MUSICIAN CHANGEMAKER ACCELERATOR WORKSHOP & PUBLIC SHOWCASE RETURNS TO OKLAHOMA
-Opportunity for local artists to impact social change through their music-
Wilder, Vermont (May 21, 2025) — National nonprofit Music to Life – founded by Noel Paul Stookey (Peter, Paul & Mary) – brings its Musician Changemaker Accelerator (MCA) Workshop to Oklahoma on Thursday, May 27th at Pursuit Films from 8:30-5 pm. This full-day business incubator for socially conscious musicians from Oklahoma will be delivered in partnership with Elisa Harkins, Pursuit Films, and the Red Dirt Relief Fund, with support from the National Endowment for the Arts, Oklahoma Film & Music Office, Tulsa Film, Music, Arts & Culture, Tri-City Collective, and SCORE. The MCA Workshop will engage up to 15 local musicians who have ideas for building positive, music-driven, and sustainable community programs. Following the Workshop, an energizing public Making Music, Making Change Community Showcase will highlight the work and music of Workshop artist participants on Friday, May 28th at 6 pm at The House (647 S. Peoria Ave, Tulsa).
Katie Dale, Executive Director of Red Dirt Relief Fund notes, “The last MCA Workshop was a mutually beneficial collaboration; watching the sparks ignite in our musicians throughout the day was inspiring.” The MCA Workshop is a ‘deep-dive’ business-skills session where social change artists receive training in proposal development, identifying good-fit partners and mobilizing community support. The MCA also connects artists with local community advocates and industry innovators like Creative Capital awardee & MCA Academy graduate Elisa Harkins, Garry Clark of Partner Tulsa, Natalie Bowling of Tulsa Film, Music, Arts, and Culture, and others. Finally, the MCA Workshop pairs artists with volunteer mentors for post-training technical assistance and program troubleshooting.
“Our work around the country empowers musicians to put their creative ideas for community healing into practice,” says Liz Stookey Sunde, Co-Founder & Executive Director of Music to Life. “Our goal is to help the heart-driven artists of Oklahoma collaboratively address the causes that need their attention while also sustaining themselves financially and emotionally.”
The Making Music Making Change Showcase will feature 3 local artists across genres, who will share their original music and discuss their ideas for building community in Tulsa. The community is invited to come connect around the power of music to create change. This event is free but space is limited. Register for free HERE. The showcase will also be live-streamed to Music to Life’s Facebook page.