For this week’s episode Krista is joined by Mark Johnson, award-winning music producer, filmmaker, and co-creator of Playing for Change, a movement which aims to unite people through music. Mark explains how the idea for Playing for Change came to him in a subway station in New York when he noticed a diverse group of people gathered around a couple of busking monks. In that moment, he realized that some of the best music in the world could be heard in the subway rather than in the studio and that when the music was playing the barriers that normally divide people disappeared. That experience inspired Mark to bring his studio recording equipment to the streets and he set out on a journey across America recording and filming street musicians. Later, the concept of Songs Around the World was born, and a small crew began traveling the world creating a virtual collaboration between musicians. Today, Playing for Change is approaching one billion views on its YouTube channel and has established the Playing for Change Foundation, a nonprofit organization which provides free music education programs in eleven countries.
Mark believes that the unique ability of music to move us lies in its power to speak to the heart and help people realize they are not alone. Most importantly, music transcends barriers of race, religion and gender and can be a profound source of solace and joy in a divided world. As well as showcasing the talent of street musicians, Playing for Change works with established artists such as Ringo Starr and Bono, and one of Mark’s proudest moments came when Keith Richards contacted him to feature in a Song Around the World. Mark continues to thrive on the challenge of recording live music in far-flung, and often dangerous, places. His motto is success through perseverance, and he believes that good things will happen if you just keep going. His next step will be to organize an online Playing for Change Music Festival with performances from musicians, poets, and students from the Playing for Change schools.
To listen to the Playing for Change music, learn more about the movement and support the nonprofit foundation by becoming a member, visit https://playingforchange.com, https://playingforchange.org/ or visit their Youtube page.
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