Music Heals
Early this summer, I met an old friend for dinner and a show. The tickets were from a mutual friend who wasn’t able to attend, so I didn’t know what I was in for. To my great surprise, the “show” turned out to be a profoundly moving conversation about racism and division, and how music can be a source of healing and unity.
The KC Symphony event featured Director Michael Stern hosting Yo-Yo Ma (the one and only), and Atlanta-based composer, conductor, pianist, and educator Joel Thompson, best known for his work for choir and orchestra, Seven Last Words of the Unarmed. The third guest was a promising musician and recent Staley High School graduate. We might never have known of Ralph Yarl if not for the horrific 2023 shooting that put him in the news as yet another victim of a racist (expletive deleted) bully with a gun.
Three accomplished musicians, representing three generations of Americans, men of color, exceptional minds, discussed the healing power of music in everyday life. Music is service, Ma proclaimed. Much can be read about how Yo-Yo Ma has served through music. Joel Thompson’s service has garnered accolades, too. Seven Last Words of the Unarmed explores not only racial discrimination, but also collective grief, each movement of the work featuring the final words of unarmed black men who were killed by police or authority figures.
Young Ralph Yarl, soft spoken but confident, and clearly in awe of the company he was keeping on that Kaufman Center stage, remembered how his 6th grade music teacher identified his ability and encouraged him to take up the bass clarinet. Yarl’s dedication to his instrument earned him a spot in All-State Band just a year after the shooting, and taught him that “we can create music together and give joy to others and ourselves.”
Ma, the elder statesman of the group, shared his own experience of making music over six decades and what it teaches. “The best art,” he said, “happens when you’re vulnerable and you take risks with your art, your music.” That sounds like a lesson for every day, too, doesn’t it? The way to approach work, to meet new people, to relate to our neighbors and loved ones. We can understand one another better when we are willing to be vulnerable and take risks. Perhaps we’ll even find more ways to give joy to others and ourselves.
Dear One,
Thank you for the healing power of music, and for those who serve through their gift for making beautiful music. Amen.
Eli is a member of Peace and is so grateful for the privilege of serving with Peace’s amazing team of talented musicians.