BAY AREA VOCAL IMPROVISATION & COMMUNITY MUSIC - Blog

BAY AREA VOCAL IMPROVISATION & COMMUNITY MUSIC

What Shall We Do Without Us?

May 2017

I read on the internet to gather some of this info. I love my iphone, I enjoy facebook, and I work on my computer a lot of the time. Now some of my music is scanned into my computer and youtube is a good ol’ friend. Yah, all this technology is super helpful with
my process as a musician fo sho!

But I don’t have to tell you that we are crazy knee deep into technology in a way that sometimes keeps us from connections with others. The level of entertainment, curiosity fulfillment, and time wasting available online is beyond measurable. The gift of this for me is that I massively value sitting in front of a friend eating a meal or sharing a cup of tea. I am happy when I am in a dance class and I get to laugh and connect with others. When I am in nature being with the silence and natural sounds, I feel my cup is full. And I am elated when I get to be in a circle singing with others!

No mater what has happened that day, that week, I get a massive recharge. My endorphins start to dance and the happy thang comes over me. Because I am getting to look in your eyes, feel the spirit of your song, or dance and laugh with you.

So, checking out your connections on facebook is fun, but have you thought about the neural connections you are reinforcing in your brain when you are making music?

“It’s really hard to come up with an experience similar to that” as an education intervention, said Gottfried Schlaug, the director of the Music and Neuroimaging Laboratory at Harvard Medical School. Not only does it require attention and coordination of multiple senses, but it often triggers emotions, involves cooperation with other people, and provides immediate feedback to the student on progress, he said. Music, on its own, has also been shown to trigger the reward area of the brain, he noted. [1]

So, my dears…it appears that coming together to do activities with other humans is becoming one of the basic needs for nervous system regulation and perhaps the survival of our relationships.

Stay with us, we are here…

Art by Kenneth Patchen
[1] Published in Print: Education Week
November 25, 2013
Studies Highlight Brain Benefits From Music Training
Vol. 33, Issue 13, Page 6

Is art a luxury?

12/1/2020

Holiday Greetings!I send you a big ol' musical hug to hold you. Most of us are growing weary of sheltering in place, and uncertainty. Whatever is happening in your life, know that you matter and are loved!

IS ART A LUXURY?So many of us have been in places/spaces in our lives where survival issues were at the forefront of our reality, and that’s real. If your survival is threatened, or you perceive it is, and you feel fear or anxiety, the focus is narrowed.
We are neurologically hard wired to do this in order to survive.
I have been there, and what I learned is that often these conditions don’t allow for new information to enter. We have to create and sometimes re-create new conditions for new information to enter.
It takes a commitment to our well-being to carve out that space no matter what. Some days, the commitment might be 5 minutes. It counts because your body believes what you DO, not just what
you SAY.
In that space of pause and quietude, possibilities and solutions arise from beyond the mind.
The same is true for creative practices. Specifically, when they are somatically inclined, the energy of the body and mind have the opportunity to shift.
It may seem unwise to invest in a creative practice when our government is in chaos, you have lost work, the kids are home, a family member is ill, and innocent people are dying each day. I want you to know that I completely recognize the truth of that reality, and I hold it all with caring and respect for the challenges that it brings.
AND
I have come to find that if I sing, write, paint, dance, improvise, play, meditate, quilt, design, draw, quilt, wander…whatever it is, I am literally changing my neurology by shifting the focus of my attention to that which is NOURISHING.
But why singing specifically?

BecauseTHIS!
I propose that you PAUSE. See if you can turn off the technology, close your eyes, breathe, let your mind wander, and allow yourself to move or sound. What comes through you is not just trivial, within are contained the answers to your life and new approaches to any obstacle.
When we engage in self-expression practices, make things with our hands or bodies, allow the written word to come through us,
WE ARE SAYING YES TO LIFE!and YOU are ALIVE my friend!
We are all doing the best we can to find moments of contentment and even joy - it would be my honor to support you in doing so.
May the voice be with you,
Renée

Neuro-funktion Junction

9/7/2020

Routine is good. Its helpful to brush our teeth when we wake up and go to bed, daily meditation or exercise, In this way, we give our bodies the message that we mean it when we want to embody a way of being.

Sometimes, however, the daily routine lulls us into a sleepy state. Driving to a location the same way, making our coffee, watching the news at night. Nothing too exciting, todo tranquilo, all good.

We receive a dopamine hit when we try new things, which is a wonderful way to combat depression.

So, how do we blend routine with the unknown?

STRUCTURE, REPETITION, and MYSTERY

Using various pre-selected structures is the doorway to the unknown, and if you repeat your practice, soon you will become adept. When you improvise, that song has never before existed, and it will never exist again.

“…the area of the brain related to self-monitoring and observation deactivates when musicians are improvising, while the region linked with self-expression lights up.”

~ IDEAS.TED.COM

How cool is that?! This means you forget yourself for a while in order to make space for something that is being birthed within you.

And when they say “use it or lose it” its no joke.

What’s the big deal about developing new neural pathways in your brain?

As we age, we can lose the ability to learn and perform tasks. By doing things we don’t normally do, or learning a new skill, we can change our chemistry, increase our learning speed, make connections between skill areas, adapt better to change, and here’s the real prize, we can prevent cognitive decline, which is related to demyelination in our brains.

And we can do this in a way that is fun, enlivening, and funky.

So, come on over to class and let’s drop into silence, move our bodies, play with our voices and our body’s rhythm. I can’t wait to hear your new songs!

lung health/singing soon

8/24/2020

Dear ones,

I hope you’re doing as well as possible and taking care of your lungs in the midst of these fires if you happen to live in CA.

RENEE’S LUNG CARE TIPS:

1.Wear an N-95 or KN-95 outside if possible.
2.Drink mullein or slippery elm tea. They are great lung tonics.
3.Sing! Play with sounds for 10 minutes non-stop. Let yourself
sound ridiculous, or tone. It’s ALL good, know why? Because
when you sing, you breathe!
4.Find a Breathwork practice. Breathing regularly not only
expands lung function, but also allows you to monitor it.

With so much change and loss around us on so many levels, we begin to ask, where is the ground?

It seems to me, that one of the opportunities of this time is the possibility of becoming more comfortable with uncertainty.

There’s a joke in the vocal improv community that we graduated from UMSU: University of Make Shit Up. A place where change is a constant, and the invitation to accept and include is foundational.

Let’s come together to find ground, so we can fly into the unknown spaces and birth our new songs in a few upcoming classes.

We will start with mindful breath awareness, play vocal and rhythm games, and explore different ways of creating music in the moment, regardless of musical experience.

I am super excited to invite my friend and colleague, amazing Drum Circle Facilitator, Music Therapist, Musician, and Founder of Rhythmic Innovation, Phil Didlake. We will create a blend of rhythmic play and vocal improv together. Get ready to PLAY!!!

All classes require registration to receive a Zoom link.Register here: http://bit.ly/bavireg

Free Pilot Class:Monday, August 31st @ 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. PST

Donation Based Classes:Sunday, Sept. 6th, @ 6:00 p.m.- 7:00 p.m. PST
With Special Guest: Phil Didlake!

Saturday, Sept. 12th @ 11:00 a.m.- 12:00 p.m. PST

Stay close during this time, we need each other so.

May the voice be with you,

Renée

Safe, Synchronous Singing in July

6/24/2020

Solstice Greetings, Happy Juneteenth, Happy Pride, and let’s keep raising our voices for equality and justice!

I continue to hold space in my heart for all BIPOC all over the planet, that hearts may heal, voices may continue to peacefully rise up, and that legal systemic changes that we can each stand for can till the land of outdated paths that have been so deeply entrenched.

Every day is a new education for me, and I pray that I may remain humble and teachable as I discover my own ignorance and blindness.

We’re over 3 months into the Covidian Era, and I am still without hugs. WHAT?!?! Y’all know how crazy that is for me! I have no housemate to argue with, which is lovely, but the other side of that is that I have not yet created a safe pod of peeps to cuddle with. A work in progress…touching feet has been a intermediate activity that brings a surprising amount of satisfactory oxytocin!

Some of you remember the day pictured above at Point Pinole. Ahhh…the joy of singing together. Since singing of all kinds has primarily been transferred online, and I have contended with my inner NO (Not Online), while slowly adapting and scanning life for where the YES (Yummy Energy Source) is, I started to daydream and the images of spacious connection outdoors with plastic face shields begun to surface, because another oxytocin releasing activity is eye contact.

No longer a daydream, for last week I did a pilot class. We had a good time, we could hear each other, and felt safe.

So, guess what?!?!

Bay Area Vocal Improv is back in real time!

Six Week Series:

Tuesdays: July 7 – August 11, 2020

7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Large private back yard in Elmwood
(location disclosed after registration)

Your own face shield will be provided.

There is an empty cottage on the premises for bathroom use.

Registration closes on July 5, 2020.

Sliding scale for the series: $60 - $150
20% of proceeds will go to Black Futures Lab (https://blackfutureslab.org/about/) Project.

Max 8 participants for space safety

You can register HERE and you will receive NO Zoom link - - YAY!!!!!! J

But you will receive a confirmation, instructions, a waiver to sign, and the address.

Love upon love and may the voice be with you,

Renée

Peek-A-Boo!

5/16/2020

Peek-a-boo!

I have been in hide out land for a bit, but I am here and thinking of you!

In this time where we need to gather in-formation in order to make choices about health, how to navigate in the world, work decisions, etc...its easy to go down the rabbit hole of way too much information that can also elicit fear responses within us.

For many, the Sympathetic Nervous System is in the driver’s seat, eliciting a cascade of hormonal and chemical changes in our bodies. If fear is immediate or high, our innate fight/flight (sometimes known as hyper arousal) response is there to direct us. It’s helpful is short bursts for certain situations right?

One response that we don’t hear about much is the freeze response. It’s a brilliant strategy for any living being to just S T O P. We can then assess if the best choice is to fight, take flight, communicate or do nothing. Many regular physical functions are also affected because it is still a fear response.

Then enter the Parasympathetic Nervous System, otherwise known as “rest and digest”, which allows for a reset to regular functioning, regulating breath and heart rate.

Sometimes, when we are exposed to fear, we can hang out there longer than is necessary, due to previous experiences that may have been traumatizing or upsetting – our guard stays up and the cascade of chemicals continues on.

As it turns out, fear actually affects our immune response. There's some interesting research on that HERE

These, of course, are only a small fraction of the possible responses that we could have emotionally. I love Jennifer Asdorian's Emotion Chart: HERE, which helps one to track what is up! That said, now, more than ever, it’s a great idea to work with practices that help us come back to equanimity.

->I personally moved a bit from NO (a.k.a. _Not Online_) to reconnecting with YES! (a.k.a. _Yummy Energy Source_). Going very S L O W and allowing myself to follow that which feels good in order to invite inspiration. Most days, that is nature, singing, good food, taking nature photos, and swaddling myself in my hammock. The power of containment for overwhelm is real people!

Getting to what feels good is great! and feeling good is not the purpose of my life. Its lovely, but limited in its scope in terms of what brings meaning and joy for me. Service is the word that has come forth recently for me to ponder.

I would love to share some of my prevention and active practices for staying/getting healthy, both emotionally and physically during COVID, and to make a little sound with you. I want to know how you are doing!

Let's gather online on: Monday May 18, 202
7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Sliding Scale from $40 - $15, and no one turned away.

You can register for this event by replying to me here
and you will receive a Zoom Link to attend.

You can pay through Paypal, or send me a payment through Venmo at handle: @Renee-Benmeleh

Until we see each other again, HERE is a little
song for you.

AND!!!

I thank all the health workers immensely for the incredible work they have been doing to help us.

Many blessings be on them forever!

May the voice be with you,

Renée

what part of no do you understand?

4/29/2020

Spacious Connection

3/26/2020

Dear Sound Community,

I am peeking my head out of the rubble to say

Hello!

You are all in my heart during this challenging time.

I send strong heart love to you, to the children, the parents, the educators, the people working paycheck to paycheck, and to other abled folks.

To all the medical workers and healers out there working day and night to support others, and to the patients that are seeking healing, I send you the most powerful level of appreciation and inner strength.

Lastly, I am sending deep compassion to our artists and educators. My colleagues and I have lost much of our income overnight which is not only a big financial ouch, but personally hard for me because I adore facilitating music with people.

May we find resilience, as we explore ways to continue to work with the scared technology that helps to keeps us connected safely.

I know I am literally preaching to the choir when I say that scientific research has shown us that singing and sounding not only boost our immunity, but also keep us connected to our life force and calm our nervous system.

I am gearing up to take a version of Bay Area Vocal Improv online on the 1st Sunday of the month, and in service of that, I am offering a free test class on Sunday March 29th from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Zoom.

If you would like to join, please join here:

https://us04web.zoom.us/j/4015714811

Meeting ID: 401 571 4811

Pause and listen…we are being given the opportunity to expand our global humanity and open our hearts to co-creation on every level, as we do, we become witnesses to the kindness that has been pouring forth from folks near and far.

Here is a lil’ song to keep you company and we will see each other very soon!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZrN6zm5sxY

May the voice be with you!

Renée

Yes, We sang!

1/28/2020

Hello and Happy 2020!

I missed you last month! A BIG Thank You to my friend and colleague Pollyanna Bush for subbing my class in January!

I just got back from the amazing 4 day Replenish for Business Women's Retreat with Julie Wolk and her team, and I am feeling juiced up around upcoming offerings for this year! Stay tuned...

This month I facilitated a team of 45 Google executives at a summit designed to encourage collaboration among their peers.Many of these people did not know each other before the event and the team leader found that historically they were shy to connect. It was such a pleasure to work with this group – a mix of extroverts and introverts, most of which were unfamiliar with my work.

By the second day, one of the teams felt enough ease to begin making requests for inclusion of their ideas in the class I had formulated and we collaboratively created the next step.

This is improv right?!

It is constantly changing in the moment and I found that creating space for their contributions brought a sense of aliveness into their bodies, more willingness to risk, be goofy in the presence of their peers, and tap into their creativity, while also choosing their level of challenge. Witnessing this take place was the highlight of the experience for me and I am still glowing from it!

How we respond to change can set us apart as human beings and as leaders in our world. Neuroscientist Dr. Joe Dispensa speaks about how in order to create change in ourselves, we need to begin by disrupting our usual patterns by doing what we do differently. Take a different route to work, use your non-dominant hand to do things, add a new routine, look at things upside down, or learn a new language.

Is music your next new language?
This universal language brings humans of all demographics, color, size, shape, sexual preference, gender identity, and age together. You don't need know anything about anyone, you just play together.

Singing and making music together is probably the most ancient activity known to humankind. It's part of virtually every ritual around the world, rites of passage, celebrations, and grieving with community. In our present time, these rituals might encompass a faith gathering, a sporting event, such as the very coordinated chanting that happens in Japanese baseball games, a concert, a protest, or an honoring of an individual.

The unified field that is created when we sing together is the medicine for this time where we seem to be so split apart, and if you’re in for this singing evolution, join us as we enter 2020 knowing that at the end of the year we can say: “Yes, we sang!”

Through it all, we sing…

See you soon beloveds!

welcome home

1/1/2020

Dear ones!

Happy everything! and I hope that in the midst of the bustling energy of the holidays,, you're getting to have some quiet down time to reflect and rejuvenate.

I am brimming with joy and gratitude for the opportunities to facilitate Vocal Improv in so many settings! It is a gift for me to be able to share this magic with others. What happens in that circle is unknown, remarkable and heart opening.

Monday, Dec. 30th, I’ll be facilitating between 6:00 and 7:00 p.m. at Sing For Your Life. If you have never been, please gift yourself this experience this year. 12 hours of circle singing led by some of the Bay Area’s fine’s facilitators, with such a variety of flavors and offerings. Come sing, dance, share some food with folks, and Sing For Your Life because if you don’t, who will?

A couple days after that I’ll be facilitating at the Northern CA Dance Collective’s Winter Dance Camp from 4:00 to 5:30 on the 31st. Its not a drop in class, so if you’re interested please check the registration terms.

And…can I get a drum rollllllllll pleeeeeeze?

The Universe put Google in my path, and I am celebrating my first gig at Google in January for a team-building summit in Austin, TX. So happy I can’t even…

Wishing you all a beautiful last 4 days of 2019 and let’s bring in 2020 with a sang! Every time we sing together, we are witnessed and held, we strengthen the ability to use that courage to speak our truth in a multitude of situations.

The gift is inside of you, welcome home.

gratitude

11/25/2019

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