Global Music Diplomacy

You all know – we all know – music is a way for all of us to show who we are, where we come from, what we love, and also to learn the same about other people.  That’s true of people.  It’s also true of countries.  In the United States, our nation’s history shows up in the very instruments that we have – the drum set, invented in the early 1900s in large part by African Americans, who fused together instruments that generations of immigrants had brought to this country: tom-toms from China, cymbals from Türkiye, bass drums from Europe.

ANTONY J. BLINKEN, SECRETARY OF STATE
at BENJAMIN FRANKLIN ROOM in WASHINGTON, D.C.
SEPTEMBER 27, 2023
https://www.state.gov/secretary-antony-j-blinken-at-the-launch-of-the-global-music-diplomacy-initiative/

The above is an excerpt from the speech by a self-claimed “very amateur guitarist,” whose performance from this event to launch the “Global Music Diplomacy Initiative” went viral for a good reason!

The initiative was catalyzed by the bipartisan Promoting Peace, Education, And Cultural Exchange (PEACE) Through Music Diplomacy Act signed by President Biden into law last year.

Music reminds us how what we share is greater than our differences. Nationality, language, culture, socio-economic background, ethnicity, generations…the conditions we are born into may differentiate us and our perspectives, but we are at our best when we practice empathy and cooperation with the recognition that we all want the same things; peace, happiness, health, love, laugher, moments to appreciate our shared memories… Especially now, when the news about conflicts and disasters add to our anxiety about our future uncertainties, we need to harness the power of music, and deploy musicians at reenforcing our human bond.

Speaking of the drum set, I will be sharing the stage with a 13-year-old drummer, Yoyoka this Sunday. In 2018, at age 8, she gained international attention for an online video in which she covered Led Zeppelin’s “Good Times Bad Times.” She and her family moved from snowy Hokkaido to sunny California last year to pursue music. This Sunday, on October 15th, we will all perform at an event starting at 5PM at Japanese-American National Museum in Little Tokyo at Downtown Los Angeles. Presented by the Aurora Japanese Language Scholarship Foundation as a part of its 25th anniversary celebration, it will feature Mr. Kenko Sone, the Consul General of Japan in Los Angeles as the keynote speaker.

This blog entry is loosely based on an article to be published on Nikkan San as a part of my bi-weekly column “The Way of the Pianist,” to be published on October 13th.