BAY AREA VOCAL IMPROVISATION & COMMUNITY MUSIC
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What Shall We Do Without Us?

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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

 

"Freedom's just another word..."

6/30/2017

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"Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose"
 
                                  -Kris Kristofferson
 
Remember those famous words from "Me and Bobby McGee" sang by the iconoclastic Queen of Rock n' Roll, Janis Joplin? I was recently reminded of these words when I went to see "A Night With Janis Joplin" at A.C.T. in S.F.
 
I highly recommend Kacee Clanton (the main lead) in this production! Its worth every penny to feel her and to bask in the amazing talents of the women who portray Janis' musical mentors:
 
[https://tickets.act-sf.org/Online/default.asp](https://tickets.act-sf.org/Online/default.asp)
 
You might not know that Janis was one of the artist’s who formed my feelings about life, emotions, and singing at a young age. Janis was a woman often remembered for her growly voice and drug addiction. But she had way more going on inside. She was sharp as a tack, and felt everything deeply. He main goal was to be as authentic as possible, and she took so may risks in doing so, both in her vocalizing style, and in her honest expression of how she saw the world.
 
When we open our voices, singing is one of the benefits, but what about self-expression? Are there places where you would like to speak your mind, situations that you are unable to support, or places where you need to set boundaries? I can’t think of a day going by when these opportunities don’t arise.
 
  1. Start with opening the throat chakra my friends. Even just simple long tones get the juices flowing.
  2. Get yourself sounding gibberish, odd and playful sounds.
  3. Don’t worry about sounding “beautiful”.
  4. Do it daily for one week and see what happens.
 
What have you got to lose?
 
Let’s do it together Sunday!
 

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