Song Writing and Team Building

The Song Team

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 Jeff@TheSongTeam.com

Hollywood

United All Boats Rise

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United All Boats Rise

So, I’m sitting on a colorful blanket under a palm tree on Hollywood Beach. Having found a little shade in the heat of the day, I am content. Toes in the sand, I have a notebook and pencil with me.

There is sand, breeze, and salt in the air. Heavenly. About an hour into my “allotted” two-hour window, (how much money I’d put in the meter), I noticed the sand around my blanket was moving. Little red ants were going about their business.

At first, I was startled. I love all things outdoors, but some of the DNA in my family tree does not.

However, I’m not them, and they’re not me, right? Trying to be calm about it, I use hands and feet to push piles of sand around me and move the ants (without harming them..mostly) away from the blanket. Surely, they would get the point if I kept digging these moats and building these…well, ant “defense” hills?

Nope. These industrious critters kept on their merry mission. United and focused on the task at hand. They seemed to be working together towards a purpose of higher calling. One that largely involved moving around my blanket, though not on it. Mostly. Some of them did make it onto the blanket as I held still and tried to focus on my book, the ocean, the breeze… is something crawling on my leg? Nope, nothing there, wait….nope nothing. Oh, there’s one. Crap.

I was fascinated by their determination, their collaborative instincts. The way they worked together reminded me of an article I once read about a forest of trees all of whose roots were connected. They communicated with one another in an organic, almost mystical way.

This red army was on their own little scavenger hunt for who knows what…food? Building materials? A Ms. Pac Man machine with a joystick that works well? Not sure what, but they had a mission, and somehow they were energetically connected. Did they ever quarrel? They must sometimes.

I recently saw “Bohemian Rhapsody” and Queen, like all bands, had their fights. But they also did some amazing work through collaboration.

Did you know that infamous foot stomping, drum-banging part at the start of “We Will Rock You” was not Freddie’s invention? Rather, it stemmed from the genius of guitarist Brian May. At the start of a rehearsal that Freddie hadn’t yet arrived at, May got tired of waiting and pitched his idea to the band of somehow involving the audience in part of this new song. Giving them their “own part.” Can you hear it? Stomp, stomp, clap…stomp, stomp, clap!

If you are inspired to do something collaborative with the entire community, join us in our annual city-wide scavenger hunt. We’ll challenge you, have fun, get to know each other, shine a light on some local non-profits, and celebrate all the good that Hollywood has to offer!

Here and everywhere, we are intrinsically interconnected. Amidst the daily grind, it’s easy to forget how nearly every action we take, or decision we make, has a domino effect on the ones around us. A butterfly effect if you will. Keep that in mind every day, every moment. At work and at home.

Think about it. Stay present. Give, collaborate, lift up your neighbor, breathe, rinse, repeat and do it again. Dare to see through the eyes of the other, dare to truly listen, be a great friend, an inspirational teammate, a leader who makes a difference.

United all boats rise.

All together now, get to it.

Find the orignal article here.

 

Where does collaboration come from?

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Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow, The Loco-motion, Don’t Bring Me Down, Take Good Care of my Baby, Some Kind of Wonderful…and on and on. The duo responsible for these hits, Carole King and Gerry Goffin were a pair in every sense of the word. Their partnership produced a generation’s worth of Pop, Motown, and Rock hits. The norm of the day for a songwriting duo was for one person to provide the words and one the music. That’s how the complimentary skill-sets were assembled by the music publishers of the day. This was the formula.

Jeff Jacob is the Founder and Lead Facilitator of THE Song Team www.thesongteam.com He is also a Non-profit Director, Songwriter, TEDx Speaker, and Animal Rescuer.

Today that same hit song often comes to life differently.

Sometimes a writer contributing to a hit doesn’t even get credit. In the pop world, often unknown writers land in a situation through a relationship they have, to walk into a writing session, and contribute to a monster hit. That writer will often be paid a flat fee for their part, without being named as a writer on the “record.”

In 2010, a young girl named Alex was sitting in a studio with Adele and her primary co-writer Dan Wilson, from the band Semi-sonic. Alex was a genius with words and a prodigy on Fiddle. She had been close to the late Amy Winehouse but didn’t have much a resume as a songwriter, at least not yet.

That day in the studio she contributed two lines to a little song called “Someone Like You.” You may have heard this song a couple of hundred times. That song won LOTS of gold at the Grammys in 2011. Alexis wasn’t called up on stage.

As leaders at work or in the community, we never know where collaboration is going to come from. But, the end result is nearly always an enhanced, optimized version of it’s prior…earlier self.
Finding fun ways to network and collaborate while “doing good” is definitely trending these days. In the workplace, and in the community. Ample opportunities exist in our communities to have fun, while actually doing “good work.”

And, there are many companies out there, who have corporate social responsibility programs that make real impacts on those who reside in their communities. The very paper you read right now is filled with them, as well as opportunities on every page for every reader to get out there and make a difference.

Putting all of this in a pot, stirring and cooking it into a hearty stew, is the concept behind this year’s Hollywood Scavenger Hunt, which we’re calling “The Hunt for Good.”

The Hollywood Scavenger Hunt weaves together participants looking to have a great time with local businesses and non-profits on a collaborative three-day adventure from December 7-9. In the end, everyone who participates will discover Hollywood’s hidden gems and make new some new friends to boot.

“We met lots of new people and got to experience many new things Hollywood has to offer” said past participant Dana Baker. “We were born and raised here and never realized some of the fun events and shows constantly going on.”

If you go it alone, you WILL make new friends! Rock it as a team, and the memories you will make together will last a lifetime.

Participants are tasked with fun and challenging missions that are still being planned and coordinated. And local non-profits will benefit! How? Because some of the missions are sponsored by local companies who in turn…adopt a local non-profit! And unlike Alexis, all will be acknowledged and appreciated for their contributions.

This year’s kick-off party will be held at the Hollywood Jaycee Hall on Thursday, Dec. 6. Mark your calendar, I can’t tell you why but I can tell you I’ll be there and you won’t want to miss it.
Have fun, do good! Sign up soon, as the clock is ticking. (Pssst…..check out the app Scavify, you’ll need it for the hunt.) All together now, get out there and do it.

Find the orignal article at https://hollywoodscavengerhunt.com/29869-2/.