At least a couple Vermont-based music organizations made it to the Music Cities Convention in Tulsa this year, November 2-5, with Big Heavy World and Music to Life representing! This was the 11th Music Cities Convention, held in cities all over the world. Presented by the Tulsa Office of Film, Music, Arts, and Culture, it featured two days of talks and presentations, music tours, after parties and tons of live music and networking opportunities. The Tulsa MCC was the biggest and longest one yet, and an all-round celebration of music and cities.

James Lockridge from Big Heavy World was there, soaking up presentations by panels of colleagues from all kinds of backgrounds — organizations that were small to large, and from all over the world. We presented at a Music Cities panel in Washington, D.C. in 2015 and gathered knowledge in Memphis in 2017; this is the third Music Cities Convention that Big Heavy World has attended. Vermont’s music community deserves access to emerging ideas and best practices, and to benefit from the work of others when they share their experience with us. A lot of people at the convention contributed to helping each other serve their musicians back home.

Highlights this year were:

Music’s Role In a Thriving City with Michael Seman (Moderator), Assistant Professor of Arts Management, Colorado State University (CO, USA); Emily Scott, Neighborhood Revitalization Planner, Tulsa Planning Office (OK, USA); Sharon Yazowski, Executive Director, Levitt Foundation (LA, USA); and Brendon Anthony, Director, Texas Music Office (TX, USA).

Local Radio Waves with Julie Watson (Moderator), Co-Executive Director, Live From Cain’s (OK, USA); Ryan LaCroix, Director of Content and Audience Development, KOSU Radio (OK, USA); Josh Venable, Program Director, KMYZ The Edge Tulsa (OK, USA); Meg Charron, Deputy Director and Head of Productions and Outreach, OKPOP Museum (OK, USA); Julianne Tran, Development Associate, Public Radio Tulsa (OK, USA).

*Liz Sunde, Executive Director of Music to Life. Photo by Adam Koloff.*

Music For The Youth, A Tool For Social Change with Liz Stookey Sunde (Moderator), Co-Founder, Music to Life (VT, USA); Sarenina Childress, Choir Director, AngelStreet (TN, USA); Daniel Pak, Executive Director / Co-Founder / Artist Mentor, Totem Star (WA, USA); Bryce Kessler, Program Manager, Mindful Music Moments (OH, USA).

How To Showcase Your Music Legacy Through Archives with Sean Latham (Moderator), Director of Oklahoman Center for the Humanities, The University of Tulsa (OK, USA); Jeff Moore, Director, OKPOP (OK, USA); Mark Davidson, Director of Archive and Exhibits, Curator of the Bob Dylan Archive (OK, USA); Michelle Jahra McKinney, Director and Head Archivist, Detroit Sound Conservancy (MI, USA); Daniella Pimienta, Director, Mapa Sound System Brasil (Brazil).

Incentives For The Music Industry: The Case of Ibagué, Colombia with Greis Cifuentes, Former Secretary of Culture, City of Ibagué (Colombia).

Music and Film, Let The Two Industries Collide with Stephen Tackett (Moderator), Co-Founder, The Audio Planet (OK, USA); Jeanette Stanton, Deputy Director, Oklahoma Film & Music Office (OK, USA); Shelbia Jackson, Director, DeKalb Entertainment Commission (GA, USA); Meg Gould, Assistant Director, Dallas Film & Creative Industries Office (TX, USA); Angie Gates, Agency Director & Film Commissioner, Office of Cable Television, Film, Music & Entertainment (DC, USA).

Supporting Full-Time Careers In The Local Music Ecosystem, presented by Music Business Association with Portia Sabin (Moderator), President, Music Business Association (TN, USA); Scott Booker, Manager, The Flaming Lips & CEO and Executive Director, Academy of Contemporary Music at the University of Central Oklahoma (OK, USA); Tavia Osbey, Managing Partner, MidCitizen (LA, USA); Matt Mandrella, Music Officer, City of Huntsville (AL, USA); Jennifer Brazill, Co-Founder/Owner, Borderland Music + Arts Festival (NY, USA).

The Role Of Music In Creative Placemaking with Martin Elbourne (Moderator), Co-Founder of Music Cities Convention, Co-Founder of The Great Escape, Senior Advisor Glastonbury Festival, Co‑Founder Womad (UK); Kelly Tompkins, Owner, Hive Appeal (OK, USA); Juanita Hardy, Founder & Managing Principal, Tiger Management Consulting Group (MD, USA); Jennifer Vey, Director, Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Center for Transformative Placemaking, Brookings (MD, USA).

Setting Up a State-Wide Music Trail In Oklahoma with Jennifer Mullins, Director of the Travel Promotion Division, Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department (OK, USA).

Your City Is Unique; Your Music Strategy Should Be Too with Elizabeth Cawein (Moderator), Founder, Music Export Memphis (TN, USA); Cindy Barber, Executive Director, Cleveland Rocks: Past, Present, Future (OH, USA); Bonnie Richardson-Lake, Permanent Secretary, Social Development & Education, Ministry of Social Development & Education, Government of Anguilla (Anguilla); Blake Ewing, Chief of Staff, City of Tulsa (Tulsa, USA).

*Photo: Library of Congress, American National Red Cross Photograph Collection.*

An especially gripping panel was presented about a local project to record a Hip Hop album commemorating the 1921 Tulsa Race Riots and create a documentary about the effort: More Than Entertainment Documenting The Tulsa Race Massacre With Music and Art, with Jerica Wortham (Moderator), Executive Director/ Lead Artist, J’Parlé Artist Group Incorporated (OK, USA); Dr. View, Executive Producer, FILA (OK, USA); Steph Simon, Artist Lead, FILA (OK, USA); Keith ‘Sneak the Poet’ Daniels, Director, FILA (OK, USA). ‘Fire in Little Africa’ (FILA) “is a music and multimedia project coinciding with the 100-year anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre. The project was created by more than fifty rappers, singers, producers, and creatives based in the state of Oklahoma with the goal to honour the resilience of Tulsa’s Black Wall Street and shed light on the Tulsa and broader Oklahoma hip-hop communities that have long been overlooked by national audiences.” The panel gathered some of the creative minds behind this initiative to discuss how artistic projects, such as Fire in Little Africa, can address important social issues and celebrate a city’s heritage. Big Heavy World is exploring the possibility of bringing the producers and musicians of FILA to Vermont, with their music, story and curriculum.

The convention provided opportunities to network with U.S. and international colleagues who work in community and economic development that connects music industries to the success of cities. It was an opportunity to explore Tulsa, too, which is full of music, art, unique nighttime venues (and some nifty speakeasies!)

Music Cities Convention in Tulsa: Vermont Represented!