Creating Community thru Music Making

"Grooving embodies the duality of community: individuality made stronger through group participation, and vice-versa." (21) "No other art can inspire and sweeten the personality like music. The lover of music attains sooner or later to the must sublime field of thought." (11, p 52)

"As global communication and urban isolation increase and tight cultural communities wither, musical events draw many different people together and unite them on intimate levels. Entering states of unity through grooving, people are (re)united in ways that television and other media can not recreate (Mander 1978)." (21)

Jenny's Story

"Being someone that has been an active participant as well as someone that has sat witnessing what occurs, I've seen beautiful things come together thru music making that are difficult to put into words. I guess it's something that needs to be felt as a personal experience. What I do know and can say is that in the moment music making brings out a precious and mysterious quality and essence that nothing else does. I wonder if I might be a mess if I didn't have the music, dancing, drumming outlet available on a consistent basis for myself. And for me just being able to 'get out of my head' has been such a relief & necessary part of keeping my balance & peace in times of stress & responsibilities on so many levels. There is no need for head thinking here. It is all a free flowing in the moment space. Never quite knowing what to expect and what will show up, there have been times that I have been in awe. I am happy to have my expectations blown apart.