Coming up in a few short weeks is Arts Advocacy Day on capitol hill on April 16 and 17. One of my personal favorites, Ben Folds, is speaking up for the need to support the arts in education and also advocating for music therapy. Check out this brief piece, Ben Folds to Perform During Nancy Hanks Lecture on Arts and Public Policy on April 16 in Washington, D.C, to get a sense of what’s happening.
I have been a fan of Ben Folds for a long time now. In fact I remember when my close friend Sean Hickey, composer and classical music exec, played Ben Folds Five for me the first time. He noticed how this little ensemble rocked harder with an acoustic piano and fuzzy bass sound than anyone we had heard in a long time. I couldn’t have agreed more. Then I started to listen to his lyrics. I heard the cutting wit, self depreciating candor, true to life story-telling, mixed in with the sometimes mesmerizing and often rocking, always no-nonscence musical lines and melodies. To be clear, I do not know Ben Folds – what a day that would be – but through his intensely personal music making, I feel I have a connection to him the way that I know many people do. This is a beautiful thing, when you connect to your audience in such an authentic way. I can only assume that making music for Mr. Folds has been a process of discovery and self exploration. What a gift.
Discover and self exploration. Hmmm. Sounds pretty good for a music therapy session.
Until next time, may you be surrounded by the loveliness of the world.
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