Dear ones,

​With chaos abounding everywhere we turn, it seems to be the norm these days…and my heart feels the pain of the planet at this time. Maybe you do too…
In light of this, I feel immense gratitude for the truth tellers, the magic of people coming together, quiet space, music that nourishes me, song bathing, sitting under a tree, meditation, going within, finding beauty, and bringing my energy back to myself. I am grateful for all the essentials and also my family, communities, space to create, healing resources, and all the teachers in my life.
Giving thanks is deeply embedded in the practices on so many indigenous cultures. In the Lakota Inipi (purification ceremony), there is a whole round dedicated to giving thanks with very specific songs.
And its actually intelligent to bathe in gratitude because our chemistry literally changes when we focus on what is going well!
At this particular holiday, where we express gratitude, it is of utmost importance to me to honor and acknowledge the ancestors of the lands upon which we live. Over 50 villages and tribes of the Ohlone (also known as Costanoan) Native American people have been identified as existing in Northern California circa 1769. Beyond the Bay Area we know that this U.S. land once belonged to the First Nations people, and many of us are the immigrants.
For all that I have been able to grow here, I express deep gratitude to the ancestors of this land, my ancestors, all benevolent guides, and to YOU for supporting my work in actions, words, and spirit!
Happy Day of Thanks!
Love,
Renée

Dear ones!
 
I am excited to sing with you again on October 6th!
 
I find myself in a vocal freedom flow that I have never experienced before. I trust myself infinitely to come forth with the sounds that align with the moment. I didn’t just wake up one day and find that accessible to me. It has come from years of taking falls and getting back up, practice, and living on planet music.
 
What does that mean? It means I practice scales often and I listen to music a lot of the day, singing along to reach integration. It means I sit in silence and let the sounds arrive.
 
I give myself freedom to sound musical or not! There has to be space for the dissonant, in order to even define or arrive at what is consonant. Play is the way people!
 
Freedom in this area is accessible to me now and there are areas of my life where I am just finding my wings. Here’s an irony. If I listen to the “no” in me regarding any situation or decision I am free to act from an authentic impulse to move forward to “yes” or sit still. If that listening happens, often the best choice for me reverberates out to another or a situation.
 
So we crawl, stand, walk, dance, jump, and when we’ve got our ground, we can aim for the sky.
 
“There is freedom waiting for you,
On the breezes of the sky,
And you ask "What if I fall?"
Oh but my darling,
What if you fly?”
                                                     ― Erin Hanson
 
Come into the circle and find vocal common ground!
 
Until soon,
 
Renée
 

​Oooooooh!!! it was a fun time at _Born to Drum_!
 
Sweetness, playfulness, courage, expression, and so much medicine...it all fills up my heart.
 
One woman approached me after my class and said "When I was a kid, I auditioned for a choir, and they turned me away. I haven't sung since".
 
Sit with that for a moment . . .
----------
 
One "No" to the seed of her expression, unwatered, changed the course of her life. Hearing that broke my heart.
 
She then said, "I came here feeling pretty scared and ambivalent, and you created a safe space for me to open my voice without judgement, and its a breakthrough for me".
 
Hearing that, made my heart smile!  I had no idea.
 
Goddess knows that we are not all interested in being performers, AND many of us want to sing among community and friends, at parties, at a concert, to our child (inner or outer), to our partner, and we want our voices to flow out with truth when we say that one thing that needs to be said now in confidence and with ease.
 
How does being able to do that in the singing/sounding circle translate into your life
----------
We have carried shame in so many areas of our lives, and as the one woman who's telling a whoooole lotta truth at the debates says: "Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do".
 
For me, the way I facilitate, sing, or dance is also how I make a meal, walk down the street, talk to a homeless person, kiss or hug you, take out the garbage, play, go out on a date, cry my tears, share my truth, walk into a room of listeners, and freak out! I am bringing all parts of me all the time.
 
HERE'S WHAT I'M FEELIN' Y'ALL:
----------
 
If you learn to take a step, a leap, or a flight in one area of your life, and you continue to SHOW UP and NURTURE IT through practice, it will inform your being that this is how you live life.
 
Singing however, and wherever you sing is a way of life my friends!
----------
 
 Every moment that you allow the sounds to come forth, you are saying yes to you. To your breath, to your expression, your freedom, to you right to exist and take up space. It doesn't matter if you're chanting a long tone or working on a complete piece of music, every step is a message to your being and your spirit, that you belong here now, and that you have something valuable to say. Trust it, and looove it. And if you don't yet love it, I invite you to love the one that doesn't love it, until something else happens.
 
This circle is here for YOU. For your expression, for your opening, for your small, medium step, or your leap!
 
THE DOOR IS OPEN...we have nets and we have miles of sky for you to fly!
 
                     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
Here's what we'll explore on August 3rd:
 
Singing your way to liberation!
----------
 
Vocal Improv has become the benchmark for how I want to live my life. I have become a confident, bold, and courageous, woman, who also in certain situations feels scared or ruminates. Can you relate?
 
Using my voice to sound or sing is a practice that continually brings me to the place of moving energy so that I can speak the next truth, and face the next opportunity.
 
This practice continually informs me about where I can arrive to through a place of fun, acceptance, challenge to grow, and inclusion for oneself and others in the circle.

​Oooooooh!!! it was a fun time at _Born to Drum_!
 
Sweetness, playfulness, courage, expression, and so much medicine...it all fills up my heart.
 
One woman approached me after my class and said "When I was a kid, I auditioned for a choir, and they turned me away. I haven't sung since".
 
Sit with that for a moment . . .
----------
 
One "No" to the seed of her expression, unwatered, changed the course of her life. Hearing that broke my heart.
 
She then said, "I came here feeling pretty scared and ambivalent, and you created a safe space for me to open my voice without judgement, and its a breakthrough for me".
 
Hearing that, made my heart smile!  I had no idea.
 
Goddess knows that we are not all interested in being performers, AND many of us want to sing among community and friends, at parties, at a concert, to our child (inner or outer), to our partner, and we want our voices to flow out with truth when we say that one thing that needs to be said now in confidence and with ease.
 
How does being able to do that in the singing/sounding circle translate into your life
----------
We have carried shame in so many areas of our lives, and as the one woman who's telling a whoooole lotta truth at the debates says: "Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do".
 
For me, the way I facilitate, sing, or dance is also how I make a meal, walk down the street, talk to a homeless person, kiss or hug you, take out the garbage, play, go out on a date, cry my tears, share my truth, walk into a room of listeners, and freak out! I am bringing all parts of me all the time.
 
HERE'S WHAT I'M FEELIN' Y'ALL:
----------
 
If you learn to take a step, a leap, or a flight in one area of your life, and you continue to SHOW UP and NURTURE IT through practice, it will inform your being that this is how you live life.
 
Singing however, and wherever you sing is a way of life my friends!
----------
 
 Every moment that you allow the sounds to come forth, you are saying yes to you. To your breath, to your expression, your freedom, to you right to exist and take up space. It doesn't matter if you're chanting a long tone or working on a complete piece of music, every step is a message to your being and your spirit, that you belong here now, and that you have something valuable to say. Trust it, and looove it. And if you don't yet love it, I invite you to love the one that doesn't love it, until something else happens.
 
This circle is here for YOU. For your expression, for your opening, for your small, medium step, or your leap!
 
THE DOOR IS OPEN...we have nets and we have miles of sky for you to fly!
 
                     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
Here's what we'll explore on August 3rd:
 
Singing your way to liberation!
----------
 
Vocal Improv has become the benchmark for how I want to live my life. I have become a confident, bold, and courageous, woman, who also in certain situations feels scared or ruminates. Can you relate?
 
Using my voice to sound or sing is a practice that continually brings me to the place of moving energy so that I can speak the next truth, and face the next opportunity.
 
This practice continually informs me about where I can arrive to through a place of fun, acceptance, challenge to grow, and inclusion for oneself and others in the circle.

 The French word Cour-age means “with heart”.
 
Fear can feel like a limitation, and I’d say it’s purpose is to notify us that we are at the edge of our comfort zone, and perhaps towards a choice that changes our lives.
 
Elaine Aron Ph.D, in her book “The Highly Sensitive Person” talks about how there are those who are highly sensitive and generally on the introverted side and those who are high sensation seekers who tend to be bold and risk taking, but still highly sensitive.
 
In the test, I found myself right down the middle. My life is a dance of acts of exposure as a performer, teacher, and in my intimate relations. I like to call this risky remedy because each step into that creates the fullness that I am, along with occasional tormenting messages from fear of doing “it” wrong, or possibly causing someone pain.
 
As I observe people, I see how many of us carry trauma in our bodies. I have judged fear in myself and others, and come to talk to the one in the mirror. I do not subscribe to the dualistic notion that fear is the absence of love. I can feel both in the same breath. Like animals, I respect fear as it arises to care for my best interest. If I don’t listen, it becomes panic.
 
I don’t have many answers for resolving these states. Many things help, but I know this medicine is golden:
 
COMPASSION
 
The other thing I know is that a plane needs a runway to take off. A pianist lays down foundation for years before playing complex pieces. An improvisor studies scales in order to fly into the unknown. And people who don’t study music, can find their way to sing together with a little foundational safety and a whole lot of permission to play!
 
C’mon now. It’s the month of your affirmation. Metaphorically and literally.
 
You give me the words, we will create the song. If you bring your animal and your heart, perhaps we can create the song of your life.
 
See you there,
 
Renée