We are More Important Than Ever

It’s been a long time since I posted anything on this blog, and for that I apologize.  In the past six months, I’ve resumed a daily airshift, plus I’ve absorbed the duties of the music library assistant, making blogging less of an option.  The events of the last 24 hours, however, spurred me to write something brief.

The next few years are going to be incredibly trying times for a lot of people.  But as I told my listeners this morning: no matter how high or how low we feel, music has been a constant for millennia.  Music provides hope, consolation, invigoration, and enhancement of all areas of life.  Music is the ultimate community convener, as well.  Stations should take the opportunity to team up with local music and arts organizations and go hyper-local.  Reach out to immigrant and minority communities.  Reach out to schools, both privileged and disadvantaged.  This is not a political plea, but a call to community action for the arts.  We are in a unique position as broadcasters to do a ton of non-partisan good in the community by empowering people through music.  The benefits of this may not be easily quantifiable, but they exist.

Most important, though, is our on-air presence.  Music is the ever-flowing  stream, and hosts are the rocks.  People need companionship more than ever right now.  Let’s be there for them.  We don’t have to do anything different except be more keenly aware of our audience’s needs.  It’s really that simple.  Being more keenly aware of the needs and feelings of others is something I think we all could do a lot better in all areas of life, now that I think about it…

Music can heal.  Music can change lives.  Music is what we do, so let’s keep doing it.

Love,
Joe

About Joe Goetz

Joe Goetz is Music Director for WFIU 103.7 FM in Bloomington, Indiana, and has eleven years of experience hosting and producing classical music programming for public radio. While completing his B.A. in Music at Colorado College in Colorado Springs, CO, Joe worked part time as a classical music host at KCME 88.7 FM. Following graduation, he worked as a classical music host and producer at Vermont Public Radio, developing new and engaging programming in addition to programming and hosting a daily afternoon air shift. He is an accomplished pianist with several chamber music performances to his credit, an occasional choir singer, and an avid golfer. He lives with his wife, Meghann, their son William, daughter Allison, and cats Ollie and Blanche.

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3 thoughts on “We are More Important Than Ever”

  1. Thanks so much Joe – I appreciate your thoughts and do agree! I think all of us should be inspired to find an increased measure of activism in our lives. Those of us lucky enough to be working in classical music radio have unique opportunities by virtue of the extraordinary power of music to reach out to our communities in all of the ways you have described.

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