We don’t really need to talk about the music; play or sing something beautiful that reflects who you are and what you do.
But talking into a camera can be disorienting. Here are a few tips.
When you speak, identify yourself, and give as much “locating” data as you feel comfortable doing. Notice the upper right corner of the web page, where it says, “The World Wide Message.” This links us to world and regional maps. As the message videos start coming in, we’ll register your location on the appropriate maps, so we can get a sense of how much of the world is represented. By the way, if you know musicians who live in unusual or distant locations, please reach out and invite them to participate!
We are speaking on behalf of Mother Earth, so it is appropriate to use your Mother Tongue. The more languages represented, the better!
It’s hard to get your climate points down to just twenty seconds. But these Climate Messages are just that: a few sentences, max — framed with beautiful music from lots of different places. You don’t have to say a lot, just a thought or two.
If you’re looking for the exact right thing to say, you can use one of these bullet points as a place to begin. If your Message is not in English, please forward me a written version if you can, so that we can build a library of these short talking points in as many languages as possible.
• The world is full of music, but if we fail to address climate change, the whole world will fall silent.
• I’m concerned about climate change, because music takes from the past and gives to the future — and we need a livable future.
• We need to work together in the fight against climate change, so that all the generations to come can fill their sunlit days with song.
• All the advances humanity has made over our history could be wiped out if we don’t take action on climate change.
• As a musician, what climate change means to me is that our planetary environment is profoundly out of tune — and our lives depend on making it better.
• Wherever humanity goes, we take music with us. But I want the future of music to be more than songs to give us comfort in our dying moments; we need to take action on climate change!
• The time for action on climate change was fifty years ago. But we’re here now, and we need to stop delaying.
• Music needs a stable civilization to flourish — and civilization needs a stable climate. Lose climate and we lose it all.
These little sound-bites can be part of your Climate Message video if you can’t think of something to say in the heat of the moment.