It was a Love Supreme Friday on 1st Sky Omaha in the Morning, and hosts Paul B. and Buddy the God came in with intention. Fresh off Nebraska’s primary election, the energy in the virtual room could have easily tilted toward frustration — but Paul B. set the tone early. “We’re going to change our mindsets over to something else,” he told viewers. “It’s an effort, because it’s real easy to let your emotions take over when there’s so much to be emotional about.” That conscious pivot set the stage for one of the most inspiring conversations the show has had in a while.
Before fully leaving the political world behind, Buddy the God made sure to plant a seed worth carrying into the next election cycle. Reflecting on voter turnout and the weight of civic participation, he put it plainly: “None of this really matters if everybody voted… the maps and the numbers and all of that data that they use to inform those decisions are still based on who’s registered, who’s of age, and actually who comes out to vote.” Viewer Kimber Snipes echoed a concern many may have felt: “I’ve been having conversations with people between the ages of 20 and 35. What I hear the most is most of them don’t really know what to do and know nothing about the candidates. I don’t think we should be slamming people for not voting when the system is really what has caused this. I think we need to have more education and deep dive discussions.” It’s the kind of comment that doesn’t let anyone — institution or individual — entirely off the hook.
From there, Paul B. introduced a concept he called the “secondary matrix” — the idea that the most meaningful community work always operates on two levels at once. “Everything that we do has a secondary meaning, a deeper meaning,” he explained. “In Dana Murray’s case, he teaches kids music — but the secondary matrix is to create critical thinkers.” That framing became the perfect doorway into the morning’s featured guest.
Dana Murray, executive director and founder of the North Omaha Music Academy (NMA), joined the show with the calm confidence of someone who has already proven his vision works — and is now simply scaling it. A South Omaha native who spent eleven years in New York City before returning home, Murray has built NMA into both a youth music academy and a live performance venue on the storied North 24th Street corridor. But he’s quick to clarify what he’s really building. “We’re not only raising musicians,” he said. “More importantly, we’re raising more critical thinking human beings. Not all of these young kids are going to become musicians. Some will become doctors, lawyers, business owners — but whatever they choose, they’re going to be better because they were aligned with artistry.”
Murray spoke with genuine passion about the cultural weight of North 24th Street — what locals affectionately call “the Deuce.” Paul B. has long called it “the most important black corner in Nebraska,” and Murray agrees the corridor has the bones to become something extraordinary again. But he was candid about what’s missing. “For any district to succeed, you need enough housing, places of service, parking, laundromats, grocery stores, gas stations — everything needed to be self-sustained,” he said. “You also need destinations: entertainment, restaurants, lounges. A hotel would be a game-changer, because then you can hold larger music festivals and conferences right in the community.” Viewer Pops brought a beautiful piece of living history to that point, sharing: “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.”
Murray also pushed back on the idea that North 24th Street is somehow unwelcoming to the broader Omaha community. As someone who grew up in South Omaha, he said he’s made it his mission to be “a beacon for all of Omaha to come down to North 24th Street — and people have no problem coming from anywhere in Omaha or Iowa to hear jazz music. That taboo about the area being an attraction was false — we’ve proven it.” Viewer Mark Manor backed that up from personal experience: “When I go there it is the same people at shows at Waiting Room, Slow Down, and the Jewels. So people are coming from all around town and getting down at NMA, which I find impressive.”
What makes NMA stand out from a traditional music school is the breadth of its programming. Beyond instrument instruction, students learn live sound engineering, broadcasting, and live streaming. There’s a full broadcast lab where kids conduct interviews with visiting artists. “It’s not just telling them they can be something — it’s showing them they can do it right now,” Murray said. He’s equally deliberate about how history is taught. Rather than simply reciting names, NMA gives students context — who Victor Lewis was, what Buddy Miles represented for Omaha and for the world. “If you give kids context, they connect the dots for themselves,” he said, “and start to see the wins and losses — not only in 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 being.”
Looking ahead, Murray is dreaming big — and doing so deliberately. NMA is planning a capital campaign with a first phase of $20 million, with the long-term goal of building a full NMA campus. He envisions the academy playing the same role for North Omaha that Omaha Performing Arts plays for downtown — a cultural anchor that generates real economic activity. “Money is not really our issue in North Omaha,” he said. “It’s transformative ideas that are going to allow us to be not only sustainable but gainfully active. The sooner we understand that our culture is equity — that our artistic genius is equity — the better off we’re going to be.”
NMA is currently seeking music instructors who bring more than technical skill to the table. Interested candidates can reach Murray directly at dmurray@northomahusic.org or his assistant Andrew Bailey at abailey@northomahusic.org. “Unless you’re able to inspire a young person, they don’t have the attention span for it,” Murray said. “The why they’re doing it is everything.”
The show closed on a note as warm as the morning itself. Viewer Aeros 402 shared a piece of personal joy that the whole chat room celebrated: “On a love note, my only daughter gave birth to my second granddaughter. They are both new and good. I feel blessed.” And Buddy the God left everyone with a charge that tied the whole morning together: “We got to do both — build our own ecosystems and continue to engage politically — because whether you want to be engaged in this system or not, you are a part of it.”
That’s the spirit of 1st Sky Omaha in the Morning — honest, grounded, and always pointing toward something better. Tune in next week for another conversation worth waking up for.
