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The Music Plays On
The Music Plays On
August 29th 2023 Single Release BETTER TOGETHER
August 29th 2023 Single Release BETTER TOGETHER
It all started one day when during a Road Recovery ("RR") Road Recovery FoundationTrax Program session at BronxConnect-Release the Grip (“RTG”) in 2022 (a program funded by #thejoelfoundation), the discussion led to the realization that they all were better off when they stick together which led to name the theme for the Road Trax Program cycle Better Together. This theme led our Creative Director Tom Dudley Blues Buddha of R Club Productions, with guidance by our other Creative Mentors Statíc Isnoisé Christopher Heinz Maria Gentile Susan Campanaro Ben Blair III to join forces with the RTG youth to write and rehearse a new original song entitled “Better Together”. Thanks to the power of social media, the song was seen by other RR Trax Program sites across New York State and began to be performed at other Trax Finale Celebrations. Following these live performances and the impact the song had on everyone involved, RR’s Creative Staff mentoring at RTG professionally recorded basic tracks at the state-of-the-art studio Threshold Recording Studios NYC. RR leveraged its wider network of relationships with the NYS OASAS Youth Clubhouse system which provides non-clinical, drug-free environments for recreation and skill-building across 10 Empire Zones of New York State. RR was able to tap youth and young adults from a total of four different Youth Clubhouses to actively participate in a professional music recording studio experience (many for the first time in their lives) to add additional layers of musical contributions such as choruses and instrumental parts. RR organized participation of Youth Clubhouses from as far away as Creative Connections Clubhouse (Amsterdam, NY) and Youth Clubhouses of Youth Clubhouse of Columbia-Greene Counties (Hudson and Catskill, NY), to New York City area Youth Clubhouses including The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center in Manhattan in addition to the existing participation of BronxConnect-RTG via RR’s program partnership with the MMCC Mosholu Montefiore Community Center (MMCC). Since the Joel Foundation approved this project, youth leaders at these selected Youth Clubhouses were coordinated by Tom Dudley of R Club Productions to make special trips to Threshold Recording Studios NYC during the winter of 2023 to record their featured musical parts and/or sang lead on the track, while some program participants sang backing vocals and, on the chorus, to represent a large chorale ensemble.
It all started one day when during a Road Recovery ("RR") Road Recovery FoundationTrax Program session at BronxConnect-Release the Grip (“RTG”) in 2022 (a program funded by #thejoelfoundation), the discussion led to the realization that they all were better off when they stick together which led to name the theme for the Road Trax Program cycle Better Together. This theme led our Creative Director Tom Dudley Blues Buddha of R Club Productions, with guidance by our other Creative Mentors Statíc Isnoisé Christopher Heinz Maria Gentile Susan Campanaro Ben Blair III to join forces with the RTG youth to write and rehearse a new original song entitled “Better Together”. Thanks to the power of social media, the song was seen by other RR Trax Program sites across New York State and began to be performed at other Trax Finale Celebrations. Following these live performances and the impact the song had on everyone involved, RR’s Creative Staff mentoring at RTG professionally recorded basic tracks at the state-of-the-art studio Threshold Recording Studios NYC. RR leveraged its wider network of relationships with the NYS OASAS Youth Clubhouse system which provides non-clinical, drug-free environments for recreation and skill-building across 10 Empire Zones of New York State. RR was able to tap youth and young adults from a total of four different Youth Clubhouses to actively participate in a professional music recording studio experience (many for the first time in their lives) to add additional layers of musical contributions such as choruses and instrumental parts. RR organized participation of Youth Clubhouses from as far away as Creative Connections Clubhouse (Amsterdam, NY) and Youth Clubhouses of Youth Clubhouse of Columbia-Greene Counties (Hudson and Catskill, NY), to New York City area Youth Clubhouses including The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center in Manhattan in addition to the existing participation of BronxConnect-RTG via RR’s program partnership with the MMCC Mosholu Montefiore Community Center (MMCC). Since the Joel Foundation approved this project, youth leaders at these selected Youth Clubhouses were coordinated by Tom Dudley of R Club Productions to make special trips to Threshold Recording Studios NYC during the winter of 2023 to record their featured musical parts and/or sang lead on the track, while some program participants sang backing vocals and, on the chorus, to represent a large chorale ensemble.
“Better Together” has now become the creative unifying project we all had hoped for with the Youth Clubhouses as the song has emerged as an anthem with a positive vibe. The song was also performed at a few of the clubhouse’s program performance finales across New York State. In addition to the audio recording, RR’s creative production team of consultants led by Black Pug Films shot video over time and combined it with existing footage from the program performance finales to create powerful pre-release and full promotional music videos for this music single release on August 29, 2023.
“Better Together” is part of ‘#TheGoldenPromise Project’ series - inspired by The Golden Promise passage - written and read by Mary Guibert, @Jeff Buckley’s mother, at his memorial. 2022 marked 25 years since Buckley’s tragic passing on May 29, 1997 and Guibert decided to re-share the message of The Golden Promise. From that promise, in 1998 Mary Guibert pledged that she would help launch and develop Road Recovery with its founders Gene Bowen (Buckley’s tour manager) and Jack Bookbinder (formerly part of Buckley’s artist management team).
The Trax Program's goal is to empower and inspire youth through self-expression and creativity while teaching invaluable life and coping skills. Youth Clubhouses schedule Road Recovery Trax Programs during selected seasonal cycles with creative workshops and virtual peer support meetings which culminate in live performance finale celebrations at each of the clubhouse locations.
About The Joel Foundation
Founded and guided by iconic singer/songwriter Billy and Alexis Joel, The Joel Foundation, through strategic and thoughtful organizational investments, helps create positive outcomes for people and communities. Since its inception, the Foundation has made and pledged over $7M in charitable donations with a focus on music education and humanitarian aid.
OJJDP Disclaimer:
This publication was prepared under grants # 2020-JY-FX-0004 and 2020-YB-FX-0006 from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), U.S. Department of Justice. Points of view or opinions expressed in this presentation/document are those of the author/s and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of OJJDP or the U.S. Department of Justice
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