It was a Love Supreme Friday on 1st Sky Omaha in the Morning, and hosts Paul B. and Buddy the God were in the mood to shift gears. After weeks of heavy political conversation leading up to Nebraska’s primary election, the show opened with a deliberate exhale. “We’ve been talking a lot of politics for a while and it’s time for a little break after the primaries,” Paul B. told viewers. “It’s going to be Love Supreme Friday today, and we’re going to change our mindsets over to something else.” And change they did — into one of the most richly layered conversations the show has offered this season.
The primary results weren’t entirely left behind, though. Buddy the God surfaced a sobering statistic 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. Everybody’s angry, everybody’s debating policies online. Where is that same energy when it’s time to organize, educate, mobilize, register, and actually vote?” The chat lit up in response. Viewer Kimber Snipes offered a compassionate counterpoint: “I’ve been having conversations with people between the ages of 20 and 35. What I hear the most is that 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.” It was the kind of nuanced back-and-forth that makes the First Sky community feel less like an audience and more like a town hall.
But the heart of the morning belonged to Dana Murray, executive director and founder of the North Omaha Music Academy — and the conversation he sparked was nothing short of electric. Murray, a South Omaha native who spent eleven years in New York City before coming home, has planted himself firmly on North 24th Street with a mission that goes well beyond teaching scales and chord progressions.
“Really, the area that has the most history and the one that can claim ‘we are a cultural and arts district’ for real is the North 24th Street corridor,” Murray said. He painted a vivid picture of what the Deuce once was — men in suits on a Saturday morning, streets full of people shopping, eating, simply being together. “It was a vibe. There was a unity, a love, and a togetherness that was there.” His vision for its future is just as specific: housing density, essential services, entertainment destinations, and — pointedly — a hotel. “With a hotel, now you can throw larger attractions, music festivals, conferences right in the community.”
That vision resonated personally with Paul B., who shared a piece of family history that stopped the room. “My great-grandfather had a showcase, and the artists that would come couldn’t go downtown and stay in hotels because they wouldn’t let Black people stay there — so there were houses right there on the deuce where the artists would stay. Here we are today still needing accommodations like hotels for what’s going on.” Viewer Pops confirmed the memory in the chat: “Yes, Paul — 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 was equally candid about the cultural work that needs to happen from within. He praised events like Native Omaha Days for bringing people together, but challenged the community to think bigger. “It’s a failed opportunity to showcase our culture because none of it is trying to invite the rest of Omaha down to partake in what we have to offer,” he said, pointing to South Omaha’s Cinco de Mayo celebration as a model. “They invite everybody down to be part of it.” His own experience proved the point — people told him drawing crowds to North 24th Street would be nearly impossible. “People don’t have any problem coming from wherever they are in Omaha or Iowa to hear jazz music or whatever we present.”
At its core, the North Omaha Music Academy is a youth institution, but Murray is quick to reframe what “music education” actually means. “We’re not only raising musicians, but more importantly we’re raising more critical thinking human beings,” he explained. “Some will become doctors, some lawyers, some business owners. Whatever they choose to do, they’re going to be better because they were aligned with artistry.” Paul B. connected this to what he called the “secondary matrix” — the idea that the visible mission of an organization is just the surface. “In Dana Murray’s case, he teaches kids music — on the surface that’s what it is. But the secondary matrix is to create critical thinkers, people who can go further in their fields because they have the discipline and mind-expanding benefits of musical training.” Viewer Pops echoed that from personal experience: “I experienced my secondary matrix in junior high when I took algebra. I noticed that I was suddenly able to think outside the box on several different levels. Music the same.”
The Academy’s programming extends well beyond instruments. Students learn live sound engineering, broadcast production, podcasting, and interviewing — including sitting down with visiting artists themselves. “It’s not just telling them ‘oh, you can be this’ — no, you can be this right now,” Murray said. “Once you remove those barriers, the sky’s the limit.” He spoke urgently about the challenge of inspiring young people in a world where their default teachers are Google, YouTube, and ChatGPT. The instructors NMA brings in, he emphasized, must do more than know their craft. “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. The why of doing it is everything.”
Looking ahead, Murray shared that NMA is preparing to launch a capital campaign — with a first phase goal of twenty million dollars — aimed at building a full campus that could one day serve North Omaha the way Omaha Performing Arts serves downtown. “Money is not really our issue in North Omaha,” he said. “It’s transformative ideas.” He closed with a thought that lingered long after the interview ended: “Every music in America has been built off of our experience, from the hardest rock music to the jazziest jazz, and you trace it all the way back to the music brought over from Africa. That’s equity for us to build and monetize for our community.”
Buddy the God summed up the morning’s through-line with the kind of clarity that makes listeners hit rewind: “That’s what I’m hearing in what you’re talking about — not just building a system that works in tandem on 24th, but that looks forward and builds the next generation.” The chat agreed. Viewer Derek Higgins put it simply: “Congrats, Dana, and to what NMA is doing.” And in the middle of it all, viewer Aeros 402 brought a beautiful, human moment — “My only daughter gave birth to my second granddaughter. They are both doing well and I feel blessed.” Love Supreme Friday, indeed.
If you’d like to connect with the North Omaha Music Academy or inquire about teaching opportunities, Dana Murray can be reached at dmurray@northomahahusic.org, and assistant Andrew Bailey at abailey@northomahahusic.org.
Next week promises more great conversation and community — so set your alarm, pour your coffee, and join Paul B., Buddy the God, and the whole First Sky family bright and early Monday morning. You won’t want to miss it.
