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

 

gratitude

11/25/2019

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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
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