Stranded airport passenger dances 'All Night Long'

One woman's decision to stay positive has brought pleasure to millions.  

When Mahshid Mazooji learned she had missed her connecting flight and would be stuck at the Charlotte NC airport all night, she decided to make the best of it. She wouldn't pout and grumble and curse her bad luck. She'd have a dance party. 

The fact that she didn't know anyone in the airport was irrelevant. She asked perfect strangers, fellow passengers and airport staff alike, to join her in a bit of spontaneous dance to Lionel Richie's song 'All Night Long.' With the participants' permission, she videoed the dances and shared the result on You Tube. 

Now viewed over 2.5 million times, the video has spread smiles around the world. Airport administration gave her kudos for making the best of a bad situation. Even Lionel Richie himself shared the video on his Facebook page, saying, "HAHA! Seems like a really fun use of downtime at the airport... That moonwalk though, wow!" 

Music creates a bridge for Afghani teen and his future in the US

Under Taliban rule, the study and performance of 'Western' music is banned in Afghanistan. That didn't stop 17-year-old Ahmed "Baset" Azizi from his love of playing trumpet, but he lived in fear. If a neighbor or passerby heard him practice, he and his family could be in danger.

He was studying trumpet at the Afghanistan National Institute of Music in Kabul when his instructor left and no replacement was named. Other instructors were nowhere to be found. The only way Baset could continue to challenge his skill was by watching You Tube videos of other trumpeters.

One of his favorites was David Bilger, principal trumpeter for The Philadelphia Orchestra. Baset reached out to Bilger online, and Bilger responded with an offer: they'd meet via Skype once a week for an hour of coaching. Baset was delighted.

Bilger didn't stop there. He teamed up with Robin Korevaar, a clarinetest and created a Go Fund Me page to bring Baset to the US to continue his study of music. It worked, and Baset attended the Interlochen school last fall. Now he's headed to the University of Kansas School of Music on a full scholarship, and another GoFundMe page has been set up to offset other living and travel expenses.

Baset hopes to touch the world and spread peace through his music. Bilger and Korevaar have done both by giving a hand up to a stranger on the other side of the world. 

An overwhelming Thank You for a street musician

Kasey McCurdy has passed through the Des Moines skywalk regularly for years. This takes him past a number of street musicians, including one whose booming voice and happy demeanor often caught McCurdy's attention.

One day, he stopped and asked the musician if he could film him with some new camera equipment he'd gotten. The musician, Randy Kong, agreed and McCurdy filmed him for several months. He followed Kong to a home where he'd been serenading a terminally ill person weekly for months. He learned that Kong used to play in shock metal bands and that now, Kong plays for the love of the music, positive uplifting music which reflects his upbeat attitude toward life. He is grateful for every dollar tossed into his open guitar case and interrupts his song to thank the generous passerby.

One day last fall, Kong was gone from his usual skywalk gig. When days passed and Kong did not return, McCurdy became concerned. He did some digging and learned Kong had suffered some serious medical problems and was hospitalized.

Last week, Kong was finally well enough to return to the skywalk he loves. McCurdy had a surprise for him. Via Facebook, he organized a Thank You event to support Kong and his music. Hundreds of people turned out at lunchtime on Friday to listen, applaud, and toss their donations into Kong's guitar case.

An uplifting tribute to someone who lifts the spirits of strangers.

Music to face down hate

About a month ago, the Juilliard School in NYC was notified that the Westboro Baptist Church planned to picket outside their school. This most un-Christian 'church' is well-known for its hate speech and is not affiliated with the American Baptist Church. They denounced Juilliard as a hub of pride and vanity.

Police were called and kept the picketers and the students about 50 feet apart.

The Juilliard students responded to the group's hate speech, not by shouting back, but by using their gifts. They brought their instruments right out onto the sidewalk and played selections of patriotic, sacred, and popular music. Vocal students from the nearby LaGuardia School for Performing Arts joined them.

Kudos to these young people for their classy response to hate.