Empowering Black America through Holistic Engagement
 
The Odyssey Project

Music is Life

The Odyssey Project Music is Life Program for Black Youth

The Odyssey Project Music is Life Program
The Odyssey Project Music is Life Program

The Odyssey Project Music is Life Program

Music is Life ~ For more than 20 years, I have invested countless hours into research that could explain the social immobility, mental health issues, political indifference and so many more enigmatic issues that plague my people. Through my research, I have tackled everything from filial indifference, mis-education, intergenerational transmission of trauma (including epigenetics), generational conditioning, and more. One thing that I have attempted to provide elucidation on in my writings and lectures is the deep-rooted conditioning of the Black mind, and the innate counterproductive behavior that it produces.

It has been, and it remains my position that you cannot address mental conditioning through quick fixes and motivational speeches. Simply pointing to a truth will not reverse the negative mental conditioning. The only way that you can reverse conditioning, is by creating a reconditioning process through which new ideas and paradigms are introduced over time. The collective behavior of blacks today is the aggregate total of centuries of brainwashing and demoralization — a distortion and perversion of our historical, axiological norms and standards. We have been laden with feelings of inferiority, which has damaged our self-concepts and self-worth.

We are struggling with ethical and moral dilemmas because we have lost ourselves as we attempt to assimilate into something that is diametrically opposed to who and what we are at the core of our being.

Simply understanding this is not enough; we must develop plans and strategies of how to address this in an efficacious manner. We know that media is one of the most powerful mediums through which conditioning takes place, but currently we only own about 80 of more than 13,000 media outlets — meaning that we must learn to leverage what we do have access to.

Another very powerful medium is music. With our spiritual and emotional makeup, music has an immense capacity to influence our visions, thoughts, concepts and behaviors. Currently, there is a massive assault on the minds of our youth through music, and far too many of us are completely oblivious to it. This is one area in which we must control the message that is being sent to our people. While it will be important to change the message as quickly as possible, something that I am currently working with others on, we must also invest in our younger generations, in order to create musicians with the mindset to produce music that is inspirational and empowering to our people.

This is why I have decided to launch a national music program designed to teach our youth about every facet of music. We will teach them how to read music, write music, play music and more. Additionally, we will teach them music engineering, how to mix and master their own music. In addition to the foundations of music, we will teach them how to build their brands, market and distribute their own music, making them less vulnerable to major labels that will exploit them and rob them of their creative expression.

So, I am asking all musicians, engineers, music promoters and managers who are interested in giving back to our communities to empower our youth in a way in which they will be able to empower their generation with a new message of exceptional possibility, to contact my office.

I am also asking musicians, churches, and music companies to donate instruments and equipment so that these kids can have what they need to get started. Personally, I think every black kid should be able to play at least one instrument — expanding their ability to express themselves, as well as interpret life better.

We need everything from percussion instruments, guitars, keyboards, brass instruments, amps, engineering equipment, software and more.

Finally, if you have a child that you would like to enter into this program, please contact us with their information.

You can reach us at info@theodysseyproject21.com

At The Odyssey Project, we are committed to rebuilding the Black community in every area of human existence. We are not delusional, so we understand that this is a long-term endeavor, and it begins with investing in the one group that has not yet been conditioned to be counterproductive — our kids. ~ Dr. Rick Wallace, Ph.D.