Hey, do you remember….
Do you remember the first time you ever heard a live concert?
I remember being about eight years old, sitting in a hard plastic chair in a slightly dusty 1970s school auditorium, trying not to squirm around and wrinkle my best dress. There were all these music stands on stage, like odd metal trees, and between that and the empty seats, it looked so… odd.
I looked up at my mom.
She winked. “Just wait.”
When the musicians filed onto the stage – the men in their sharp black suits and women in their elegant black dresses – I remember how fascinated I was. I didn’t know most of the instruments and I had no idea what to expect, but all those people looked so confident. So proud.
And then the conductor raised his baton and the music swelled… and I was hooked.
There’s just something about the energy of a live performance, isn’t there? Something immediate and wonderful… I was a shrimpy eight year old kid, but I still felt like I was part of the performance.
I fell in love with the silver magic of the flutes, and within five minutes, I was pretending that I was playing along with the actual musicians… I remember closing my eyes and listening… just holding onto my mom’s hand as I got swept away in my head.
Have you ever felt that way?
I’m willing to bet you have, actually. Even if you haven’t ever made it to a live performance, you’ve listened to music. It’s everywhere. And there’s something else about music that you might not know…. it’s a universal language.
That’s what makes it perfect for communicating with people, even if it’s the first time you’re meeting them. Even if you don’t speak the same language, or come from the same country. Music is the great equalizer.
You know who specializes in that kind of musical communication?
Music Matters, that’s who.
The Music Matters Brass Quintet
Meet Beth Moore of Beth Moore Tuba Studios and her merry band of musical geniuses….
Chris Wilson is on horn… and Robert Seitz plays trombone. On trumpet there’s Ryan Hallum…. Jonathan Sywulka…. Keith Beyer…. and my friend Trevor Johnson.
Believe me when I tell you that every one of these folks are expert musicians. Every single one of them has an absolute passion for music… and they go the extra mile to share it.
Why?
Remember that feeling I talked about in my first story? That sense of wonder and intrigue and fascination that eight-year old me had? The musicians in Music Matters want all their audiences to be able to feel that way. To be able to listen and forget entirely about their uncomfortable seat and dusty surroundings and just get swept away. To daydream and believe that yes, they can play like that.
But not everyone who wants to is able to do that.
See, not everyone gets to experience live music. It’s expensive to see a concert, after all, and some people can go their whole lives without ever hearing more time-honored forms of music like orchestra or brass quintet.
Now, the choice of going to a concert is entirely up to you, and you can certainly choose not to listen to anything other than what comes over the radio.
But what if it isn’t really a choice? What if you want to learn to play… and you can’t afford to?
Music Matters doesn’t think income or location should keep you away from experiencing what music can do, either as a listener or as an instrumentalist.
They perform to inspire a love of and curiosity for music, and then they provide the hands-on instruction that schools may struggle to provide.
That’s why they partner with existing music programs and teachers in income-challenged areas… and they don’t limit themselves to working in the US.
Music… and a Mission
MUSIC MATTERS GLOBAL is headed to Papua New Guinea and Australia for three weeks to serve, teach, perform, bring instruction & encouragement to young musicians & music lovers & we’d like to ask you to help us get there!
Talk about going the extra mile! Or, in this case… the extra 6,904 miles from Los Angeles to Papua New Guinea.
Almost 7,000 miles.
14 hours in a plane.
Three weeks away from home, playing free concerts and introducing eager audiences to the joy of music.
Teaching lessons to kids who are fascinated – the same way I was – by the musicians and the magic they create with their instruments.
And that’s not all… Music Matters will also be performing at the release of a new, local language bible translation for Papua New Guinea from the Wycliffe Global Alliance.
How awesome is that?
Music Matters isn’t just going to perform. They minister through music, inspiring kids just like I was inspired years ago.
I came out of that concert forty years ago absolutely in love with the flute.
Imagine what the people watching my friends in Music Matters will fall in love with.
How Far Would You Go for Love?
When my friend Trevor auditioned for Music Matters, he did it knowing that they were a Christian group, and that they’d be doing missional and charity work.
The thing is… Trevor’s in college. He’s finishing up his degree in music performance, volunteering time in the church orchestra, and teaching the next generation of great trumpet players what he knows.
Remember what it was like being a college student?
I do, and I definitely remember that I was lucky if I could afford a package of ramen. A plane ticket to another country, even for a fantastic cause like this?
Not even close.
But that’s the thing… Trevor chose to go way out of his comfort zone because he believes in ministering through music… and he did it in faith, knowing that he could never do this on his own. He’s committed, musically and faithfully, to spreading the Gospel of Jesus and glorifying Him through music.
He needs your help.
He needs you.
In three weeks, Trevor and the rest of Music Matters will be getting on a plane to be the hands and feet – and brass quintet – of Jesus far from home. Will you support them with prayer, and… if you’re led… contribute to them monetarily? Even a small amount makes a big difference.
Will you be the hands and feet of Jesus to them so that they can be the same to others?
If the answer is yes…. click the link below to Trevor’s GoFundMe page. And may God bless you!
https://www.gofundme.com/afe7g-mission-trip-to-papua-new-guinea
