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

 

lung health/singing soon

8/24/2020

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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
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  • UPCOMING EVENTS
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