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Getting in Tune Bringing the blues to postal workers seems like asking for trouble. Don't tell that to "Blues Prof" Wale Liniger, who harps on the stress-busting power of the harmonica. Meanwhile, corporate executives are learning that there is no "I" in "team"... or "orchestra." Recent articles in the Chronicle for Higher Education (Nov. 7, 2003) and at CNN.com highlighted the work of Liniger, who leads a double life as a blues musician and a faculty member at the Univ. of South Carolina. The Swiss-born Liniger has become enamored of the blues, especially blues harp (harmonica), and is a member of USC's Institute for Southern Studies. Recently he carried home his appreciation for the power of music, leading brief harmonica lessons at a management meeting for Swiss Post. A frequent performer back in Switzerland, Liniger was tapped by postal officials to provide interludes between formal lectures and workshops. Liniger led the bemused attendees in renditions of John Lee Hooker's "Dimples" and other blues standards, and counseled them on rhythm and pacing. Competitive pressure weighs heavily on postal officials of this tightly-wound culture, but Liniger suggests "If we can relax the rhythm, we can relax our whole being. And that's what the blues is about." Explore the "Blues Prof's" own site, read a CNN.com article about his postal blues tutorials or visit the Institute of Southern Studies at USC Visit the Chronicle of Higher Education [fee require for archives]
Meanwhile in New York, the Park Avenue Chamber Symphony is busting stress for its 55 members, most of whom spend their days as corporate executives. A Nov. 16, 2003 feature in the New York Times described how the Symphony, along with other, smaller and more informal groups, are increasingly providing valuable outlets for the executive set. The article profiles a number of business professionals who are finding the benefits that accompany the struggle to keep music part of their busy lives. Some cite the opportunities to release stress from competitive jobs. Others mentioned how being seen as a musician changed the way they were perceived by customers and subordinates. Some of their musical organizations raise money for charity, as a way to "give back" to their communities. Prof. Richard Hackman of Harvard, an expert on teams who has studied the workings of symphony orchestras, commented on the relevant business skills that sometimes emerge from these activities. "If you are in an improv jazz ensemble or a small chamber group, you learn to think fast on your feet, and how to be flexible and to collaborate and compromise, and that may yield a creative outcome."
Read the New York Times article Visit Harvard management expert Richard Hackman's home page On a related note, October saw the annual Battle of the Corporate Bands, sponsored by Fortune magazine and hosted at Cleveland's Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame & Museum. This year's winners: The Residuals, an R&B band comprised of bankers from Fleet Capital Leasing in Providence, Rhode Island. Read Fortune magazine's press release about this year's competition, or visit the Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame |
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