MUSIC IN COMMON INC

Music In Common aims to initiate and facilitate ongoing dialogue between diverse groups of people, particularly youth and communities in conflict, to provide them opportunities for improved ways of communicating and greater understanding between people viewed as "the other". Further, to provide a platform for youth to express their thoughts, ideas, and visions through public performances and music videos that can be shared globally to amplify their voices and connect them to their global peers through a shared experience.

Since 2005, Music In Common has directly served thousands of people in more than 250 communities across the globe, including Israelis and Palestinians, Christians, Jews and Muslims, as well as American-born, refugee and immigrant youth. In any community, our JAMMS and Amplify programs transform apprehension into trust, fear into acceptance, powerlessness into action. Through safe and honest dialogue, and working together face to face to address issues that are important to the group, participants expand their understanding, build confidence, strengthen their sense of community, and feel empowered to think critically and responsibly and to voice their opinions and ideas publicly through creative expression.

Creative collaboration is the cornerstone of our methods, including music, multimedia and other art forms but no particular creative skill is required to participate. To that end, with rare exception MIC programs are tuition free and open to all.

Music in Common's staff and facilitators are professional musicians, multi-media producers, and educators. All have worked with diverse groups in communities around the world. Since 2010, Music in Common has facilitated over 45 programs around the world and have developed successful methods to engage and support participants to think critically and act responsibly toward their vision of a better world. Our 2 short documentary films have proven useful tools for demonstrating the development and growth of our programs. It is our intention to secure funding for a youth produced documentary that represents their experiences and visions for the continuation and growth of our programs.

To date, nearly fifty JAMMS songs have been written and recorded by youth around the world. Most recently, participants in our Amplify program study, learn, perform and record several of those songs. In doing so they become ambassadors for the JAMMS youth whose songs they are performing, amplifying their message in new and powerful ways and connecting the audience with the stories and cultures of the songs’ authors. In the process of learning the JAMMS songs, Amplify musicians learn about the faiths, cultures, and narratives of the youth who wrote the songs, thereby connecting them to others whose backgrounds may vastly differ from their own. In their public performance, the youth share their experiences and their responses to the stories of the songs authors, demonstrating for the audience the power of music to amplify their voices. Music In Common is currently exploring ways to expand the Amplify program, as well as to train additional JAMMS facilitators.