How it started - and what it's about.
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The Scene
During the first months of COVID, a few friends sat in a driveway with a set of questions and a playlist of songs. Each person brought the tracks that accompanied meaningful moments — a roadtrip, a past relationship, a critical season of life. The conversations that followed were better than any of us expected.
That was the seed. What grew from it is the Come Together Music Project.
What We Do
CTMP runs virtual and live music sessions where guests share the songs that mark moments in their lives, and tell the stories behind their choices. Listeners discover hidden harmonies and shared values they did not know were there. Each episode combines storytelling and a music-listening experience.
Why
The mission is simple: use music to deepen existing relationships, create new ones, and bridge across socio-economic, political, and generational divides. The operating conviction is older: empathy precedes argument. In a moment when our most common form of disagreement is dehumanization, music gives us a reason to listen.
Two Formats
Come Together is built around two formats. The podcast — available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube — invites guests from every imaginable background to share their songs and their stories. The Come Together for Teams program brings the same format to corporate, civic, and faith organizations, helping teams build durable empathy and shared reference points.
About the founder.
Come Together is founded and hosted by Shaka Mitchell, a Nashville-based lawyer, facilitator, and national leader in education reform policy. He is a member of the Civil Society Fellowship (a project of the Aspen Institute) and American Mensa. His work has been featured in print, TV, radio, academic and online outlets, and he is a frequent public speaker.
Shaka has brought the Come Together Music Project to communities across the country including: TEDx Nashville (guests include Mayor Freddie O'Connell, Maneet Chauhan, Scott Hamilton), Tomorrow.City USA (guests include Mayor Keith James & Chad Sourbeer), Arizona State University's Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law (guests include Justice Clint Bolick & Judge Andrew Becke).
Shaka's most valuable time is spent with his wife and three daughters.
The Come Together Music Project is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. EIN: 39-2338962
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