"The Power of Connection: Through Music - in life, family and work. Maybe in the KM Community?", August 2026

The Power of Connection: Through Music, in life, family and work.
Maybe in the KM Community?

August 2026

For a few months now, my family has held Zoom Music Night, a new tradition where three generations come together with little more than guitars, voices, and a shared love of songs. My 70-year-old brother-in-law plays the music from the 1950s and 1960s. My husband and I bring in our Gen X and baby boomer favorites. My nephew, who is in his twenties, has surprised us with his interest in learning songs from the 1970s. He has played music from my youth, including “Vincent (Starry Starry Night)” by Don McLean and “Blackbird” by Paul McCartney. I was moved to tears seeing this young man who wasn’t even born when I was newly married, play his own renditions of these timeless classics. He also introduces us to contemporary artists, pushing us to learn new pieces my generation would never have considered otherwise.

On these nights, we take turns playing one song at a time, listening, reminiscing, playing along, and learning from each other. Age seems to dissolve. It does not matter who is 70 and who is 25. What matters is our shared attention, our willingness to listen, and our respect for each other’s song choices. The songs become tiny windows into who we are, particularly what comforts us, what strengthens us, and what we find beautiful or meaningful. Even other family members who do not play a musical instrument sometimes dial in just to listen, their toddlers splashing in the background. They may not say much, but their presence is still a form of connection.

In these simple hours, when we share music that gives us joy across time zones, something becomes very clear. And it’s that music keeps us connected, especially now that every member of my family is an adult. WhatsApp messages and family reunions still matter, though reunions have become less frequent because of competing schedules. Also text messages in family threads don’t always show the complete picture of a person. And when siblings are together, we can sometimes even slide back into old childhood roles that no longer reflect the adults we have become. But in Zoom Music Night, we’re able to see, hear, and experience each other differently. I get to know my family better and get a glimpse of what matters to them today.

Connecting at work

When I was still in my former organization, I wasn’t just interested in tasks and projects. I was drawn to the spaces between people. That instinct, I think, traces back to my mother who spent decades hosting her siblings for mahjong and Sunday lunches. Watching her taught me that connection has to be hosted or orchestrated. It doesn’t just happen by accident.

In the office, I often tried to organize coffees within our unit with the hope that we would see each other not just as colleagues but also as people with families, interests, and rich backgrounds. In the earlier years of my career, that instinct was not always easy to explain, especially when I was still junior and the workplace culture was more focused on getting work done. As my role evolved, I was grateful for the opportunity to help foster a culture that celebrated birthdays and milestones. I wanted to help create an environment where we could all feel seen as human beings, rather than just focused on our tasks.

Connection through the Employee Networks

That same instinct to create spaces for people to meet beyond their usual roles also shaped how I showed up at work. This same drive for connection led me to help initiate and co-create the WTO Employee Networks alongside a dedicated group of colleagues. It was meant to be a network of, by and for the staff members of the organization. And now that I think about it, the first group that got created from the Networks was a Music Group. Through work relationships we were able to find out who in the organization were singers, performers, theater actors, piano virtuosos and music enthusiasts. From there, volunteer leaders were able to form a Choir that held weekly voice lessons with a real vocal coach, or create a band of volunteer musician colleagues who played during Staff Barbecues or organizational events. We were also thankfully allowed to use the organization’s grand piano as well as convert an unused office space into a musical studio. That studio became a place where our amateur musicians stored their drums, amplifiers, microphones and other musical equipment so they could rehearse between and after office hours.

Looking back and thinking of my former job, I realize that I don’t actually miss the work. But I do miss the people, ie. the conversations in the corridor, the camaraderie that emerged when we met at the Atrium, the coffeeshop, workplace gatherings or from the laughter during Staff Barbecues, workplace concerts or volunteer Soup Kitchens.

And now that I’ve formally retired from my 9-5 full-time job, that longing to stay connected hasn’t disappeared. If anything, it has become even more important. Because as I no longer have the daily structure of an office, it would have been easy for my world to become small, with just my own thoughts and my own routine. Being connected with the outside world allows me to keep my mind, heart, and worldview open, especially in this new stage of life.

What I’ve learned about Connection

A few things become clear from watching connection work, or fail, across these different settings.

First, it doesn’t happen on its own. It has to be designed intentionally and purposefully. In particular, shared history alone is not enough, whether people are related, once worked together, or belonged to the same profession. For instance, with my family, I had to propose and push the idea of a Zoom Music Night. Some were unsure how a monthly meeting would work. But with the collective effort and willingness of everyone to participate, this new tradition has now somehow improved how we stay in touch.

Second, connection helps expands my world. When I truly listen to others, e.g. my relatives, peers, mentors and mentees, I’m constantly reminded that my viewpoint is just one of many. This is a humbling experience and makes one less quick to judge and less certain that my way is “the right way.” It cultivates having a more diverse and compassionate understanding of the world.

Third, the research on this is apparently genuinely strong. In particular, social connection is one of the more consistently replicated predictors of well-being and longevity, on par with more commonly cited factors like diet or exercise. What the research might not fully capture, apparently, is which kinds of connection count. A Zoom call once a month is very different from daily companionship. But it’s definitely better than once a year or every 2 years.

Finally, connection is often the first step in knowing something or someone. Knowledge does not only live in emails, text messages, books, documents, or databases. It also lives in our stories, gestures, memories, rituals, and, yes, in music, when shared and acted on. As the film, “A Plastic Ocean (2016)” puts it,

“From KNOWING comes CARING, and from CARING comes CHANGE”

Even indigenous cultures, if I am not mistaken, understood this long before we did. Their songs, sounds and rhythms carry history, wisdom, identity, and guidance which have been passed on by generations.

And can Music and KM also be a possible connection?

Whether music can genuinely function as a knowledge-sharing practice and not just a bonding activity is still an open question for me. I don’t think there is an obvious answer. But it’s easy to romanticize it like as a “Ted Lasso” moment. And it’s more difficult to say concretely what it would mean for a KM Community to “activate knowledge” through song or music, as opposed to simply using it to enjoy each other’s company. The only way to find out really is to just experiment on it.

So if you know the answer or have seen how this might work, i.e. using music or any other unconventional medium for real knowledge transfer and not just for having a “cumbayah” moment, would love to hear your views.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.
Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

- Margaret Mead