COMMON CHORDS
Working To Tear Down the Walls That Divide Us

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Our Purpose

The purpose of Common Chords is to use music and the arts to tear down the walls that divide us, in order to bring us into a common understanding of one another.

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Our Vision

Our vision is a community that celebrates both the qualities that we have in common as well as the diversity that makes us unique .  

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Our Method

We use the tools of artistic expression to educate and to build community.  In the spirit of the folk tradition, we teach through demonstration-encouraging imitation, ultimately leading to innovation.

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We Believe

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• Art saves lives.  Art gives people the power to become the creators of their own narrative .

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• Music and the arts can be useful in creating bridges of understanding both within and between communities. 

 

• Giving people the tools of artistic expression empowers them to tell their own stories uniquely and thus enables people to better understand one another. 

 

• Artists and musicians that embrace these principles become transformational artists and help to heal wounds in the communities in which they work. 

 

• The principles that underpin COMMON CHORDS can be used to bridge many societal differences including racial, gender, generational, social, cultural and language.

 

• Embracing artistic expression can be empowering, therapeutic, and educational. In addition to inparting information, the act of producing art actually puts us in touch with parts of ourselves that trigger healing. 

 

• Finally,  those who don't know how to create art can still help art happen.  We look for patrons who help to support the mission and vision of COMMON CHORDS.