No Matter Who You Are…

Google defines World Music as “Music where influences from more than one cultural tradition intermingle.”
This definition technically is correct, but it just feels so cold for such a positive movement within music. I feel that “World Music” and “Transnational Music”, just by having these labels attached to them, have a lot of pressure put upon them. The true intention of the music is often lost and it becomes more important which specific instruments they are using or which genres they are choosing to mix. Personally I feel that “Transnational music” should be called so not because they have specifically gone out of their way to pick two random genres of music or cultures and mix them. The “mixing” should happen first and not for any specific reason, it should be a positive, unintentional movement that just happened because of the artist’s feelings about what their music should portray. I’m going to draw attention to an organisation who I feel are well aware of what they want to achieve through their music and what it should portray to the listener.

 http://playingforchange.com/

                                   ”The Inspiration”

    Playing for Change is a multimedia movement created to inspire, connect, and bring peace to the world through music.The idea for this project arose from a common belief that music has the power to break down boundaries and overcome distances between people. No matter whether people come from different geographic, political, economic, spiritual or ideological backgrounds, music has the universal power to transcend and unite us as one human race. And with this truth firmly fixed in our minds, we set out to share it with the world.

The Playing For Change organisation have recorded various different street musicians from around the world, playing the same song, recorded in their home venues. The recording equipment was kept simple and the videos were not high-tech, they wished to catch the natural, genuine performance that was happening at the time. It sends a powerful message about how music can help so many different people around the world if only we focus on what is important and forget the rest.
I Strongly believe that without such strong-willed people and musicians, others may forget what’s important about music and how it’s not always the richest, best-dressed, most over-produced music that will help us through hard times, but that truly beautiful music with the intentions that makes music the powerful force that it is, can be found anywhere.

“This song says, that no matter who you are, no matter where you go in your life, at some point you’re gonna need somebody to stand by you.”

Laura Penny