David Brown

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Harmony Project gets loads of bikes to give to kids for Christmas


305432_10151280280413070_1024731632_n305432_10151280280413070_1024731632_nHere’s what can happen if people work together, and do something positive. The Harmony Project, a philanthropic group that sings and shares had a one day drive in Columbus, Ohio, to buy bikes for foster kids.  It worked!  In one day, enough money was raised to buy 155 bikes!

In light of what has happened recently, this is encouraging news. If we put our minds to it, we can do anything.

We just need to believe in ourselves, and what we can accomplish! Picture by David Brown, director of The Harmony Project!

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4 Comments Posted on Celebrations, children, choral groups, Entertainment, Harmony Project, joy, Music, relationships, Theater, Uncategorized

The Harmony Project Pays it Back Today : another Harmony Project Post


Teenagers sharing with People from the Unison Project and Harmony Project

Today the teenage group from South High School met with the Unison Project (people who live at the Commons of Buckingham) and the Harmony Project members.

I approached the building, and saw all the teenagers congregated outside. A Unison Project member was outside with them. “I wanted to feel all that energy,” she said. I know what she meant. If you haven’t been around kids for a while , it’s nice to feel their enthusiasm.

City Year, a college group that  works with the students, was in attendance.  They explained that they are assigned schools, and help out the kids with mentoring, tutoring, and all those good things.

David Brown, our director, ushered us inside where all the adults were congregated.The kids had a couple of pieces of Donato’s Pizza. (Some things never change, kids and pizza is one of them.) They came up in an orderly fashion, and were extremely polite.

The kids made a circle around us, and sang the song they are singing in our concerts December 19, and 20th. There is nothing like the sound of kids singing in harmony. Take my word for it, you won’t want to miss them at The Southern Theater. I think they are going to bring the house down.

A few of the kids explained what they were doing at South High School to prepare for the concert. The ones who spoke were very poised.  It includes singing and talking about the same things that Harmony Project talks about. Sharing with each other, and giving back  These might be old ideas, but they work.  David Brown, had them repeat “we’re paying back.”

The rest of us sang our song to them. They gave us a rousing reception.

David asked some of the members of the Unison Project to talk to the kids.One person told them not to give up, and that education is so important.  Another member told them not to let anyone tell them “they can’t do anything, and to reach for the stars.” Member of the Unison Project are people who have worked their way out of homelessness or very tough circumstances. That is a true testament of people who aren’t afraid to make new lives for themselves and want to pass on their knowledge to the younger
generation.

He had the kids come up to all of the adults, and introduce themselves. They all followed directions, and were so friendly and engaging.

All in all it was a very inspiring afternoon. Going and singing with the Unison Project is one of my favorite things to do.

All the adults left, and the kids went on to decorate Buckingham Commons, where a great Thanksgiving Celebration is going to take place on Thanksgiving Day. All the members of the Harmony Project want to help, and there will be no shortage of servers or guests.

Everyone starts feeling charitable this time of year. I am proud that The Harmony Project does it all year round.

You can still get tickets for our performance December 19 and 20. Don’t miss a great show! You can get tickets through Capa or me!

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5 Comments Posted on friendship, Harmony Project, Inspirational People, Memoir, Music, Ohio, Theater, volunteering

What happens at a Harmony Project rehearsal? Another Harmony Project post


October 29
Tonight was another night with The Harmony Project It was also a night when storms were blowing a little stronger than usual, but nothing was going to stop me from going to that rehearsal. Good things transpire at Harmony Project Rehearsals.  I wasn’t going to miss out!

The Harmony Project is a volunteer choir that sings and shares.  Sharing is simple. You just do a volunteer project. It doesn’t require a lot of time.  At the end of a “semester,” you get to appear in a show at a great venue  in the downtown Columbus, Ohio, area.  Another bonus of being in this choir is appearing with a first class professional band with great musicians

Members of the choir love doing those shows!   It’s usually a love fest between the choir and the audience. Everyone seems to have a good time.

Tonight’s Rehearsal
I was really feeling down in the dumps when I walked in the door tonight.  I was going to sit in the back of the room. After I walked in, someone I barely knew invited me to sit down next to them.  Right away, I started feeling a little bit better.  The Idea about sitting in the back of the room was gone.  (After the rehearsal starts, we usually introduce ourselves to three people we don’t know. It takes time to know 200 people. ) After I did that, I was feeling even more upbeat.

We all started singing our first song. By the time I was done singing that song, I felt downright happy. Singing is good for the soul. There’s nothing better than singing the same words with over 200 people.

The Pied Piper of the Harmony Project
I guess you could say another one of the reasons the Harmony Project is such a success  is the Musical Director, David Brown. He is energetic and  knows how to make rehearsing fun,  and sometimes inspiring.

Tonight, one highlight was when we sang a Beth Neilson Chapman song we’re going to sing in the December show. It’s all about finding the light. The lights went out, and I thought the high winds had knocked out the power, but it was David trying to get us to concentrate on the meaning of the song.  Not only that, he pulled a member of the choir out front to share a personal experience about what it means to really see the light. She is blind, so she talked about what it means to see with your heart.

A little boy inspires me

Next thing I knew, one of the members of the choir asked, “ Is there an age limit on who can sing in the choir? We’ve got someone giving it all they got.”   I looked up and saw the most adorable little boy sitting  in an area that is above our rehearsal room.   As I watched him, I noticed how enthusiastically he was singing along. I knew he must be a choir member’s child .

Finally, the rehearsal was over. I saw the little boy out in the lobby with his mom and sister.  “How do you know all the words?” I asked.  He broke out in the biggest smile, dimples and all. “We practice the CD  in the car,” he said.  I told him he inspired me, and it was the honest truth.

All of this transpired in an hour and a half. It was worth the trip!

See the Harmony Project perform on December 19 or December 20th at The Southern Theater! Get tickets through CAPA

A few members of The Harmony Project 200 member choir.

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It’s Great to Call Columbus, Ohio, Home: Another Harmony Project post


]I am fortunate to live in Columbus. Why, because I am in a group called the Harmony Project.

Today, we gave a concert that we’ve been practicing for since February. It’s now July 18.

With a group of 200, we sounded really good. It was just fantastic. I’ve been in the group for 2 years, and this particular concert was the best ever.

Nobody in the group has to audition. I’ve listened to a lot of people in the group sing, and I haven’t heard anyone who can’t at least carry a tune. Some of the people in the group are musicians, and naturally some are better than others. Others are just ordinary people like me.

The director of the group, David Brown, is the secret ingredient. I don’t know how he does it, but this guy is loaded with charisma. Not only does he have charisma, but he has the largest heart in the world.  He knows how to motivate others, and let me tell you, he does it. You can attend a rehearsal feeling horrible, but by the time you leave you feel optimistic again. It’s like having a little shot of positivity.

He started the choir because he wants to help other people. There’s nothing more to it. He wants to raise money to help people and the city of Columbus, Ohio.  He uses the choir as a vehicle to do this. We sell tickets to the concert, but in the meantime we all have to do some kind of “sharing” project. Some people share more than others.

There are other fundraising projects and big sponsorships that are now in the mix.

One of the things, we as a group, want to do is end homelessness. We raise money for the Columbus Shelter Board, and we’re doing it. Not only that, we’re  including people who are getting second chances into the choir.

You know, all of them are really talented in their own ways. Most of the ones in this particular group, the Unison Project, had responsible jobs before they were down on their luck. You can see all their leadership skills and creative talents blossoming again. It’s a great thing to watch.

Anyway, we had a concert tonight, and it was beautiful. The crowd loved it. We loved the crowd. It was great!

It doesn’t hurt that there are some professional musicians in town who are in the band that accompanies us. They are all fantastic!

There’s one more concert on Thursday. Then it will be over, but only for a little while. We’ll have another concert in September.

I’m glad David Brown decided to make Columbus his home.

Addition: Tonight there was another concert! I had the most fun I’ve ever had. What an enthusiastic audience. It was great!

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