Tragedy, courage and healing music
I’ve recently written about 3 popular songs, and just realized that there’s a common thread through them all. They aren’t written about happy subjects; two of them, My Heart will Go On, and the theme from Braveheart, link tragic love stories with courage. The third, Amazing Grace, originated with the slave trade and is a song of renewal and faith.
The common thread seems to be tragedy, courage, faith, and renewal. Courage is really the strength to go on.
“Where there is music, there can be no evil.” — Cervantes
I came across an article written just 3 months after the tragedy in New York City at the World Trade Center on 911, 2001. The article described how the Recording Academy(R), its New York Chapter, its MusiCares(R) Foundation and its GRAMMY Foundation(R) have worked continuously to provide a program of financial, educational and therapeutic outreach to the New York music community and beyond. The purpose of this work was to help provide that courage to go on.
Michael Greene, president and CEO of the Academy, acknowledged that “music has a unique power to heal, to teach and to unite people.” If ever there was a time calling for healing and unity, this was it. In response, the Academy mapped out a plan for financial assistance as well as ongoing tactical responses to the needs of musicians and others in New York City.
A mere three days after the tragedy, the Academy responded with “Concierto Para Los Heroes”, an impromptu benefit concert at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. More than $50,000 in donations and contributions was raised and forwarded to the American Red Cross/New York Relief Efforts.
MusiCares’ primary purpose is to focus the resources and attention of the music industry on human service issues that directly impact the health and welfare of musicians and industry members, and it has continued to raise money to send to members of the New York music community.
At least 200 music mentors were lost or displaced on 9/11. The Academy and the GRAMMY Foundation have expanded their existing programs with the New York Mentoring Partnership and the New York Board of Education to help recruit new music mentors and implement new mentoring programs.
The GRAMMY Foundation is working on educational initiatives to aid New York students. Its Leonard Bernstein Center for Learning (LBC) utilizes Artful Learning(R), a school reform model that prepares teachers to use the arts and the artistic process to reinforce teaching and learning in all subjects.
The New York Chapter of LBC, in partnership with Stuyvesant High School, is developing a program to expand the school’s songwriting course into a continuing GRAMMY In The Schools(R) program. Stuyvesant High School is located close to the World Trade Center site and was directly impacted by the attack.
“In the wake of the unspeakable tragedy of September 11, music has been an oasis of comfort, community and calm,” said Dr. Andrea Farbman, Executive Director of the American Music Therapy Association.
It piqued my interest to hear of the many people besides those in the music industry who were being helped with healing music after the attack of 9/11.
Even therapists and counselors have needed help after that horrible day. Also, students, seniors, and the families of victims, have all received one-on-one and group therapy sessions including music improvisation, receptive music listening, songwriting, lyric discussion, music and imagery, music performance and music-assisted relaxation.
I have dedicated my own album, Dreams Beyond the Twilight, to those who lost their lives and whose lives were unalterably changed by the horrific events of that day.
With love and compassion,
Daniel