A major point that I tend to touch on in many of my posts is the importance of arts accessibility. Concert Music Outreach Collective (CMOC) is an organization that is actively working to promote that accessibility. In today’s post, we’ll be taking a look at this wonderful organization, learning more about its mission, its impact, and its goals moving forward. The founder, Allyson Cohen, was kind enough to answer a few questions about their work, so I’ll be including quotes from her about their work.

It’s a well understood fact that concert music, especially classical concert music, has a terrible habit of leaving many underrepresented groups out of the conversation. This exclusion takes form in many ways, but the most clear are systemic barriers to access. There’s a lack of diversity on stage, from the composers that are selected to be programmed, to the musicians themselves. There’s entire groups of folks that don’t have access to this music - people in prisons and homeless shelters often never have the opportunity to hear classical music because of its extensive barriers. I think never having a chance to hear a violin, a cello, or even a piano is awful.

​It’s at this failure of traditional concert music that CMOC steps up to the plate.
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​“We perform at shelters, and prisons to share and teach our love of music to members of the community in need.” However, their tackling of this accessibility problem doesn’t end there. They also work to program pieces from underrepresented composers in their concerts as well - bringing the classical platform to new places and promoting voices that don’t often get a chance to speak from the stage. “This year we will also be launching a new commissioning project that will be open to BIPOC student composers. We will pick 5 works to premiere at our concerts and then to professionally record for the use of the student.”

​There’s more to accessibility than simply showing up to play a concert. CMOC tailors their concert experience to the audience they are approaching. While the traditional approach sees a silent audience quietly watching the performance with limited interaction with the musicians, CMOC takes a different stance. Concerts evolve from performances to communal discussions which bring down the unassailable divide between audience and musician. “Everyone in the room should feel that their voice and opinion is heard and respected, and we emphasize this democratic and communal feel at our events.” It’s this communal element of music that I feel is often missing from classical concerts, and it gets me so excited to see a group so passionate about changing that.

​The common trope of raising composers and musicians onto an unrelatable pedestal is just another barrier that CMOC is doing away with. Concerts offer an open door to connection by bringing personal stories, information about instruments, and sharing the artist's connection to the music. By encouraging comments and questions from their audiences, CMOC promotes a safe environment where the audience not only feels welcome, but that they are an integral part of the experience.
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“Many of our audience members do not feel respected or heard in this way in their day to day life, and they don’t have the option to experience this art form where the sky high ticket prices and the expected concert etiquette and attire make live performances inaccessible for most people.” This visibility on the concert stage can have a major impact on a person, especially for those who are used to having that denied from them.

“We had one woman from the Delonis Homeless Shelter say that our performances made her want to live again, and we had another say that our concerts are the highlight of the month. We also have a woman who was able to find housing after living at the Delonis Shelter, yet she still comes back every month to hear us play. It is small but meaningful experiences like this that inspire the work that we do.” It's well acknowledged that music can offer us a place to express ourselves and connect to others, but it has a much deeper impact that becomes apparent for those who are not normally able access it.

Allyson puts it best, “Music gives hope and comfort to those in need, and is a powerful mechanism for communication."
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“Our long-term vision is to collaborate with every prison and homeless shelter across Michigan, with plans to expand our reach nationwide. Our ultimate goal is to ensure that every individual in these communities has the opportunity to experience world-class classical performances and engage with a vibrant cultural community, enriching their lives no matter where they are in the U.S.”

The positive impact this organization could have on a larger scale is undeniable. The lack of access to arts in this country is a crisis. To see classical music, a section of the arts that is widely considered elitist and exclusive, brought around to be the tool for the change we need is so wonderful. As a classically trained musician myself, I am certain I’m not alone in saying that it's initiatives like this that help me to become proud of my training again. It inspires me to work toward those same goals in my own practice.
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This future of accessible classical music is only attainable through the work of organizations like CMOC. Like many other organizations, they depend on fundraising to cover the cost of their operations. “First and foremost, financial donations—whether large or small—are crucial. Every contribution helps us expand our reach, bring classical performances to underserved communities, and sustain our programs.” You can send a donation to CMOC through this link here.

If you’re currently not in a position to contribute financially, consider sharing and spreading the word about CMOC and their mission. “By sharing our cause with their networks, artists can help us attract more supporters and resources, furthering our ability to make a difference.” Follow them on Instagram here: (@cmoutreachcollective). Stay tuned for an announcement of their upcoming season dates and projects!

Additionally, CMOC is currently looking for volunteers to participate in the Ann Arbor Marathon on October 13th which they are a partner for. If you’d like to volunteer, work with them as a future artist, or admin volunteer, reach out to them here: [email protected]

I personally can’t wait to see this organization grow and flourish, and I’m certain I’m not alone! I hope you’ll consider following and supporting their work. Until next time, thank you for reading, and happy jamming!​

​My last post covered my experience investigating a scam, and as I was writing it, I came to the conclusion that there is not much difference between a scammer and a bad contract. In many cases, the current state of higher education is an example of a bad contract.

Today I wanted to discuss and provide some resources to mitigate an issue that is facing many of my friends across all disciplines, student loans. With the disheartening continuation of corrupt practices in much of higher education, I think it’s important that we look out for each other and stand together against it. A big part of doing that is communicating ways for people to hold on to their money in the face of unjust debt. We should not be afraid to discuss our situation and share any knowledge/resources we’ve found. In this post, I’ll be taking a look at the deeper causes of this problem, the best repayment plan you can get registered for to save money, and a growing movement that is fighting to get this situation resolved. 

This is, of course, not financial advice. I’m not an expert. I’m simply sharing my own experiences and what I’ve done to try and get a handle on my loans.
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For many people, especially those who opted out of the higher education path, or even for those who were lucky enough to be able to avoid taking out loans for their education, I understand that it can seem unreasonable for people who agreed to take on debt to now want to be excused from paying it back. However, the reality of schooling that many of us ended up experiencing was nowhere near worth the amount we were asked to pay. In fact, many of these institutions actively misrepresented their value, and students took out loans in exchange for experiences that were less than enjoyable, if not outright harmful. Beyond that, this issue is bigger than each individual student’s debt. There’s a deeper problem at play.

It shouldn’t have to be said, but: Those who were forced to take on loans for an education because they couldn’t afford it are not any less intelligent than those who didn’t. They also aren’t any more deserving to be saddled with debt because they decided to pursue an education when others didn’t. They are victims. And to be honest, those who were turned away by the prospect of loans are victims too. Education being this expensive is a crisis. Charging this much for something that should be accessible to all is a scam.

Image source: www.msnbc.com

There’s another group of people who don’t want debt canceled, and this group I have less sympathy for. You might recognize them, they’re the beneficiaries of PPP loan forgiveness that the government dished out during the COVID pandemic. You might have heard some of these names before: “Reps. Vern Buchanan of Florida, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania, and Markwayne Mullin and Kevin Hern of Oklahoma.” (nbcnews.com) All of these representatives have spoken out against the prospect of forgiving student loans. “Greene, who said on Newsmax that ‘it’s completely unfair’ for student loans to be forgiven, had $183,504 in PPP loans forgiven. Kelly, who tweeted that Biden's move was poised to benefit ‘Wall Street advisors’ at the cost of ‘plumbers and carpenters,’ had $987,237 forgiven. Buchanan, who according to the White House had more than $2.3 million in PPP loans forgiven, tweeted that Biden’s move was ‘reckless’ and a ‘unilateral student loan giveaway.’” (nbcnews.com)

I wonder, does anyone reading have $2.3 million in student loans? Mind you, these loans were taken out well past the age of 18… They should really know better, right? The idea that our loans can’t be forgiven is laughable. I urge you to look into any representative arguing against loan forgiveness. This is not an uncommon backstory.

But that’s not all! These hypocritical politicians actually have someone in their corner egging them on. You know those lovely loan servicers that you wait on hold for 3 hours with? They actually pay the hypocrites to vote against loan forgiveness. “Student-loan companies spent nearly $4.5 million on lobbying efforts last year [2021], according to OpenSecrets, a nonprofit that tracks campaign-finance and lobbying data. The industry lobbied against student-loan payment pauses during the pandemic, along with student-debt issues in Biden's COVID-19 stimulus package last year. In 2020, the industry spent about $4 million on lobbying.” (businessinsider.com) ​Even worse, the top recipients of some of this money is incredibly alarming. “Biden was the top recipient of contributions from student-loan companies in 2020, with $38,535, followed by his opponent, former President Donald Trump, who got $25,716.” (businessinsider.com)

Image source: opensecrets.org

In the U.S., this is called “lobbying” but anywhere else, or at any other time in history, this is called, “corruption”. I highly recommend taking a look at OpenSecrets for more details on some of the exact companies who are participating in this corruption.

​So isn’t that heartening! There’s major corporate interest in keeping you buried in debt, struggling to make ends meet. They make money, their whole careers, off of people’s debt–off of your debt. Pat yourself on the back, you’re a major employer! Now do you see why this is a bigger problem?
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Image Source: debtcollective.org

You might now be even more pessimistic about getting out of this debt, but worry not! There are a couple little tiny baby candles of hope!

The most immediate thing that I have personally done is getting onto the SAVE plan for any federal loans you may have. This plan sets a low monthly payment based on your income (which can be as low as $0), and then as long as you make these “payments”, all accrued interest over the period of the month is forgiven. Essentially this could allow you some breathing room without stressing about the total amount of loans snow-balling out of control. You can apply here. 
**Just a little heads up, a recent injunction from a federal court has blocked the functioning of the SAVE plan. However, I would still consider submitting an application in case they resume once this injunction gets resolved.**

Another action you can take is being spearheaded by an organization called The Debt Collective, the nation’s first debtors union. “The Debt Collective has its roots in the Occupy Wall Street movement. In 2012, some of the founders of the Debt Collective helped write the Debt Resisters’ Operations Manual and launch the Rolling Jubilee, a mechanism for purchasing portfolios of people’s debt on secondary debt markets — and canceling it. Using crowdfunded donations, the Rolling Jubilee abolished more than $32 million of medical, student, payday loan, and probation debt.” (debtcollective.org) In their effort to help organize and unify folks with student loans, they have created the “Student Debt Release Tool”. This tool allows you to easily draft a letter to the Department of Education to demand that they use their authority to cancel our debt. By joining in this collective demand, you’re given a chance to strengthen your request by amplifying it alongside millions of others.

​You can check out this link to learn more about the tool and the organization.

With all of us standing together, even with corporate interest against us, we can get out of this mess. It’s time for these vultures to start looking for other jobs… Until next time, thank you for reading, and happy jamming!