“Where words fail, music speaks.” 
– Hans Christian Andersen

The Danish author might have had a somewhat idyllic view of the world (after all, he became famous by writing fairy tales), but he was right on this one: music does speak louder and more eloquently than words.

In fact, music is an excellent, though much underused, diplomatic tool, certainly more effective in taming hostilities and bringing people together than harsh words, threats, or use of force.

Yes, music has the power to create peaceful and friendly dialogue among people of various – and sometimes widely divergent – cultures, beliefs, or political systems.

Joy to the world

How is music used to promote tolerance and goodwill – let’s call it “cultural diplomacy?” A recent article in the Washington Post talks about Maya Azucena, a singer from Brooklyn, who is performing in several parts of Russia, a country where anti-U.S. feelings are on the rise.

Azucena, who tours on behalf of the U.S. State Department, reports that audiences from Moscow to the deepest reaches of Siberia were moved by her renditions of rhythm, blues, soul, reggae, and hip, “all quintessentially American with a deeply American message.”

“It’s apparently still okay to encourage justice and love, freedom and self-expression in Russia, as long as you do it with a song in your heart,” the article states.

This is one of many examples of how music can break down the barriers and make a positive difference in uniting people.

Melodies of love

Earlier this year, Peyton Tochterman, a folk singer from the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, was asked by the State Department to travel to Afghanistan to show how “diplomacy can be shaped by the musical arts.”

As he relates in his blog, armed with only two hand-made Rockbridge guitars, he and his fellow musicians toured the war-torn country, singing in “most difficult, dangerous and inhospitable places on our planet.”

His take on this musical diplomacy? “We are all connected through music and we must continue to celebrate this connection, this language that is so important not just to our own culture, but also to cultures around this fascinating world of ours.”

Four years before he performed in Afghanistan and Azucena sang in Russia, the famed New York Philharmonic performed a historical concert in Pyongyang, the capital of isolated North Korea, which has been closed to the outside world since the end of the Korean War in the 1950s.

This event marked the first such visit from the United States to North Korea. The groundbreaking performance aired on Korea’s state television and was watched live by an audience of thousands in the concert hall. Millions of people who had been indoctrinated to hate the United States listened with bated breaths as American musicians performed works by Wagner, Dvorak, and even Gershwin.  As Song Sok-hwan, the country’s culture minister said at the time, “We hope this will be a big step toward increased bilateral cultural exchange between our two countries.”

Reach out and touch someone

Have all these musical performances brought about a significant improvement in relations between the U.S. and other countries? You could argue that all these efforts were in vain: after all, Russia is still blaming America for many of its internal problems, and North Korea remains as hostile toward the United States as it has always been.

That may well be, but keep in mind that lasting and sustainable change doesn’t always (if ever) occur overnight and it doesn’t always come from the government. There have been many examples in recent years (one of them is the Arab Spring) of change starting at the grassroots level and spreading to the top.

By making an emotional connection with people across the world, music sows the seeds of tolerance and understanding, heals wounds, and inspires change. As singer Bono said, “Music can change the world because it can change people.”

Playing for change

Now that you know the powerful impact music can have on people and nations, you might like to learn to play an instrument too.

You are in luck: our Manhattan music lessons will take place in your home or office – we’ll teach you any kind of instrument you’d like to learn.

Remember Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s words: “Music is the universal language of mankind.” And that is one message that will never be lost in translation!

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The post Manhattan Music Lessons | Diplomacy, or How to Make Friends and Influence People appeared first on Hey Joe Guitar.

These cheerful words were spoken by former President Ronald Reagan, and he certainly knew what he was talking about because he was an avid harmonica player.

The 40^th president of the United States reportedly learned to play this instrument while recovering from the assassination attempt in 1981, and his repertoire included songs like “Git Along Little Doggie” and “Streets of Laredo.”

Perhaps his playlist choices were not exactly presidential but, when it comes to music, Mr. Reagan was in good company: many of the former U.S. commanders-in-chief enjoyed playing an instrument too.

As the Election Day 2012 is getting closer and the contentious campaign is gaining momentum, the two current contenders for the Oval Office are facing a different kind of music: mutual accusations, criticism, and mudslinging.

But politics aside, a lot of U.S. presidents – Democrats and Republicans alike – had at least one point in common: they loved making music.

Hail to the chiefs

Let’s start with America’s first president: it is said that George Washington played the zither. We have no proof of this other than hearsay, but given that Mr. Washington could not tell a lie, we are assuming that he did indeed play this flat stringed instrument and that it was not made from the cherry tree he reportedly chopped down.

Drafting the Declaration of Independence apparently still left Thomas Jefferson enough time to play not one, but three instruments: cello, clavichord, and violin.

John Quincy Adams studied the flute at Harvard but, by his own admission, he wasn’t exactly a virtuoso. In his dairy, he conceded that he was “extremely fond of music, and by dint of great pains have learnt to blow very badly the flute. But could never learn to perform upon the violin, because I never could acquire the art of putting the instrument in tune.”

We are happy to report, however, that Andrew Jackson, the commander-in-chief- who was elected after Adams, was quite proficient at both guitar and banjo.

As for Abraham Lincoln, saving the Union and freeing the slaves – not to mention his daily four-mile walk to school as a boy – still left him enough time to learn a harmonica-like instrument called the jaw or mouth harp. It is said that he played it during the 1858 Illinois state election campaign (which he lost).

Other presidents also had their favorite instruments: Woodrow Wilson played the violin, while Franklin Roosevelt, Richard Nixon, and Harry Truman were partial to the piano.

And talk about being prolific: it was said that Warren Harding could play any instrument with the exception of the trombone and clarinet.

The most recent president whose musical skills are renown is, of course, Bill Clinton. His mastery of the saxophone is legendary. When asked why he continued to play the sax during his presidency, he replied: “Well, I don’t have much job security.”

No, he can’t!

By now you might be wondering what, if any, instruments the present occupant of the White House plays. Alas, while he is an ace on the basketball court, music remains on Barack Obama’s “to-do” list. As he said in a December 2011 interview with ABC-TV, he “would love to be able to play an instrument.” (We take it to mean that he currently doesn’t).

So it must be a measure of relief for the President that his opponent, Mitt Romney, is not known to play any instruments either, although the company he created, Bain Capital, owns the Guitar Center – the largest retail chain of musical instruments in the world.

That should probably come as good news to the voters, since both candidates in the 2012 election appear to be on equal footing when it comes to musical skills – or lack thereof. So it is safe to assume that musical tastes will not be a divisive issue in this race.

Act presidential!

Why do so many presidents enjoy playing an instrument? At least part of the answer may be that this activity has been shown in various studies to reduce stress and soothe the soul.

Nobody can deny that the presidency of the United States is one of the highest-pressure jobs on the face of the earth, so we can only hope that the above-mentioned presidents were able to harness the beneficial effects of playing their instruments.

But listen – you DON’T have to be a president (or, for that matter have a stressful job) to enjoy playing an instrument. If you would like to learn any of the instruments -or their modern versions – that our presidents played, we’ll be happy to come to your Manhattan home or office (even if it’s not Oval), and give you music lessons.

Because no matter which party you belong to, playing an instrument is always politically correct!

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Photo Credit: Theresa Thompson

The post NYC Music School | Presidents Who Struck the Right Chords appeared first on Hey Joe Guitar.