By Lysa Allman-Baldwin

January 14–17, 2011, marks the sixth annual emPower Posi Awards Celebration in Orlando, Florida. The awards honor the best "positive music" songs and artists in the genre of Posi Music. A fusion of spiritual, vocal and instrumental creativity, Posi (pronounced pó-zee) Music is universally spiritual music that helps unite, heal, empower and transform lives.

The weekend celebration, sponsored by emPower Music & Arts, a nonprofit organization focused on bringing Posi Music to the general public, includes an opening night concert, Posi Music workshops featuring award-winning artists, music circles, a PosiPalooza concert, a speaking symposium, sacred drumming and a gala awards ceremony.

Nominations for the awards encompass Inspirational, Spiritual Social Action, Music That Matters, Uniting, True Story, Personal Transformation, Healing and Group/Chant categories. In addition, a special award is given each year for “Outstanding Support of Posi Music.”

The celebration has grown from about 100 songs submitted in 2005, to close to 500 songs in 2010, indicating that the Posi Awards have quickly gained national attention. The final songs chosen in each category—narrowed down to 10-15 songs per category by Posi Award nominees, voted on by online members of emPower, and finally sent to a distinguished panel of judges who rate them to determine the winners—are included in a yearly Posi Awards Nominees CD.

Workshop presenters this year include Karen Drucker, David Roth, and Valleri Crabtree, among others. The speaking symposium features Posi Music woven together with words of inspiration by several well-known Unity ministers including Rev. Jamie Sanders from Unity of Pensacola, Rev. Jim Rosemergy from Unity of Fort Meyers, Rev.  Leddy Hammock from Unity Church of Clearwater, and Rev. Robin Reiter of Sacred Abundance Ministries.

One of the signature weekend events is the late night “Pajama Jam” music showcase where attendees wander through 10 themed rooms in their pajamas to listen to over 50 artists performing acoustic music in an intimate setting.

From Bing to Sting
Posi Music has been around since the 1970s when New Thought artists including Karl Anthony, Shanti Norman, Leroy White, Charley Thweatt and others began introducing it to Unity and other New Thought churches. The genre has grown rapidly over the past 30 years, and efforts are underway to create a Posi Music category for the Grammys.

According to Richard Mekdeci, sacred music resources coordinator for Unity Worldwide Ministries, Posi Music dates back to the classics like “Smile” written by Charlie Chaplin, and “Accentuate the Positive” written by Johnny Mercer and recorded by Bing Crosby. More recent artists such as The Beatles, Stevie Wonder and Sting have also recorded similar themed songs. “Posi Music artists, however, go beyond the token one or two songs on a CD devoted to something other than lovers' angst, lust and broken hearts,” Mekdeci says. “They devote 100 percent of their talents to creating entire CDs of healing, uniting music with positive, empowering messages.”

Posi Music is very popular in many Unity and New Thought churches, notes Mekdeci, where music directors and ministers have been actively seeking contemporary music to replace or complement traditional hymns. “By incorporating Posi Music into their services, the energy level often rises and people remember the message. Congregants frequently buy the music to enhance their daily lives, providing a connection between church and music.”

Together, the Posi Awards, PosiPalooza! Concerts—a unique national concert tour where Posi Award nominees perform in a round-robin setting—and an emPower Music Rights church license form the foundation for a new industry to support the ever-growing roster of talented songwriters and artists who devote their craft to making “music that matters.”

Posi Music Spans the Generations
Mekdeci says the world is “ripe and ready” for a new legion of musical artists connected by the worldwide web and devoted to “creating a world that works for everyone.”

He continues, “Posi Music has stepped into the mainstream awareness of the musical playing field to give audiences positive messages in all styles of music that people can use to heal themselves, heal their relationships, and heal the world. With the growing demographic of people who identify themselves as ‘spiritual but not religious' seeking media that support their interests in environment, justice, social action and peace, the audience is there. They just need to know about us.”

Watch a video featuring several Posi Music artists.

Enjoy a special 2-for-1offer for the Sixth Annual emPower Music & Arts Posi Award Nominees CD.

Listen to Posi Music on Unity Online Radio