By Daria Kasperek, Junior at Maine South High School
My Grandpa and I love Fleetwood Mac. We are divided by decades but united by music. It’s something I’ve always thought about—how two people from completely different generations can connect so easily over the simple vibrations of a song.
Unfortunately, in our world today, we often focus on what divides us: politics, beliefs, and backgrounds. But music has been breaking those barriers for centuries. During my internship at the International Servant Leaders Museum, I’ve seen this firsthand while helping visitors to explore the museum’s special exhibition, Ode to Joy. It has shown me how music can be a truly powerful tool for servant leadership.
The Magic Power of Joy: Examples of Servant Leadership
The exhibition is an eclectic look at servant leadership through music, exploring how artists use their craft for community building, peace, and healing. It is inspired by the legacy of musical leaders like Marian Anderson, Woody Guthrie, and Pete Seeger, as well as the influential Persian composers Rouhollah and Golnoush Khaleghi.
Standing among the museum’s collection, one quote from Friedrich Schiller’s Ode to Joy poem really stands out to me: “Thy magic power reunites / All that custom has divided.” This idea of joy’s ability to bring people together inspired Ludwig van Beethoven to compose his final masterpiece, Symphony No. 9. Even as his world went silent due to hearing loss, and while living through the devastation of the Napoleonic Wars, Beethoven transformed his personal struggle into a universal anthem. Our exhibition features several rare collectibles related to Beethoven, and looking at them reminds me that he wove together rage, redemption, and love into a “song of peace” that still promotes freedom and justice today.
Finding Balance in a Fast-Paced World: Let’s Listen to Each Other
I recently talked with my piano teacher about how music has evolved. She mentioned how in ancient Greece, people aimed for a “well-rounded” life—balancing music, math, theater, and sports. That idea of balance feels very different from life in the United States today.
Everything now feels fast-paced and pushed to extremes. In my social science classes at Maine South and on social media, it can seem like everyone is fully on one side or the other. But through this internship, I’ve learned that reality is much more complex. Helping with museum events gave me the chance to step outside my normal environment and meet people I would never usually talk to. I noticed something important: most people are not as extreme as they seem. When you actually take the time to listen, you realize how nuanced people’s beliefs are. You might assume you disagree with someone completely, but once you start a conversation, you often find common ground.
The Magic Power of Unity through Servant Leaders
The problem today isn’t that connection is impossible; it’s that we don’t always take the time to look for it. We form opinions without exploring beyond our own viewpoints.
Working at a museum inspired by the stories of world-class servant leaders has taught me that understanding doesn’t come from staying in one mindset. It comes from stepping out, asking questions, and being open—which is at the very heart of the practice of servant leadership.
In a way, it all circles back to the music. Beethoven created a bridge of unity during a time of global conflict. Musicians like the ones featured in our gallery used their voices to heal communities. My Grandpa and I found a bridge through a 1970s rock band. If we slow down and look past the labels, those bridges are everywhere. People are more than their political opinions; they are the “magic power” that can reunite everything custom has divided.
