Alum Organizes Performances at Polls

Four weeks ago, cello alum Mike Block had a brainstorm. After watching the first presidential debate, he’d been thinking about how stressful the prospect of the election—and even the process of voting—was turning out to be. He also thought about the fact that playing music was helping him de-stress, and he wondered if it might help people if they heard music when they were waiting to vote. And that started a whirlwind of organizing.

On Election Day, more than 600 performers organized through Block’s Play for the Vote initiative will perform at polling places in 47 states. The goal, Block said, “is to bring people together.” He’s asked participants—many of whom are Juilliard alums—to select music that will appeal to listeners with a wide variety of tastes—and “if voters ask that you stop, please respect their wishes. Voters are the people we’re serving, so if silence is how we can serve them in that moment, think of it as an impromptu cover of John Cage’s 4' 33 ".”

There was a bit of a trial run when Block and some of the musicians performed at early voting polls around the country. Block, playing in Somerville, Massachusetts, jammed with some musicians he met for the first time that day. And when a voter requested Led Zeppelin, he launched into the iconic opening of “Kashmir.”