Spending quiet time away slows down a busy mind. Thoughts, worries and responsibilities turn into wishes, stories, and dreams. There is more room for memories, memories remind us of the richness of our lives. I have wonderful memories of my trips to Cobourg Ontario to visit my father and his wife. We would take long walks on the pebble beach and long drives through the Northumberland Hills. I recall reading an article in a Northumberland magazine that confirmed what I always observed: living close to nature makes people more gentle. Connecting with nature brings me back to myself. My breathing slows down, I feel more calm and centered.
During this tumultuous time in history, we need to connect with what is truly important. I will always stand for listening, mutual respect, kindness, and cooperation. They are the ingredients of collaborative music making and democracy, and right now I hear too much cacophony.
I spent last week in Saxapahaw North Carolina and took several long walks by the Haw River. The calming sound of the river and sprouts of tender green leaves coming up from the ground filled me with a sense of peace and hope. I took time to just stop, look and listen. So many memories started to come back to me. It’s amazing how much we forget in the midst of a busy life.
Last Friday evening was an opportunity to see all the planets in our solar system. Lucky us, even though we managed to see only four of the planets! It was a beautiful clear evening. The sky is as boundless as the imagination. It calms the eyes and the heart.
I stayed with another dear Music for People friend and mentor, Alison Weiner, a wonderful musician and founder of MahaloArts. In her airy studio by the River, Alison hosts improvisation workshops, music & poetry gatherings, and concerts. On Saturday she hosted a day of improvisation, and what a joy it was for me to improvise with music friends new and old.
I met a local poet, Darnell Arnoult, and learned about Remix Poetry. We had the opportunity to create songs in the moment based on poems from her collection “Incantations”. As someone who has always loved art songs, I enjoy putting words to music in improvisation.
I also listened to live MahaloJazz music that transported me to a happy place. Sitting in a little jazz club called “Lapin Bleu”, I watched regular customers casually coming in and out, one couple brought their dog whose tail wagged constantly as customers offered dog biscuits from a large jar that sat on the bar.
I was introduced to SoulCards, and had my first experience playing music to them. SoulCards are evocative images meant to bring the wisdom of the soul into awareness. There is no definitive meaning attached to each card, and no book to refer to for the answer to your inquiry. They were created by Deborah Koff-Chapin, the originator of touch drawing, something she discovered completely by chance. This is the magic of improvisation: seeing what is possible in everything. Some of the SoulCard images were dark and initially disturbing to me, but I quickly realized that once I moved past my fear of otherness, I could accept the parts of myself that found them jarring.
Four of us come together at the end of a full day of music making. One pulls out a deck of SoulCards. Each of us draws a card to improvise to. The quartet drops into a sonorous dream space where each player contemplates their image in sound while responding to the other players.
We also improvised to cards that featured words with images inspired by fractals. The chance words we chose were Willingness, Cooperation, Forgiveness and Acceptance, which resulted in a feel-good improv.
Surrounded by friends, nature and creativity with a very relaxed schedule allowed time for wistful daydreams, reminiscence, deep conversations, laughter, stories, banter, star gazing, and appreciation.
When I was a child, I used to love to daydream, and got scolded for it at times. I’m starting to think we need to give ourselves more time for daydreaming, and enjoying all that we have.
I created a video that captures my experience of the week.