The 1960s really are rich in options! These are a great selection!
Another song I had not heard, thank you so much. My hair is standing on end…
Oh Paola, so powerful! Thank you, and also for the links
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Hope is a Thing with Feathers
“Hope” is the thing with feathers -
That perches in the soul -
And sings the tune without the words -
And never stops - at all -
This inspiring and familiar poem by Emily Dickinson has been magnificently put to music by Christopher Tin, together with elegant visuals - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5q_rRKC4p
I discovered this one when looking into who wrote Baba Yetu which I mentioned earlier. Turns out that the composer, Christopher Tin, 's life work exemplifies global inclusion with compositions which braid together (yes!) multiple languages and genres. Thanks to this exercise, my horizons are beautifully expanded 
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Ciao, @Downes Stephen, I understand your provocative message in this context because not only do you remind us that it is not enough to add a licence to what we share, but we should always think about how we share and how we ignite more action through our practices. In this thread, I see people who taught me directly and indirectly about the importance of the practices and pedagogies as our opportunities to do so (@rjhangiani, @catherinecronin, @czernie and many many others).
The open education movement is far ahead now with both practices and pedagogies. There are plenty of experiences available: by surfing the OE week resources, not going far, I find something helpful any time I look, and things that seem to be not doable when I discover them for the first time become feasible the next, so I encourage others to go back and forth when looking for examples and inspiration. The same goes for the OE Awards candidates, finalists and recipients through the years.
Anyway, I admire people continuing to start small, with a resource shared with an open licence as their first step. Again, people in this thread (@rjhangiani, @catherinecronin, but also Maha Bali, and many others) worked hard to help us refocus on the margins. Many people globally have made efforts with a local and contextual focus to be “as open as possible” within and beyond the barriers and problems they face regarding approaches, policies, and spheres of influence. Challenging formats to respect local cultures. It continues to inspire me and practically guide my choices as a practitioner. Without this approach, we wouldn’t be able to value, encourage and reward all newcomers, make them feel comfortable and welcome, and open the door to that dialogue that makes them blossom in ways we couldn’t even foresee (and that make me look at their results in awe, learning from them and continuing to being inspired).
So, I see the flux and the virtuous spiral of practices that we, as a community, embody, moving far beyond
the idea of a course as a presentation to students by a professor.
In addition, often (too often), open practitioners don’t prioritise sharing their stories; they have to choose: either they work on the following learning and teaching experience or devour time (otherwise taken from their personal lives) to share more. They often embed OER into blended practices: a presentation can become an opportunity to actively involve students in criticising, adapting, enhancing, and transforming it through their efforts, but this practice likely stays within the boundaries of the community that experiences because planning to share it means an additional effort that might not have devoted resources/time if not specifically funded. One way to help practitioners share more about how they do it is to create and facilitate opportunities for them to share their stories with a small request in terms of time but offering opportunities to disseminate with the lowest level of effort possible on their side.
Sometimes, I still miss a more robust ability (starting from myself) to involve and convince decision-makers to create/change policies that would encourage those we cannot reach but who would be keen to respond to such more formal, more official invitations. We need to do both. That’s where hope lies for me: matching the bottom-up efforts done by a multitude with a top-down effort done by more of those in apical positions. Let’s see if something more tangible in this direction will happen thanks to all the efforts converging in the upcoming 3rd UNESCO World OER Congress!
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Thanks @czernie
The human voice is so amazing.
Love how they come together in choir.
From hush to dynamic forte.
A bit of heaven.
@Downes Braiding need not involve braiding separate perspectives or points of view together. One takeaway that I had from hearing @Darrion speak about braiding in Edmonton was that braiding strands together strengthens. A rope made of many strands braided together is stronger than a single strand on its own.
“Braided Texture” by Theen … is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.
It is this kind of braiding that I contemplate for open. I think braiding the different forms of open together (open education, open science, open access, open source, open data, …) will strengthen open in education.
But, perhaps, in the spirit of Reimagining Open at the Crossroads Activity 2 What if? I should ask
What if all the strands of open in education were woven together?
@czernie I like this a lot. When I clicked your link to the song I got a message that the video wasn’t there anymore but found it at https://youtu.be/5q_rRKC4pZk?si=dJRs8RIIiwexq-n4
I’m a big fan of poetry so thought I’d share the full verse of Emily Dickinson’s poem
“Hope” is the thing with feathers
By Emily Dickinson
“Hope” is the thing with feathers -
That perches in the soul -
And sings the tune without the words -
And never stops - at all -
And sweetest - in the Gale - is heard -
And sore must be the storm -
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm -
I’ve heard it in the chillest land -
And on the strangest Sea -
Yet - never - in Extremity,
It asked a crumb - of me.
Hello @paulstacey and my best regards to all open friends re-imagining the spirit of open. This ended up quite a task, thanks Paul for setting this up, it really took me out of the box. I am coming late but coming on strong (most in spanish), resistance and conflict in such uncertain times is my main thread trying to move out of the crossroads:
Name & Analyse - troubles of Open Education
Song: Autoretrato https://open.spotify.com/track/4lDX5vQJcEJtp8lEKBztPB
Artist: Nicanor Parra por Gerontofobia
Verses from the great Chilean poet, Nicanor Parra, and musicalized by this servant, this is a “Self portrait” of a teacher that suffers the rigourness of a school and classroom being degraded and exploited to the core:
And all for what?
to earn an unforgivable bread
hard as the face of the bourgeois
with the smell and taste of blood
why were we born as men
if they kill us like animals
This degradation resonated with the teacher burn-out during covid and calls us to overcome a traditional education system setup to exploit and reproduce inequality and social injustice. The song ends with:
Here I am today
behind this uncomfortable counter
bruised by the hum
of the 500-hour workweek
Challenge & Resist - hegemonies
Song: Knights of Cydonia https://open.spotify.com/track/2tyqRoh5GvjapC6kodk0D5
Artist: Muse
There’s no better song to set the stand strong, raise your fist and give the fight you need to give, despite disparities, despite the stronger opponent:
And how can we win
When fools can be kings?
Don’t waste your time
Or time will waste you
No one’s gonna take me alive
Time has come to make things right
You and I must fight for our rights
You and I must fight to survive
Make Claims - for just, humane & globally sustainable Open Education
Song: Plegaria de un Labrador https://open.spotify.com/track/6ttzCXvxSBYUvItx41wTC4
Artist: Víctor Jara
This “Prayer of a farmer”, by the famous Chilean songwriter Víctor Jara, is a praise that calls upon action to fight for a just and humane world.
Free us from the one who rules over us in misery
Bring us your kingdom of justice and equality
Blow like the wind the flower of the ravine
Clean like fire the barrel of my rifle
Let the will be done here on earth at last
Give us your strength and your courage in fighting
Make Positive Changes - here and now
Song: Cerca de la Revolución https://open.spotify.com/track/66grIvFLGrI4tNhggO2DAd
Artist: Charly García
From the eternal Argentinian songwriter grand master shouting awareness that change is much nearer that you could guess or suspect, the need for change is here and now, let’s go for it!!
If these words could give you faith
If this harmony could help you believe
I would be so happy, so happy
In the world
That I would die kneeling at your feet
I hope the workshop goes well, I will be attentive of what comes out, all the best!!!
Wow, @wernerio what an amazing effort you put in to these songs. Thanks so much for going out of the box on your deep dive. Your collection of songs definitely convey that strong sense of resistance and conflict.
I really like the way you paired the songs with Catherine and Laura’s open education call to action framework. It helps to situate each song in context of open.
From your remarks I think I’m right in understanding that the musical parts of your first song, Autoretrato, are all done by you. I’m pretty sure I recognize the voice singing as yours, and are you playing all the musical instruments too? If so that’s amazing and this would be the first original song submitted in response to this activity. Wow. Nicanor Parra’s lyrics are dark but your music is kind of light and jazzy creating contrast and a bit of dissonance.
I really like the groove of Cerca de la Revolución. Generated some dancing here last evening. 
All these songs are powerful Werner. So great to hear and feel how the strong beat of open goes on.
Gracias mi amigo.
I remember this song you shared in the OEG Voices podcast a few clicks back, Werner! FWIW you can also find it in SoundCLoud, licensed under Creative Commons
and more from the Gerontofobia band -yes, look that name up in your translator and enjoy the guitar smahking logo.
Hello @paulstacey!
Thank you for this, it’s always great to see some type of artistic representation of Open in this space. Yes, I think music transcends much of the other ‘noise’ we encounter in efforts to Open Up education, professional development, or simply to push access to wider personal enrichment.
Gino’s first song: ‘Picky Pocket - GinoFunk’ is a CC licenced original track found here: Stream Picky Pocket _ GinoFunk 123fo _ Original Ginof by ginofmusic | Listen online for free on SoundCloud
Years ago, I made a song that was featured on OEGConnect, called ‘Picky Pocket’ That’s kind of how I see re-using, resharing, repurposing, hell- re-everything, really. As practitioners and content creators, we (ok, some of us) are often so precious about our contributions that we tend to keep it stashed away, accessible to some, usually too few given the larger need for accessing good quality content able to be reconfigured for purposes we never even imagined. ‘Picky Pocket’ reflects how I tend to use Open materials anyway, I get a bouncy beat in my mind, and traipse across the online world that is Open, avoiding closed spaces as I create in order to Openly share. Always, I attribute what I use, lifting it from pockets of excellence around the world. Thanks to all who make the beat come alive!
#OpenEdInfluencers
@GinoFransman I like all the layers over the underlying funky riff. I definitely get your bouncy beat and love the voice traipsing across everything. Thanks for sharing how picky pocket is a representation of your online creative process including attribution and open sharing. Appreciate you and open creators everywhere keeping the beat going.
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When there is a free moment I will slip that Picky Pocket song into the Conference of the Air radio programming.
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If this doesn’t get your juices flowing, I don’t know what will…
Lyrics can be found at https://genius.com/Rage-against-the-machine-take-the-power-back-lyrics
Verse 1:
The present curriculum, I put my fist in 'em
Eurocentric, every last one of 'em
See right through the red, white, and blue disguise
With lecture I puncture the structure of lies
Installed in our minds and attempting to hold us back
We’ve got to take it back
Holes in our spirit causing tears and fears
One-sided stories for years and years and years
I’m inferior? Who’s inferior?
Yeah, we need to check the interior
Of the system who cares about only one culture
And that, is why we gotta take the power back
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As an output of this activity I’ve been wanting to create a playlist of all the Reimagining Open Through Music songs. But it’s challenging as not all of the songs are available on the various streaming platforms.
This Reimagining Open Through Music Spotify playlist includes all the songs available on Spotify as a continuous stream. It’s fun to listen to them one right after the other to get a collective sense of how open is experienced. Anyone can play these songs. If you subscribe to Spotify they play without ads. If you don’t subscribe there will be ads (sorry about that, if only we thought about ads as a form of pollution).
So here are some other options.
On Demand Smart Links provides individual links to the songs as available from all major platforms. This list doesn’t automatically play the songs as a continuous stream but it does allow you to play the songs one at a time from your preferred platform and generate your own playlist.
- Open the Door (To Your Heart) Open the Door (To Your Heart) by Van Morrison
- The Sharing Song The Sharing Song by Raffi
- Into The Woods I Know Things Now by Lilla Crawford
- Maggie’s Farm Maggie's Farm by Bob Dylan
- Into the Great Wide Open Into the Great Wide Open by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
- Woodstock Woodstock by Joni Mitchell
- Via del Campo Via Del Campo by Fabrizio De André
- Justices Grrove Justice's Groove by Stanley Clarke
- Nina Cried Power Nina Cried Power by Hozier, Mavis Staples
- Rockin’ in the Free World Rockin' in the Free World by Neil Young
- Baba Yetu Baba Yetu by Stellenbosch University Choir
- Hope is the Thing With Feathers Hope Is the Thing with Feathers by Christopher Tin, VOCES8, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra & Barnaby Smith
- Knights of Cydonia Knights of Cydonia (Live) by Muse
- Plegaria de un Labrador Plegaria a un Labrador by Victor Jara
- Cerca de la Revolución Cerca De La Revolucion by Charly Garcia
- Take The Power Back Take the Power Back by Rage Against the Machine
- Stand By Me https://song.link/i/68100555
- Blackbird Blackbird (2018 Mix) by The Beatles
- Rainbow Connection Rainbow Connection - From "The Muppet Movie"/Soundtrack Version by Kermit
There were some song contributions that are not available on popular streaming services but are just as important and significant in Reimagining Open Through Music. These include:
Playlist from the Free Music Archive of all tracks @cogdog has used as music for the different episodes for the OEGlobal Voices podcast FMA Music in our Podcast - Free Music Archive
Permission is hereby granted by @mysteriousinstrumentcables092 | Suno Permission is hereby granted by @mysteriousinstrumentcables092 | Suno
Picky Pocket - GinoFunk’ is a CC licenced original track found here: Stream Picky Pocket _ GinoFunk 123fo _ Original Ginof by ginofmusic | Listen online for free on SoundCloud Stream Picky Pocket _ GinoFunk 123fo _ Original Ginof by ginofmusic | Listen online for free on SoundCloud
and
Thantifaxath: Hive Mind Narcosis, Track IV, “Burning Kingdom of Now”
This is an amazing compilation of songs imagining open. I hope you are inspired by them. Special thanks to everyone who contributed.
Very nice topic! Sorry I’m late! What can I contribute that’s unique here?
Aha! Back at OpenEd24 in Providence, I had the privilege of hearing Robin DeRosa’s “Against Hope” presentation.
It struck a nerve: Open is ever-optimistic, always moving forward, shoulder to the plow; every problem proposed has multiple solutions to follow. Robin snapped us out of a pattern: if we took a look around, our larger systems and our future looked grim. Not “this is a warning” grim. “We heard the warning and there was nothing we could do and we’re amid the rubble” grim. We were, in this scenario, pulling people up, helping them the best we could as the rubble spread. Mind you, this was far before the election!
The audience felt it. So here’s some metal!
Thantifaxath: Hive Mind Narcosis, Track IV, “Burning Kingdom of Now”
Canadian (Toronto!) avant-garde black metal is a wonderful thing for this moment!
Aimless souls merge into
A desireless spinning mace
Through cables alienating thought forms
Upstream rivers of boiling electric sorrow
The liner notes suggest both a resistance to something and at the same time a surrender to it, and this line’s at the heart of the issue for me: the internet, through social media, became a lightning-fast printing press for all. The alarmists, which did not include me, saw it coming: we’re now at the mercy of very few powerful hands on the controls and waves of destruction in the form of not only disinformation, but emergent hideous and violent philosophies, five angry blockheaded Platos every second. Collective agony served daily and brushed off as “doomscrolling” like the afflicted are the problem.
Policy reflects it. Work reflects it. Business reflects it. And yet over here in Open, we used the electric press for good… can what we do, our praxis, scale to help with this issue somehow? I’m not sure. I just let the Canadians scream as a proxy for my own weaker larynx. That’s why this song is calling, in an extreme fashion, for the “imagine” call to action from the keynote. It’s time for new possibilities amid the rubble.
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Hi @jeffwgallant, never to late.
Thanks so much for adding your thoughts and song.
I wasn’t at the OpenEd24 in Providence but I heard about Robin’s presentation and looking through her slides found them as provocative as you did.
I concur that current systems and futures are grim. This sentiment is echoed in the polycrisis described in Catherine Cronin and Laura Czerniewicz’s essay which was a starting point for me in this Reimagining Open at the Crossroads set of activities.
I grew up in the 60’s and 70’s and comparing those times to now makes it feel that we are moving backwards. But those days were also infused with rebellion against the system and optimism in things like peace and love. In some ways peace and love and open are all positive actions taken to counteract the powerful and the destructive.
I think it’s important to emphasize that OER and open pedagogy are not a form of hope but a form of action. A form of protest if you will. As grim as the world may be right now it seems imperative that we not only have hope but ways in which to protest even in small ways to advocate for a more just, caring and loving world.
I’ve listened to your submitted “Burning Kingdom of Now” track. The catharsis of anger released as a scream. But still as Martin Luther King says “Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”
I’ve added your song to the playlist and thanks again for your thoughts and contributions.
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