It was a “Love Supreme Friday” on 1st Sky Omaha in the Morning, and hosts Paul B. and Buddy the God made good on that promise — delivering a show full of community pride, honest conversation, and a guest who is quietly doing some of the most important work happening on Omaha’s North Side right now.
After weeks of heavy political coverage leading into the Nebraska primary, Paul B. set a different tone from the jump. “We’ve been talking a lot of politics for a while and it’s — we got a little break after the primaries,” he said. “Love Supreme’s going down today for sure.” That didn’t mean the hosts ignored the civic moment entirely. Buddy the God shared a sobering observation attributed to Raquel Henderson from the mayor’s office: “Only 339,000 out of more than 1.2 million registered voters in Nebraska showed up. And yet everybody has something to say. Posting on Facebook is not enough. Awareness without action changes nothing.” Viewer Sean McCarthy added a practical dimension to that conversation, noting that “so many of these positions don’t pay a living wage, so only those who can afford to hold those positions run” — a reminder that civic participation is about more than motivation.
But the heart of the morning belonged to Dana Murray, founder and director of the North Omaha Music Academy (NMA), located on North 24th Street — what Paul B. has long called “the most important black corner in Nebraska.” Murray grew up in South Omaha, spent eleven years in New York City honing his craft, and came back to Omaha with a vision that goes well beyond teaching kids to play instruments.
“If you think of Omaha Performing Arts and what it means to downtown — not just as a cultural entity but as an economic vehicle bringing in $40 to $50 million in revenue every year — that’s what we’re working toward for North Omaha,” Murray said. He’s not being modest. NMA’s first-phase capital campaign is set at $20 million, with the long-term goal of building a full campus that can anchor the North 24th Street corridor the way a performing arts center anchors a downtown district.
Murray was refreshingly candid about the challenges facing the corridor, particularly when it comes to community pride working against community progress. “One of the things that holds us back is a false sense of security with pride as it pertains to North Omaha,” he said. He pointed to Native Omaha Days as a beloved tradition that nonetheless represents a missed opportunity. “It doesn’t invite the rest of Omaha to partake in what we have to offer,” he said, contrasting it with South Omaha’s Cinco de Mayo celebration — a festival that champions Latino culture while opening its arms to the whole city. NMA, Murray said, has already proven that the taboo about North 24th Street as a destination is simply false. “People have no problem coming from wherever they are to hear jazz or whatever we present. We’ve proven that.”
Viewer Pops connected the dots beautifully from personal memory, sharing that “artists like Fats Domino used to stay at your grandfather’s home when he came to town to perform — so yes, more infrastructure for the artist around the Deuce corridor would be a godsend.” That living history is exactly what Murray is trying to pass on, and he does it with intentionality. Students at NMA aren’t just told that drummer Buddy Miles was from Omaha and once played with Jimi Hendrix. They’re taught who Buddy Miles was — what he meant to the community and to the world. “If you give kids context,” Murray said, “they connect the dots themselves and start to see the wins and losses in not only black history but in the rest of the country. Then they can see how they can be impactful within that ecosystem. Now you’ve got a critical-thinking human.”
That phrase — critical-thinking human — is the throughline of everything Murray is building. Paul B. described it as the “secondary matrix”: the deeper purpose beneath the surface lesson. “In Dana Murray’s case, he teaches kids music — but the secondary matrix is to create critical thinkers,” Paul B. explained. Viewer Pops later echoed that idea from personal experience, recalling how algebra in junior high suddenly unlocked new ways of thinking across the board. “Music the same,” he added simply.
Beyond instrument instruction, NMA runs what Murray calls electives: live sound production, broadcasting, podcasting, and live-stream operations. Kids aren’t just told they could work in those fields someday — they’re doing it now. “You can be this right now,” Murray said. “Once you remove those barriers, the sky’s the limit.” Viewer Senator KML summed up the feeling in the chat with four words: “We are the students.”
Murray also made a compelling case for black culture as literal economic equity. “Every music in America has been built off of our experience — from the hardest rock to the jazziest jazz to the poppiest pop music, you trace it all the way back to the music brought over from Africa,” he said. “That’s equity. And the sooner we look at it not as ‘oh, that’s a cool little music thing’ but as equity to build and monetize for our community, the better we’re going to be.”
NMA is currently seeking music instructors — but Murray is selective, and for good reason. “Anyone can have the X’s and O’s of teaching,” he said, “but unless you’re able to inspire a young person, they don’t really have the attention span for the X’s and O’s of music.” Interested educators can reach Murray at dmurray@northomahahmusic.org or his assistant Andrew Bailey at abailey@northomahahmusic.org.
The show closed on a note as warm as it opened. Viewer Aeros 402 shared a personal joy — “my only daughter gave birth to my second granddaughter. They are both new and good. I feel blessed” — and viewer Pops offered a send-off that felt like it came from the whole community: “Thanks for another great week of shows. You and the Chat Chimers have made First Sky a true pillar in the community.”
Hard to argue with that. Tune in Monday morning — the conversation continues, and you won’t want to miss it.
