The second session of the Global Peace Women Webinar Series 2021 on March 27, 2021 was full of laughter, ideas and music! Mrs. Rachel Murray opened with “We are the World,” a song produced by a conglomerate of musicians in the 80’s to end hunger in Africa that has since become an anthem for positive social transformation around the world. Mrs. Murray, co-pastor at the Lighthouse Church, USA has been the Director of Music for more than 19 years. She was joined by young professional Ms. Won Moon Cho, and a student of Foreign Studies at Hankook University in the Republic of Korea and project director of “Peace Creator 2020.” The live streamed webinar was joined by participants from 26 countries.
Mrs. Murray, a member of Global Peace Women’s International Advisory Council, shared data that shows music can create healthier and happier familial bonds. Families with more music in their lives ate 5.6 more meals together per week with 160% more time spent together around the dining table, were 22% more physically close and 35% more likely to laugh together. Mrs. Murray also pointed that music can open communication that builds intergenerational bounds. “Start by trying to build the universal language of music and bridge the gap between the generations. Try to find common ground and respect each other’s music and have fun with your children and family members. It takes you and me to build the bridge and not break it down.”
Mrs. Murray shared 5 fun musical activities to bridge generations and cultivate peace in the home.
1. Family Jam Session
2. Family playlist
3. Music dance night
4. Family karaoke night
5. Music trivia night
You can download her full list of 11 age-appropriate family activities here.
Ms. Won Moon Cho, a GPW Leadership Academy graduate, opened her remarks with the 2017 song by five-time Grammy award winning team, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, “Korean Dream.” They coined it as the “We are the World” for Korean reunification. The song inspired Won Moon to start “Peace Creator 2020,” which combined online video tutorials and an awareness campaign for Korean reunification. Peace Creator 2020 sought to build a space for university students to dialogue and cultivate social consensus through a culture. Creators answered the question, “"How can we contribute to making a better nation?” Despite setbacks due to COVID19, 80 videos were created during the project with positive reviews. Won Moon’s project is a good example of how music and video can be a tool for peacebuilding and education in society.
The Question-and-Answer session reiterated the power of music to connect, not just generations in a family, but even conflicting groups and nations. “It is about communication and finding a common thread,” said Mrs. Murray. She encouraged families and musicians to harness the power of music to build, heal and connect in the family and the world.
The third session of Global Peace Women Webinar 2021 will be hosted on Saturday April 24, 2pm UTC, entitled, “Peacemaking as a Practice: Weaving Service into Everyday Family Life,” with Sara Aadland, director of Doing Good Together’s Big-Hearted Families Program and Ah-Na Mira, GPWLA graduate, and GPW Philippines Coordinator. We invite you to join us as we explore strategies that cultivate the culture of service and peace in our homes and societies.
Takeaways:
Sandhya Acharya (Nepal): “I will implement in my home to bridge generations, musical night once a week.”
Marty Mwisaaka (Uganda): “I learnt that music is key as a peace and unifying factor so plays a big role in peace building.”