Sound Healing, Singing bowls and my old friends the frequencies

Have you ever experienced the sounds of Tibetan & Crystal singing bowls? It is a powerful experience! Today in my Integrated Therapies class we experimented with these sounds and frequencies. What happens when the bowls are struck, waves of sound fill the room and you can feel these vibrations in your body. We were focusing today on body awareness and how sound affects our bodies.

Do you remember that old TV commercial with Ella Fitzgerald where she sang a high note and shattered a glass? The commercial advertized Memorex cassette tapes (now obsolete!) and the slogan was, "Is it live or is it Memorex?"   Ella was able to sing a note/frequency so powerfully that she shattered a glass! Imagine that the glass is a blockage in a cell in your body (which creates pain), how the sound/pitch/vibration can shatter that blockage? This is what sound healing is all about. There is a lot of scientific research out now about all of this.

What I felt like old friends have come back to me when I closed my eyes and the singing bowls were struck and their sounds filled the room and touched my body. It was like these frequencies were people I once knew and haven't seen for a long time and they have come to visit.  It was such a nurturing feeling.  I said to myself, "Oh hi, welcome back!" It sounds a bit abstract but sound has a way of putting you in a zone that is far removed from the mundane.

Today was the last session in my Integrated Therapies Certification Course I took. We met over a period of 7 months and each session we focused on different modalities such as; GIM (guided imagery to music), mandala, journaling and poetry, clay sculpture, meditation/mind body techniques.
The facilitators are from the Integrative Music Institute in Charlottesville.  If you are local, I encourage you to check out their programs!

Name that tune

Today I was out in Stanardsville in Greene county at a really nice place that has a day center for seniors. This job was one I did for the Alzheimer's Association in Cville.  This agency requires that my music sessions are interactive and engage the participants. So this is a run down of what we did--it was fun!

First we played a game of "Name that Tune" and I'd sing the first 4 notes of a well known song. ("You Are My Sunshine", "When the Saints Go Marching In". etc) After the song is guessed correctly, we sang it together.

Then I handed out my percussion instruments and they played along with me on some upbeat songs like, "This Little Light of Mine", "Down by the Riverside".

Next I showed them my Native American flute and got them playing a heartbeat rhythm on the drums as I played a solo on my flute. After that we had a free flowing drum circle and a game of "call and response" led by me.

It is great fun to watch the people go from nodding off to smiling and laughing and being involved. Music is so inclusive and I thought the drumming especially went over well. Sometimes people with Alzheimer's do better with non-verbal activities and drumming is a great way to reach them.

I love to get people moving and laughing and singing. I also love to think up new games and things we can do.

Have you played, "Name that Tune" lately?  Do you remember that TV show from the 50s?  We used to watch the reruns when I was a child. Can you name this tune, "da-da -da daaaaa"?  :)

VSA Art Show

The VSA Art Show is one of my favorite events of the year. VSA (very special arts) is an organization I work with that promotes experiences in the arts for people with disabilities. I lead sing alongs with several groups per month and as  a result I have gotten to know many gifted and inspiring people.

The evening got off to a friendly note when I walked in carrying my guitar and a woman came running  up to give me a big hug. "We miss you when you aren't there!"  I was a little caught off guard because while she looked familiar to me, I could not place which group I knew her from. I said, "ah... which place is that?" She laughed and told me JABA. That's a place that has a very big group (over 30) and I'm not there as regularly. Anyway, what a nice way to be greeted!

I've been part of VSA Arts for over 8 years now and so it was wonderful to see all my friends beaming with pride with their artwork showcased on the walls at the MLK Performing Arts Center. Even the local TV station came and a few were interviewed! See this link for that.
The event was very well attended (well over 100 people) in spite of the rain and cold. I feel so lucky to be part of this community.

I am pictured above with my friend Carol as I hold up her artwork in the new VSA Arts Calendar.

Oh Shenandoah I long to see you

Virginia is such a beautiful state with the Shenandoah National Park, Blue Ridge mountains, the surrounding counties near Charlottesville filled with pastures and farms and rolling hills. It is why I love to live here.

Today I started to play the song, "Shenandoah" and ended up recording it-- you can listen at the link below. There is so much to love about this song. It was actually originally a sailor sea shanty song.
Now it is the Virginia state song. I love a song with a name that gives it more of a mystery. It could be sung as a love song to a woman or to a beloved place. (Georgia on My Mind is another)

As I played the song today, I was struck by the haunting melody that is both tender and wistful. It brings up a longing deep within that I can't identify. I went to that place and hit the record button and this is what came out.  I hope you enjoy it and come visit our Virginia sometime if you have not been here before!

As you listen, hear are the words to the first verse:   

Oh Shenandoah,

I long to see you,

Away you rolling river.

Oh Shenandoah,

I long to hear you,

Away, I'm bound away,

'cross the wide Missouri.

Work can be good medicine

Today I was feeling a bit down as yesterday the heat pump went on the blink (with temps at 4 degrees outside!) and today I had to take my car in for a repair.  All is fine but sometimes things like that add up and I started to slide into a downward spiral.   As I can set my own hours at the hospital, I didn't have go in today but I knew it would be a way to lift me up.

And lift me up it did! The first floor I visited, I was sent to a room to play for a very sweet elderly woman.  Family members were visiting her as I played and everyone really appreciated the music. What you can't see in the picture (won't post pictures of patients for confidentiality reasons) above is the lady's smiling face after she got us all laughing as she kept saying "cheese" to get us to smile. I rarely pose for photos at the hospital but sometimes people ask me to.

After that uplifting encounter, I was well received by another patient with family visiting. I learned that they were from Southwest VA. This led to a lively conversation about The Carter Family Fold  and I told them about my days studying the mountain dulcimer and playing in fiddle conventions down there. I have seen that people from that region take great pride with their historic achievements. Having grown up in Chicago,  I have enjoyed getting know the music of the mountain people and Virginia.

I left the hospital feeling so much better. People often say, "you are so nice to do that work" but I can tell you--it helps me a lot too.

Have you ever had one of those days where you felt down and you found a way to lift yourself up with others?

What's on my music stand No 332

It's time for another episode of "what's on my music stand." I always have a lot of diverse projects going on and that is something I love about my work. What you see above shows you:

• A score from my new online music class "Write Like Mozart: An Introduction to Classical Composition." In the score, I am charting out a chorale piece in 4 part harmony. This is something I have never done before! I am having fun with some of the musical terms I am encountering too (ok I am a nerd) things like: "Heterophony," "Homorhythmic homophony" "parrallel fifths", "leading tones" and voice leading.  These terms tell things about the textures of the music and writing style of the classical period.  As it has been many years since I took a formal music theory class, I am delighted that I can still understand this stuff! It is true that music notation is like learning a foreign language.

• You will also see my "Songs & Prayers of Taize" book as I accompany the monthly Taize Service held at the Charlottesville Mennonite Church (701 Monticello Ave, 8pm Wed. Jan 8th, 2014).  The hour-long service follows the format of evening prayer used in the ecumenical community of Taizé in France. It is mostly a service of sung prayer with additional periods of silence, scripture reading and intercession. Here is one of my favorite Taize songs called, "Frieden, Frieden"   I recorded our service live and that's me on the guitar. The words translate to:
  
  Peace I leave you, peace I give
  let your hearts be free from fear
  My peace I give to you


• There is my new book I am reading about the Carter Family called, "Don't Forget this Song " which is a graphic novel about their story and songs they wrote. It starts circa 1920s in rural Southwest Virginia. It is a fascinating saga of the "hillbilly singers" and how A.P. Carter also traveled around collecting songs. In one chapter it talks about their recording sessions when the first microphone was invented. Really interesting and fun to read!
• Behind that book is a stack of music of my wedding repertoire I am polishing up in preparation for the ceremonial season coming up this spring. I focus on folk and Appalachian songs (instrumental guitar) to enhance outdoor weddings held in our lovely Blue Ridge Mountain region.
  
• I'm also working on a lesson plan for one of my guitar students at the Music Resource Center in town.
• Th-th-tha-that's all folks!  Having lots of fun with it!
  

Happy 2014

Happy New Year, everyone! I am feeling optimistic about this new year, how about you?

Last night was such fun and also a meaningful time performing at First Night Virginia. I have not played for the Charlottesville First Night in many years and it made me remember my first time doing it all the way back in 1989! I'm celebrating my 25th anniversary living in Charlottesville. It has been such a nurturing community for me. Thank you to all my friends, coworkers, acquaintances, audience members who have supported me over the years here.

I sang at a new venue called Old Metropolitan Hall on the downtown mall.  It was great to sing for an attentive and supportive audience.   After my performance, I went out to talk to the audience and I saw some people I have not seen in over 20 years!  It was like an episode of that old show, "This is Your Life" (anyone remember that show?)  My sister and I watched the reruns as kids and I always liked the premise of the show.

Also there was someone in the audience who came to thank me as I had played for her mother before she passed away some years ago. I have played for so many people in the 9 years of doing therapeutic music that I did not recall this woman. But it is a lesson to show that each day we each can do something that makes a difference. We may not ever know how we impacted someone at all. And sometimes we are fortunate as I was last night to hear how I helped their family.

So with this, I want to wish you all a very happy, healthy, prosperous New Year.  I plan to focus on the positive things in life and nurture my friends and family more.  To lighten up and trust and let go of the past. I open to the new and welcome you to be a part of it!

Thanks for reading as always!