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

 

Neuro-funktion Junction

9/7/2020

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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!

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  • UPCOMING EVENTS
  • Contact
  • About Renée
  • Blog