Songs 4 Ukraine - Build the Bridge!

Build Bridges, Not Walls.

May 17

“In all my close friendships, words are the bricks I use to build bridges. To know someone I need to hear her, and to feel known, I need to be heard by her.” - Glennon Doyle Melton

I’ve been talking about building a Music Bridge since “Songs 4 Ukraine” launched two months and five days ago (yes I am counting). A bridge, as you know, has both practical and symbolic uses. As our universal language, music allows us to communicate through sound - reaching past our differences and intellectual machinations to touch one another’s hearts and souls. It recalls us to our best selves - our empathy, compassion, and creativity - and allows us to see one another not as strangers, but as co-travelers.

But bridges can be much more than esoteric symbols of our human connections. A bridge built of pixels in 3D virtual spaces - easily accessible via a web browser - can offer collaborative opportunities that tap our collective creativity and problem-solving skills. It can serve as an event space, a repository for songs we’ve collected, a hub for knowledge exchange and collaboration, and as the basis for immersive, interactive classrooms. A 3D virtual bridge is also safe, can be accessed from anywhere in the world, and is available 24/7.

How to Build the Music Bridge
So yes, you guessed it, I’m about to break ground on a 3D “Songs 4 Ukraine” virtual music bridge that will be prototyped in Second Life, then moved to browser-based platforms for easy access as funds become available.

My next posts will be dedicated to sharing this process with you and inviting you to contribute ideas, resources, and suggestions about how we can make this Music Bridge both a thing of beauty and a powerful tool to support Ukraine.

Expect to learn more than you ever wanted to know about the various kinds of bridges, how they work, what they’re used for, and the materials used to build them. I’ll also be offering ways you (individuals, groups, and organizations) can support the project and be immortalized (well maybe not immortalized, but certainly thanked and remembered) within it.

Next Steps and Financial Needs
In order to build the “Songs for Ukraine” Music Bridge into a source of hope and inspiration and a resource for musicians, students, educators, and music lovers worldwide financial resources are needed. Please consider making a donation by clicking this link: https://gofund.me/26920e97

Thank you!