Dear friends, As the pandemic exposes the world’s inequalities for what they are, I’m here to report about people that are working together for change. Starting in April 2020, I partnered with two organizations to help supply coronavirus-related protection and training to refugees in Kiryandongo Urban Refugee Settlement in Uganda. The organizations are Dream Production, …
Continue reading “A Time for Celebration – An Update on the Soap for Hope Project”
Woody Guthrie: Writing Songs for the Times, Racism, Spiritual Wisdom, & More
I’m grateful to be working on an international project. Some of you may know my connections to refugee communities in Uganda run back to 2017, when I interned with a refugee-led organization using technology to give people who are refugees avenues to voice their concerns, access information, and learn new skills. Today I’m back at …
Already a few videos to share from my time in Asheville, NC.
I love sharing music through house concerts. Each event is as unique as its attendees, its hosts, and the visions we create together! An especially fun one took place in Fort Wayne, IN, two weeks ago. Families have allowed me to post videos and pictures here. Thank you to Whitney and Jared for being willing …
Nonviolent Communication (NVC)’s persistence—in trusting people’s desire and creativity in meeting their own human needs and illuminating the potential for compassionate collaboration—roots my musical efforts. This week I was interviewed about NVC on my friend’s Quaker radio station. I welcome you to listen to the episode, comment on it, and share it with others. https://northernspiritradio.org/episode/primer-nonviolent-communication. …
Continue reading “Will Work for Peace: I Interviewed on Nonviolent Communication”
House concerts can be interactive! Click this link for Instagram video peeks inside a house concert . . .
Between Michigan and North Carolina: 25 hours down and 36 back. During an 11-hour layover in Greensboro, NC, I recorded the below song. First, let me explain the context: Train travel is more carbon-efficient than plane or automobile travel, which I’ve known for awhile. (Here are online writings – 1, 2 – capturing trains’ superiority …
Why Water: As water takes the shape of a container, I have been striving to allow this trip’s plans to unfold to fill the space.
Claire Bates Music