Everyday I ask myself this question.  How do I identify myself? I will start with my name: Benjamin Arden Virgil MacDonald.  I was given a biblical name that corresponded with the name of an older relative. Virgil, I assume, corresponds with my birth sign Virgo, and MacDonald the name of my father’s line.

I have thought about my identity since I was 6 years old; I’m also assuming this is about 2 years after I came online as a thinking thing.

As a mixed race person, I think my first thought was “am I white or black?”. There is no one who can answer this question for you.  I’m sure there is a genetic answer, a social answer, a cultural answer, an ontological answer? (Or question?!?).  I don’t know, and that is my personal journey, and not that of my community.

My community here in the city of Toronto consists of my mom, my students, my peers in the music industry, my friends and family, and the thousands of people I see everyday as I move through this fabric of consciousness.  This is my city;  diverse, anonymous, polite, cold, warm, hot, vibrant, dynamic.  Always changing, and always challenging.  I live my life through the lens of music, and I am convinced that music connects all the disciplines from Math, Science, Language, Humanities, Social Sciences, Religion, Physical education, everything! (Still not sure about politics)

I had a dream once: that there were 7 disciplines, and they needed to be united after years of segregation.  They were walled up, imprisoned by a need for specialization, and those who found themselves diversifying were left behind.  The 7 disciplines began to communicate with one another, and realized their differences were what bridged the gap between other disciplines, and they were all inexorably linked to one another in ways they did not yet understand.  They decided to build a community centre.  A 7-sided building with no walls, open to everyone with a thirst for knowledge.  The Maths, Architects and Sciences designed the plans, Physical Health trained trades people to build it, Nutrition filled the centre with healthy food, Spirituality charged the place with strong communal energy, Languages ensured that every culture felt at home, and Art; Art painted the walls, taught everyone how to dance, and filled the space with music.

And then I woke up.  I explore my community through this lens, bringing people together, and striving to learn more about the world everyday,  and music is the fabric connecting it all through sound, vibration, geometry, space, and time.

Welcome to my life through music.