Music of Acceptance

Hello everyone! This has been quite an interesting winter.  Something I feel fortunate about is that the work that I do brings people joy, comfort, hope and peace. Working at the hospital and playing for patients in the ICU is the work I feel so grateful to do. Last week I played for a dying loved one surrounded by family and friends. Since my mother passed away in the spring, a lot of new music has come to me that has brought me a lot of healing and comfort. It feels good to play this music for others.  I have given a lot of thought to the five stages of grief (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance) and I am now in the acceptance phase. As a result, the guitar pieces that have come to me reflect the peace and acceptance I am feeling.

I have many new compositions that are not yet titled but here is one I like. It is an uplifting piece with an upbeat rhythm that speaks of moving forward with hope. Here is a link to that piece so you can listen. 

I've also been enjoying leading sing alongs with people and it is especially gratifying to see how music is such a bridge to connecting people of all backgrounds and ages.  In light of this past week with the tumultuous political climate all around us, it is nice to see that my work is about connecting and bringing hope. Singing songs like, "This Little Light of Mine," "Down by the Riverside," "I Got Rhythm,"  - from folk songs to show tunes to hymns -- we each have our own memories connected to these songs.

I published a new article, "My New Sonic Reality: In Harmony"  in Hearing Health Foundation at magazine recently. You can read it at this link. 

I've also been doing a lot of art and the picture above is my latest creation called, "Fire Lotus."

Thanks for stopping by and feel free to get in touch! blueoconnell.com

My ACA (Obamacare) Testimonial 2017

Today is MLK Day and in his memory I sang Civil Rights songs with my nursing home group. "This Little Light of Mine," "We Shall Overcome," "We Shall Not Be Moved," "Down by the Riverside." I love these songs and they mean so much more to me in the face of what we are facing now in America.

I spent this morning sending my ACA testimonial of how Obamacare (ACA) has benefitted me.
In honor of MLK day and speaking out for what is right, I share an excerpt of my letter  below. Thank you for reading and wishing us all a time when we will be free from fear and injustice.

To Whom it May Concern:

My name is Renée Blue O’Connell and I am writing to ask that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) be protected for the American people. What follows is my story and how the ACA has helped me.

Like many Americans, I have a disability. My disability is profound deafness.  A musician since my early teens, my deafness was an obstacle that kept me from pursuing my dream to become a professional musician.  In 2009, all of that changed after undergoing cochlear implant surgery. After a year of successful aural rehabilitation, I was emboldened to leave the safe confines of my administrative assistant job where I worked 14 years to pursue music full time.

I became a Certified Music Practitioner, which trained me to play therapeutic music at the bedside for the ill and dying.  Employed as a Musician-in-Residence at the University of Virginia Health System, I have provided music for many people in their 11^th hour.  I witnessed a homeless man revive from a 4 month coma who was found nearly beaten to death one summer night. I played my guitar for a woman as she was taken off life support while she took her last breaths. I comforted a young girl, a burn victim, whose face was scared beyond recognition. Though I walked into their room a stranger, with music, all barriers were left behind.

In this work I have found my life’s calling. Even so, this life path came with much sacrifice. Before the ACA, I was unable to get health insurance because of my pre-existing condition of profound deafness. This meant I was unable to get necessary routine audiology services. As well as other routine check ups.

Cochlear implants are very expensive devices requiring upkeep and maintenance. As technology continues to change and improve, implant companies continue to upgrade sound processors. A cochlear implant recipient has no choice out of medical necessity but to obtain upgraded processors as old ones become obsolete. My recent upgrade cost just under $11,000.  Even with ACA health care, I am left with a hefty payment that I estimate to take 3 years for me to pay off with my current wages.

I am very grateful to the ACA because I have been able to contribute to my community and for the greater good doing such meaningful work. Yet it is very discouraging to be living in times where my health care is now being threatened.  I face the real possibility of returning to a life where I am discriminated against because I am profoundly deaf. 

I appeal to those of you who can vote to save ACA. Thank you very much for your hard work. 

Respectfully yours,

Renée Blue O’Connell, CMP

Certified Music Practitioner
www.blueoconnell.com

#ACAtestimony, #cochlearimplantaca, #obamacaretestimonial, #acarights, #acaspeaker

New Year's Eve Labyrinth Walk Improvisational Music

Given that the year of 2016 was ridden with loss and many challenges, my NYE gig playing guitar for the Labyrinth walk at the Unitarian church was a fitting way to end it. As you can see from the picture above, walking this maze is a good metaphor for life. At times we have to stop amidst our steps going forward in order to move over and give room for someone else to pass by. At times we have to slow down more so as not to get dizzy when looking down at the circular maze. We have to walk slow enough to see the big picture and gain perspective. Yet if we walk too slowly, we lose our balance.

My job was to accompany these walkers on NYE who came to end a year of life's experiences. Had they also lost someone close to them? Had they had changes come to them without warning? What are they letting go of and what do they wish to bring into the New Year?

I played my guitar without any script or sheet music. I flowed into one continuous stream of musical ideas, each one bringing a nuance and color and ambiance to help them move through their memories and dreams and hopes.

This year will be my 42nd year playing the guitar and I do have to say that nothing else fills me with such a feeling of joy and expansion and beauty.

What have you let go of this year and what dreams do you intend to plant?

Wishing you all the best in 2017!! Thank you for all of your support!

as always, my website is here:

www.blueoconnell.com