The Sixth Annual emPower Posi Music Awards Celebration are designed to showcase contemporary musicians who create a significant body of affirmative music, and will take place January 14-17, 2011, in Orlando, FL.

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The emPower Posi Music Awards were introduced in 2005 to honor the songwriters and artists who spread affirmative messages through their music. www.empowerma.com/posiawards

A Chorus of Wellbeing

The Positive Music Association www.positivemusicassociation.com states that affirmative lyrics and music have a positive effect on the listener. The benefits of listening to positive music include physical and emotional healing, increased motivation, a sense of connection and unity among others and the natural world, facilitating the process of experiencing grief, sadness, anger or apathy, and an increased sense of well being and joy.

Scientific studies have shown that music can be an effective therapy for: reducing high blood pressure, boosting immunity, enhancing intelligence, and speeding post-stroke recovery.   Music can help chronic headache and migraine sufferers reduce the intensity, frequency and duration of the pain, and it can even reduce the amount of morphine required after surgery.

Name that Tune

The Sixth Annual emPower Posi Awards Celebration will take place January 14-17, 2011, in Orlando, FL.   The awards ceremony on Sunday evening is the highlight of three days of events including workshops, speakers, and the PosiPalooza! Concert . During the signature event, the "Pajama Jam Music Showcases," participants can wear their favorite jammies as they wander through 10 themed rooms hosting a rotation of over 50 artists, from 10 pm - 1 am, Friday night.

The Gospel Music Association was founded over 45 years ago to expose, promote and celebrate the Gospel through music, and since then, Christian gospel music has cornered the market on "religious/spiritual" music. 

But today, over 50 million Americans, recognized as the "Cultural Creatives," have not only identified differences between the religious and the spiritual,   they have shifted their focus from the ecclesiastically religious toward the universal spiritual. (Reference: How Music Affects Us and Promotes Health article listed below.)

A Glass Half Full

Richard Mekdeci, president and co-founder of emPower Music and Arts, says his purpose was to create a specific genre for universally spiritual music that is uniting, healing, empowering and transformational while setting the foundation for a new industry.

Vice President Sue K. Riley notes that This is music that can change the way you look at things, it can inspire you to take that next step, it helps you to make a difference.

And while mainstream superstars have written and released uplifting tunes from Accentuate the Positive to the Beatles' I Feel Fine , few have released a full album of positive music.

Drumroll, Please

EmPower's Posi Music Awards are designed to showcase contemporary musicians who create a significant body of affirmative music.

In 2010, the Posi Awards accepted 500 submissions in seven categories, nominating three in each. Submissions undergo a four-phase judging process, including a final judging by a panel of professionals that includes Grammy winners.

Daniel Nahmod's music never fails to grab hold of my soul, and That One, the upbeat song for which he has been nominated in the Personal Transformation category, is no exception. In addition, his Inside (To Find My God) has been nominated in the Group/Chant category.

I first discovered Nahmod years ago, when I heard him perform at a Dennis Kucinich Presidential campaign rally in Phoenix, not long after he l eft behind a corporate cubicle to launch his music career . The minute I heard him sing One Power I was hooked. Later, I was glad to find him at other Kucinich rallies as well as new age church services. Nahmod won a Posi Award for One Power in the first year of the awards.

Marcy Baruch was also nominated twice, with Here I Am ( Healing category ) and Carry On ( Music That Matters category). Her sound and range is reminiscent of Joni Mitchell. Last year, her song This Inner Space won the Posi Award in the Healing category.

Faith Rivera's God Is was nominated in the Healing category. She won Most Uniting Song in 2006 with Colors of Praise , and shared an award with Harold Payne last year for a song they co-wrote, Stand Together. Faith was included in my OEN article 2012: The End of the World? Or the Beginning? at http://www.opednews.com/articles/2012-The-End-of-the-World-by-Meryl-Ann-Butler-090317-781.html

Greg Tamblyn has had six previous nominations and one win. I first heard him sing his 2010 nominated song, All These Atoms (Uniting category), last year in his concert, Saving the World From Whiny Victim Love Songs. It was an engaging evening of hilarity and wit, elegantly poetic lyrics, toe-tapping tunes, and captivating stories, reviewed for OEN at http://www.opednews.com/articles/Greg-Tamblyn-Saving-the-W-by-Meryl-Ann-Butler-091207-700.html

David Roth's Nine Gold Medals (True Story category) is a stunning, deeply uplifting story. If you can listen to this song without needing a Kleenex, check for a pulse! David's Ahmed Al-Khatib won an award last year in the same category.

Liquid Blue's nominated song, Earth Passport (Uniting category) features nine languages and won a Guinness Record for song sung in the most languages, Billboard. Their song, If You Gotta Ask won the Spiritual Social Action award in 2008.

The special emPower annual award for Outstanding Contribution to Positive Music will be presented to Dennis and Kaye Persons of Texas, who have created the innovative PosiLounge, to promote Posi Music through events sponsored by spiritual organizations and in private house concerts.

Winners will be announced at the Posi Awards in Orlando, on Sunday evening, January 16th, and will be posted on OEN.

2010 Posi Award Nominees

Links are provided, when available, for listening to either the full song or a preview. All of the songs listed below are featured on the 2010 annual CD of nominees, available at http://www.empowerma.com/node/9153

Listen to the clips, make your own predictions, and check them against the list of winners, which will be posted on OpEdNews immediately after the awards are announced!

PERSONAL TRANSFORMATION Category

Right Here All Along

by 4 Stories High

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Silver Lining

by Cilette Swan, Roman Morykit (Gypsy Soul)

iTunes preview at http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/silver-lining/id201081964?i=201082166)

website: http://www.gypsysoul.com

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That One

by Daniel Nahmod

Preview at http://www.danielnahmod.com/fire-samples/ThatOne.mp3

website: www.danielnahmod.com

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HEALING Category

Allowing

by Susie Hulcher

Preview at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/susiehulcherjennings

website: http://www.susiehulcher.com

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God Is

by Faith Rivera

Full version on YouTube, performed at Agape International Spiritual Center, Los Angeles: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQD0335aAbY

website: http://www.faithrivera.com

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Here I Am

by Marcy Baruch

Preview at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/marcybaruch3

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MUSIC THAT MATTERS Category

Carry On

by Marcy Baruch

Preview at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/marcybaruch3)

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If That's Not God Working

by Karen Taylor-Good, Jim Daddario

website: http://www.karentaylorgood.com

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Love All

by Yvonne Smith

Full version at   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTQ2zugpDnQ&feature=related

website: http://YvonneSmith.com

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SPIRITUAL SOCIAL ACTION Category 

True Calling

by Jana Stanfield & Jimmy Scott

Full version at

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5y0p-CjkVc

website: www.JanaStanfield.com

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Us and Them

by Anthony Burbidge

Preview at http://www.anthonyburbidge.com/index.php?s=content&p=HearTheSongs2008

website: www.anthonyburbidge.com

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Be the Change

by Gina Rene

Full version at

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXQSevAmuyI

website: www.ginarene.com

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GROUP/CHANT Category

Inside (To Find My God)

by Daniel Nahmod

Preview at http://www.danielnahmod.com/music.html

website: www.danielnahmod.com

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Something Wonderful

by Harold Payne

Preview at: http://www.myspace.com/haroldpayne

website:  positivemusic.com

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Life's Not A Struggle

by Jana Stanfield, Karen Taylor-Good, Sue Riley

websites: www.JanaStanfield.com, http://www.karentaylorgood.com

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TRUE STORY Category

Nine Gold Medals

by David Roth

Full song at http://vimeo.com/3795701

website: w ww.davidrothmusic.com  

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The Mantel Song

by Roger Tomhave

Full version at http://www.indieinternational.com/profile.php?id=3983

website:

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Daddy's Little Girl

by Ellen Bukstel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-OipVKexUY

website: www.ellenbukstel.com  

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UNITING Category

All These Atoms

by Greg Tamblyn

Preview at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/gregtamblyn5

website: www.gregtamblyn.com

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No One Gets to Heaven

by Tom Kimmel & Klaus Caprani

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVbmzmj7iDA

website: http://www.tomkimmel.com

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Earth Passport

by Scott Stephens (Liquid Blue)

Full version: http://www.liquid-blue.com/music/songs/17EarthPassport.htm

website: www.liquid-blue.com

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RESOURCES AND REFERENCES:

emPower MUSIC AND ART: www.empowerma.com Contact:  866.476.5529

How Music Affects Us and Promotes Health by eMedExpert http://www.emedexpert.com/tips/music.shtml Accessed 01.02.11 Includes over 30 references to medical/scientific studies.

The Positive Music Association (PMA) is a professional trade organization "dedicated to expanding and promoting the emerging new genre of Positive music and supporting the individuals who participate in our industry."   www.positivemusicassociation.com Accessed 01.02.11

Gospel Music Association http://www.gospelmusic.org/gmainfo/aboutus.aspx Accessed 01.02.11

Cultural Creatives www.culturalcreatives.org Accessed 01.02.11

Authors Website: http://www.OceanViewArts.com

Authors Bio:

Meryl Ann Butler is an artist, author, educator and OpedNews Managing Editor who has been actively engaged in utilizing the arts as stepping-stones toward joy-filled wellbeing since she was a hippie. She began writing for OpEdNews in Feb, 2004. She became a Senior Editor in August 2012 and Managing Editor in January, 2013. In June, 2015, the combined views on her articles, diaries and quick link contributions topped one million. She was particularly happy that her article about Bree Newsome removing the Confederate flag was the one that put her past the million mark.

Her art in a wide variety of media can be seen on her YouTube video, "Visionary Artist Meryl Ann Butler on Creativity and Joy" at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcGs2r_66QE

A NYC native, her response to 9-11 was to pen an invitation to healing through creativity, entitled, "90-Minute Quilts: 15+ Projects You Can Stitch in an Afternoon" (Krause 2006), which is a bestseller in the craft field. The sequel, MORE 90-Minute Quilts: 20+ Quick and Easy Projects With Triangles and Squares was released in April, 2011. Her popular video, How to Stitch a Quilt in 90 Minutes with Meryl Ann Butler can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrShGOQaJQ8

She has been active in a number of international, arts-related projects as a citizen diplomat, and was arts advisor to Baltimore's CIUSSR (Center for Improving US-Soviet Relations), 1987-89. She made two trips to the former USSR in 1987 and 1988 to speak to artists, craftpeople and fashion designers on the topic of utilizing the arts as a tool for global wellbeing. She created the historical "First US-Soviet Children's Peace Quilt Exchange Project" in 1987-88, which was the first time a reciprocal quilt was given to the US from the former USSR.

Her artwork is in collections across the globe.

Meryl Ann is a founding member of The Labyrinth Society and has been building labyrinths since 1992. She publishes an annual article about the topic on OpEdNews on World Labyrinth Day, the first Saturday in May.

OpEdNews Senior Editor Joan Brunwasser interviewed Meryl Ann in "Beyond Surviving: How to Thrive in Challenging Times" at https://www.opednews.com/articles/Beyond-Surviving--How-to-by-Joan-Brunwasser-Anxiety_Appreciation_Coronavirus_Creativity-200318-988.html

Find out more about Meryl Ann's artistic life in "OEN Managing Ed, Meryl Ann Butler, Featured on the Other Side of the Byline" at https://www.opednews.com/Quicklink/OEN-Managing-Ed-Meryl-Ann-in-Life_Arts-Artistic_Artists_Quilt-170917-615.html

On Feb 11, 2017, Senior Editor Joan Brunwasser interviewed Meryl Ann in Pink Power: Sister March, Norfolk, VA at http://www.opednews.com/articles/Pink-Power-Sister-March--by-Joan-Brunwasser-Pussy-Hats-170212-681.html

"Creativity and Healing: The Work of Meryl Ann Butler" by Burl Hall is at
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Creativity-and-Healing--T-by-Burl-Hall-130414-18.html

Burl and Merry Hall interviewed Meryl Ann on their BlogTalk radio show, "Envision This," at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/envision-this/2013/04/11/meryl-ann-butler-art-as-a-medicine-for-the-soul

Archived articles www.opednews.com/author/author1820.html
Older archived articles, from before May 2005 are here.