Change Your Mind
Change The World
When we sing we change who we are, when we change who we are we change the world.
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Who We Are
We are living in a world embedded with fear, intolerance, hate, violence and an inability to come together for the common good.
Promote Harmony taps the creative process of singing as a bridge to having courageous conversations. We believe that having cross cultural conversations is a courageous act, and that for many, singing together is just as courageous an act. We believe that by singing together we also learn how to be in relationship with each other.
Promote Harmony
Our Mission
Promote Harmony’s mission is to help communities, organizations and individuals foster an atmosphere of diversity, equity and inclusion. We cultivate authenticity in human connections through singing, courageous conversation and learning to create spaces where every voice is heard.
It was a pleasure observing your work in the Maine Women’s Correction Center here in Windham, Maine. In a very short period of time, you and Malcolm were able to make such a profound impact on the woman you supported and their peers. I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. I work in the community as well as here in the prison. My primary focus in therapy is through a trauma lens. I found the experience of listening to the songs created over a week span was a unique platform for
trauma processing that would stay with these women as well as those that heard their narrative. Narrative processing in therapy can often take months to years. In a week you were able to engage women to work together for each to create their own trauma narrative and share openly with the world. I was beyond impressed; I was inspired. I hope to see more of your work in these communities plagued with intergenerational trauma. As each song significantly empowers the women writing their narrative for the song, a ripple effect forms to help others.
Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to be enriched by your program.
The Unlocking Harmony workshop created an opportunity for the women to tell their stories, then through a guided process create their song. I wish you could have been here when they sang their songs to the group. The songs were heartfelt and empowering for not only the women but to those who attended. The women through song and music turned what happened to them into an opportunity to find strength. I laughed, I cried as most of the audience did, but most of all I listened. This workshop was amazing. The women expressed an interest to have this workshop again. Of all the workshops I could recommend I would recommend having Mimi and Malcolm back.
Through the Unlocking Harmony Program, I had the honor to observe Mimi Bornstein and Malcolm Brooks successfully support a group of traumatic, shy, timid women perform individual songs that told their stories of how they ended up incarcerated and their dreams and aspirations moving forward. It was hard not to want to tear up, these women were brave and exposed something that is rare to see in a correctional setting. They exposed their fears, their hearts, and their souls. This experience has driven me to envision creating a larger event of a coed team of singers with singers from the outside joining our incarcerated singers. The goal is to continue to build community at the Maine Correctional Center. I would like to continue to humanize the experience of incarcerated individuals, to support empathy, compassion, and respect through music. I can’t thank Mimi, and Malcolm enough for the incredible difference this event has made on the residents, staff, and our community of men and women.
Music is powerful, it is very powerful when you are hearing someone’s personal journey face to face. Unlocking Harmony completed a group setting at our facility this past week. I was able to see the final production at the end of four days. To say it was moving would be an utter understatement, the residents who participated shared their story through music. The program targeted the core values and mission of our department, as evident in the discussions and feelings shared between staff, residents, and volunteers. I highly recommend the program to any area where you are looking to strengthen the culture and engage with people at a different level.
Writing my story with the Documentary Song method changed myRead more “From Unlocking Harmony Workshop participants 5”
Everybody needs a chance to tell their story. Some people may have never been heard. And all they need is to be heard. Writing a Documentary Song was therapeutic for all of us. My story is now a song that is in the world. And it may be heard by someone else that can understand and relate to it. I released this story and I amRead more “From Unlocking Harmony Workshop participants 4”
Since telling my story through creating a Documentary Song, I am content. My story no longer has a hold onRead more “From Unlocking Harmony Workshop participants 3”
For me it was the process of witnessing everyone telling their stories, and hearing their stories, that allowed me to see them a little closer. Gave me more sympathy and understanding about them. I could see themRead more “From Unlocking Harmony Workshop participants 2”
Writing a Documentary Song was definitely a healing process for me. I realize that I am not a victim anymore, unless I choose to wear that title. I’m not saying it doesn’t hurt, it still hurts. But this is different. I feel like the only way out is through. The DocSong process definitely helped me withRead more “From Unlocking Harmony Workshop participants 1”
I have done a lot of reading about white supremacy, racism and how to be more accountable when I make mistakes. The Promote Harmony team modeled what this accountability can lookRead more “From A Promote Harmony Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Workshop”
The Promote Harmony team has an incredibly compelling story to tell, and their extraordinary music does even more to reinforce their important message. Their story resonates with people at a personal as well as cultural and politicalRead more “From A Promote Harmony Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Workshop”
At this time in our country when there is so much separation, it was a joy to be with people who are working hard at bridging the racial and gender gaps. Best of all, the Promote Harmony team was willing to bring us along on theirRead more “From A Promote Harmony Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Workshop”
For me the most valuable part of the workshop was the emphasis on listening to otherRead more “From A Promote Harmony Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Workshop”
Very well done! I’ve participated in a lot of diversity equity and inclusion trainings and Promote Harmony’s authenticity, style and method trulyRead more “From A Promote Harmony Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Workshop”
This time with the team from Promote Harmony gave me an opportunity to truly share and feel safe. The facilitators were wonderful and the encouragement to share without judgement was trulyRead more “From A Promote Harmony Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Workshop”
I attended the virtual workshop “Singing Across the Aisle” led by Mimi Bornstein and Charles C. Brown. They are both choir leaders and are co-leading a multi-cultural, multi-faith choir in Virginia. Mimi is a UU. Charles is a member of an AME Church.
Since I am not a singer (at least in public) I was not as interested in the actual singing, but the workshop was laced with stories about how complicated and joyful it is to be working together – male and female, black and white. There were many stories about their relationship, both the joys and the hard times.
I have done a lot of reading about white supremacy, racism and how to be more accountable when I make mistakes. Charles and Mimi modeled what this accountability can look like. I was very impressed with their openness, especially because I could see that the difficult times still brought pain. “The best part of the work we are trying to do comes out of our relationship with each other. We promote it through music.”
At this time in our country when there is so much separation, it was a joy to be with people who are working hard at bridging the racial and gender gaps. Best of all, they were willing to bring us along on their journey!
Mimi and Charles have an incredibly compelling story to tell, and their extraordinary music does even more to reinforce their important message. Their story resonates with people at a personal as well as cultural and political level.
The service this morning was astounding … the joy, the spirit, the wisdom, the challenges … all leave Jim and me with many lessons learned…..the parallels we both saw between Charles and Mimi’s experience and ours. The cultural differences we have navigated over the close to 30 years we have been together are similar to what they experienced but we found meat for furthering our relationship in theirRead more “A note from an interracial couple who attended a church service we led”
That was one of the best services I’ve ever attended!. Their message ought to be delivered to every student of the humanRead more “From church services we have led”
Mimi and Charles have an incredibly compelling story to tell, and their extraordinary music does even more to reinforce their important message. Their story resonates with people at a personal as well as cultural and political level. In response to the service they gifted us with, people responded by saying things like: “That was one of the best services I’ve ever attended!” “Their message ought to be delivered to every student of the humanRead more “From a minister we have worked with”
What an amazing group of people and Mimi and Charles’ workshop really helped set the stage for us to be open with each other and grow together throughout theRead more “From a workshop we gave at the beginning of a weeklong song writing seminar”
Bridging the Gaps might have been the best session I went to for the entire Conference. Mimi and Charles were wonderful and honest and I wish everyone could have attended their session! Mimi and Charles’ presentation was one of the most powerfully honest and engaging sessions I’ve ever been to. Mimi and Charles knocked it out of the park! Loved their style, their relationship, and the fact they told us about all theirRead more “From the Chorus America Workshop”
Ready for Change?
OUR SERVICES
Create Stronger Connections
- Diversity, Equity and Inclusion workshops and seminars
- Team-building retreats for staff
- Bullying & inclusion assemblies tool
- Classroom immersion sessions conversation
- Privilege, self-esteem & inclusion workshops
- In-depth music department seminars
- Community singing events
- Choir retreats exploring bridge building through music