Delta Chats hopes to spark healthy community conversations with “Music of our Lives” event

MARQUETTE, Mich. (WLUC) - To kick off the National Week of Conversation, an Escanaba-based organization is hosting an interactive hour of live music and guided conversation with the hope of building bridges of commonality among participants.

Delta Chats is working in partnership with the Listen First Coalition to host “Music of our Lives” in an online forum.

Dr. June Klees and Musician Phil Lynch stop by Upper Michigan Today to share details of that event, play live music, and hopefully encourage you to start a healthy conversation with someone you don’t have much in common with.

But first, Tia Trudgeon and Cody Boyer share stories of the day.

Now, back to Delta Chats.

Delta Chats is a connector organization affiliated with Bay College in Escanaba with the purpose of helping groups and organizations in Delta County through the promotion, coordination, and practice of cross-partisan listening/dialogue events and the distribution of related resources.

Everyone listens to music, in some way or another.

Dr. Klees says it’s a helpful, bipartisan tool to spark conversations and bridge gaps between people in communities.

You can join the national conversation during an online event on April 15 at 3:00 p.m.

You must register ahead of time at deltachats.org or citizenconnect.us.

Phil Lynch plays an original song inspired by this topic and the Listen First Coalition, called Listen First.

Dr. Klees says the event is about sparking hope and taking care of your mental wellness by NOT engaging in toxic conversations and disagreements.

She adds that 86% of Americans say that they feel exhausted by the political and social division here in the U.S.

She says that music can spark a conversation and narrow the perception gap Americans experience as a result of divisive, and toxic conversations in the media.

Phil Lynch plays another original tune, this one about keeping your politics off of Facebook.

You can learn more about Delta Chats and explore the Civil Wellness Movement at deltachats.org.

You can watch Upper Michigan Today on weekdays at 9:00 a.m. on FOX UP or stream the show on your smart device with the TV6+ app.