The Whole Music Experience

I found an interview with French Pianist Helene Grimaud where she discusses the nuances of classical music and musical training. She also discusses a connection to nature and wolves in particular. All music lovers and music therapist s benefit from watching this video (in English).

Try Listening to Miles Davis Kind of Blue While music consciousness experts tout Bach and Mozart as the pinnacle of healing music vibrations (along with sacred chants and sound healing recordings), we're all at different ports of call when it comes to consciousness. It's best not to judge where we're at and go a step higher on the musical vibration ladder. I find myself judging people who listen to rap music with misogynist lyrics or heavy metal with its wailing guitar and vocals. And I certainly don't want to expose my mind-body-soul to those types of music (which I refer to as noise). However, on an attraction level, why am I even encountering those types of music in the first place? The music we encounter is similar to synchronicity or part of the synchronicity flow so there's a message there. The message usually revolves around our state of mind. Meaning, if I'm hearing angry and hateful music, is there some part of me that is feeling fearful or am I...

Wikipedia We've all known someone who experienced music being used in a hospital, hospice, peace vigil, peace rally, or other situation that involves healing. The wisdom of the ancients in regard to music has also returned to us via sound healing practices and music therapy, even in our daily lives.  However, even knowing that music has a powerful transformational effect on our lives isn't enough unless we use music with intention and purpose. Obviously, we know that when we attend a rock concert or even a jazz concert we do so for entertainment. But often when we attend a world or traditional music concert or festival, the musicians usually educate us about the history, text, and even sometimes the healing properties of songs that they perform. In fact, it was when I delved into global music starting in 2003, that I learned about ancient history of musical uses. And we can visit the healing of music through several avenues whether that's new age sound healing or a...

Wikipedia Soulful lions Often we feel empty and we look to food to satisfy our craving or we escape into another type of addiction. Sometimes we feel disconnected from the life around us or we lose our connection to our Divine Source, whatever name you want to call it.  During those times, I recommend indulging in soul music, a term that came about in the 1960s or 1970s that categorized songs of African-American musicians. Roots for soul music vary going all the way back to the Mandinka and other ancient African kingdoms or most recently to the African-American Church or "Black Church" while finding inspiration from African-American spirituals, blues, jazz, and gospel (not be confused with spirituals).  Some of the favorite artists to come from the genre include Stevie Wonder, Al Green, Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross and the Supremes, Earth Wind and Fire, the Commodors, Bill Withers... The songs reached deep into our souls allowing us to feel an array of emoti...

Depending on what level you find yourself, meditating with music can foster a relaxed body and a clear mind when done right.  Let's start with the beginner's meditation and end with an advance music meditation. Beginner: First thing you need is a piece of music performed on one instrument such as a piano, flute, or guitar with a duration of 3 to 5 minutes.  If you get easily distracted try listening to the piece of music on low volume through headphones, otherwise listen to the music on another type of device. Similar to breath meditation, you'll employ a singular focus, this time on the music itself.  Ask yourself is the music falling or rising, ascending or descending or are you listening to clusters of notes? Is the music soft, slow, fast, and hard around the edges? Listen for dynamics, tempo, tone, timbre, and emotions. Do you connect with the performer or do you only notice the music? Do you connect with the composer. Next, what images come up into you...

These days, I'm practicing what I preach about the healing power of music.  During winter days I have a difficult time waking up, but I like to greet the sunrise at least.  So today, (and I recommend this practice), I pulled out Michel Camillo and the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra's Rhapsody in Blue (a George Gershwin classic) and I listened to it while I watched the sun rise. Of course you have a variety of morning music to choose from, such as Indian morning ragas, kirtans, Gregorian chants for specific times of day, the morning piece of Ferde Groffe's The Grand Canyon Suite , etc...  Basically you need a piece of music that last at least 10 minutes or if you have time up to 30 minutes then meditate on the sun rising as you listen to the music via headphones (if you don't want to wake others up).  You can also choose music for sun set too. If you want to take an afternoon break, pull out Claude Debussy's Prelude to the Afternoon of the Faun or La Me...

After years of feeling affects of different types of music listened to in different settings, I came up with the concept of tracking responses to music via a journal. The benefits of keeping a music journal include, developing music consciousness (how music affects your mind, body, and spirit), exploring musical genres you wouldn't otherwise, and a journey into sound healing. This exercise is more challenging for people with a short attention span or who live busier lifestyle. But the physical act of keeping a journal divided into columns with the headings Type of Music, Artist, time of day, emotional effects, and physical effects does the job.  You don't need to run out and buy a fancy leather bound journal, a cheap spiral notebook will do the job just as well.  So how do you get started? First you purchase the journal and create the columns.  You can even keep an online journal using Access or Excel, if you spend more time in the typing mode.  Then you need t...

photo by Patricia Herlevi Employing Music to Untangle Your Nerves We've all had those days where every muscle and tendon in our bodies seems to have tied themselves in knots.  The head throbs, and one more loud noise could send us into a dark place, well, literally, if you end up with a migraine (like I do).  And those of you out there who work in the healing profession or in the arts lean towards oversensitivity to stimuli causing you to feel the stress of this burdened planet more than others.  I know, I'm one among you.  But because of my acute sensitivity, I learned how to employ the healing power of music in my life. The problem is that someone could be extremely sensitive and not know it.  I went most of my life, until my late thirties before I knew why certain stimuli left me with a pounding head and a nauseated stomach.  I thought my jangled nerves were just a normal after-effect of living in the modern world, not that I cared to live in s...