Why Music?

ne World Music was founded on the belief that, on bandstand or in the workplace, innovation grows from the same source:  synergy.

Samba, for example, is the synergistic mixing of elements — sometimes precise (as in a march), other times, syncopated and polyrhythmic (as in a dance.) Samba's ability to embody these polarities creates a dynamic metaphor for the synergy we can achieve in our lives — individually and collectively. And, like all music, samba speaks to the importance of maintaining creative tension — making room for diverse voices and talents, fun in learning and a spirit of celebration.

Like the advent of language and the discovery of fire, the creation of music marked a critical moment in human evolution. Throughout our history, it has served as a way of celebrating life, giving sound to something essential about being human. It has been used to marshal troops, woo lovers, entertain friends, regulate emotion, accelerate learning, honor royalty, appease the gods, commemorate the history of a people, and, more recently, influence the buying habits of consumers. Along with storytelling, dance, ritual and myth, music is a time-honored way to gather a community together in harmony while giving voice to individual and collective aspirations.

Gary Muszynski

It don't mean a thing, if it ain't got that swing.

Duke Ellington

We are in the twilight of a society based on data. As information and intelligence become the domain of computers, society will place new value on the one human ability that can't be automated: emotion. Imagination, myth, ritual — the language of emotion — will affect everything from our purchasing decisions to how well we work with others.

Rolf Jensen, Institute for the Future

At the heart of each of us, whatever our imperfections, there exists a silent pulse of perfect rhythm, a complex of wave forms and resonances, which is absolutely individual and unique, and which yet connects us to everything in the universe. The act of getting in touch with this pulse can transform our personal experience and in some way alter the world around us.

George Leonard, The Silent Pulse

When a team becomes more aligned, a commonality of direction emerges, and individuals' energies harmonize. There is less wasted energy. In fact, a resonance or synergy develops, like the "coherent" light of a laser rather than the incoherent and scattered light of a light bulb. There is a commonality of purpose, a shared vision, and understanding of how to complement one another's efforts.

Peter Senge