密歇根新闻广播 通过民间音乐寻找社区之间的联系

 

The Reverend Robert Jones and Matt Watroba first met while hosting back-to-back music shows at a public radio station in Detroit.

That chance encounter bloomed into a friendship rooted in a mutual¹ love for acoustic² roots music that's still going strong more than 30 years later.

For decades, Jones and Watroba have crisscrossed Michigan and the country, bringing roots music to audiences of all ages. Now, the two musicians have started a nonprofit called Common Chords that aims to connect communities in Michigan through music. They do that with educational programs that touch on the history and interconnectedness of different kinds of American music.

The idea is, behind Common Chords, as we travel along, wouldn't it be great to have a nonprofit that focuses on celebrating those things that we share in common instead of fighting about those things that tend to separate us? Jones said.

Jones and Watroba grew up about 25 minutes from each other, Jones in Detroit, and Watroba in Plymouth, in completely different worlds." The differences in their respective backgrounds and personalities³ are the inspiration for a project currently in the works called "20 Minutes Apart." That project will focus on bringing people from different communities together through music.

That's a conversation that we think the state of Michigan needs to have. That you don't need to be identical to be friends, you don't have to necessarily look alike, you don't have to have grown up the same way in order to be a community, Jones said.

Jones and Watroba will be playing this Friday, May 17 at The Arc in Ann Arbor⁴ and Saturday, May 18 at the Birmingham Unitarian Church.

This post was written by Stateside production assistant Isabella Isaacs-Thomas.

1 mutual   

adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的

参考例句：

• We must pull together for mutual interest.我们必须为相互的利益而通力合作。
• Mutual interests tied us together.相互的利害关系把我们联系在一起。

2 acoustic   

adj.听觉的，声音的；(乐器)原声的

参考例句：

• The hall has a fine acoustic.这个大厅的传音效果很好。
• Animals use a whole rang of acoustic, visual,and chemical signals in their systems of communication.动物利用各种各样的听觉、视觉和化学信号来进行交流。

3 personalities   

n. 诽谤，（对某人容貌、性格等所进行的）人身攻击； 人身攻击；人格, 个性, 名人( personality的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There seemed to be a degree of personalities in her remarks.她话里有些人身攻击的成分。
• Personalities are not in good taste in general conversation.在一般的谈话中诽谤他人是不高尚的。

4 arbor   

n.凉亭；树木

参考例句：

• They sat in the arbor and chatted over tea.他们坐在凉亭里，边喝茶边聊天。
• You may have heard of Arbor Day at school.你可能在学校里听过植树节。