Friday, September 14, 2012

What is Connected!?

Glad you asked...listen here to experience Connected! for yourself.

Yes, since the last blog here, I've been busy:


  • Guitars for Vets has grown from one location at Veterans Village of San Diego to three locations with a fourth on the way, with 70+ graduates and approximately 50 active students -- I'm honored to facilitate this amazing Milwaukee-based non-profit here in San Diego;
  • San Diego Veterans Coalition continues to inspire partnerships in the region, now with more than 90 government agencies, NGOs, for-profit corporations, associations and dedicated individuals combining forces to better serve Veterans -- I serve as SDVC Treasurer;
  • The San Diego Symphony military outreach program recently provided more than 500 tickets to a summer pops event featuring one of the best new pianists of this Century, Russian-American virtuoso Lola Astanova -- it's my pleasure to help connect Service members who want to attend such events with the generosity of the San Diego Symphony;
  • Speaking to Rotary Clubs on the topic of functional music -- "music care" as I call it -- has taken me all over San Diego County over the last year...check out one great recommendation here.
Along the way, there have been so many opportunities to bring music care to a wider audience, including collaborating with HeartPower PerformancesResounding JoyMusic Worx and Combat Vet Productions. I've also been privileged to play on two tracks of the upcoming Veteran-produced CD "Coming Home" and in a cover band created by graduates of the Guitars for Vets program at VVSD called "The Cause." 

And the next few months will be very exciting indeed!

When you have a moment, use this Connected! link to experience for yourself how music can be used for transformation. By the way, we're not using some woo-woo new age stuff here -- you're going to learn that Bob Seeger, Fergie and Katy Perry are just as powerfully effective as Beethoven and Mozart, plus you'll being to understand how various types of music change us. And guess what? Your response is guaranteed. As Lady Gaga says, you "were born this way."

Enjoy!