blind. The crew are all very excited about this amazing opportunity. I know I often take my sight for granted, and I hope to gain a deeper understanding of how I can relate to the world more consciously without the use of my eyes.
travel
Posted by Mark Johnson, 2 years ago
Hello and Konichiwa to everyone! Today was our second major shooting day in Japan and I feel compelled to thank all of the Japanese people for treating the Playing For Change crew with so much love and respect. The greatest lessons on our journey are usually what we can learn from other cultures. Today I realized that we are constantly surrounded by such positivity everywhere we go. PFC has been to approximately 30 countries and each trip we gain deeper insight into the power of music to open doors and climb over walls. Each recording and every song around the world are collective statements that we are going to make it as a human race as long as we remember the importance of respect. I know very little Japanese but I can easily understand the smiles and laughter surrounding us.
I can’t wait to share all the music and love we are experiencing with all of you because this is your global family and we are a movement of people everywhere who see the future is what we make it. We will continue to travel and personalize this project with every country we can until the world embraces love and inspiration from the inside out. One song and one smile at a time. Thanks to Japan and thanks to everyone who supports us on our journey, we LOVE you all. Arigato!
Thank You,
Mark
P.S. I need to mention my immense joy for the birth of my little nephew,
Will Johnson – son of Greg and Erin Johnson, I love you more than the blood that runs through my veins!! One Love.
