Last Sunday I had the tremendous honor of performing the first movement of Beethoven’s Triple Concerto with my Bodhi Trio and the Pacific University orchestra. When I perform repertoire I’ve known for decades, it’s easy to let the fingers do
Discoveries from the Heart of Yoga, Music and Meditation
Last weekend I helped design and lead a workshop that combined yoga and a live music experience for the Northwest Yoga Conference. Using music in yoga classes is nothing new, but we decided to offer live music not as background,
Walking the Fine Line
As a public school employee, I have to be careful about how I introduce meditation in the classroom. Thankfully, mindfulness practices have been accepted into public education by focusing on improving awareness and paying attention, bypassing religious dogmas and debates. But
It’s Time to Redefine Our WHY of Music
Imagine working towards a high-level performance: tensions build, expectations rise. Breath tightens. Cortisol flows increasingly into your bloodstream to cope with the stress, leading to eventual disease of body and mind. We justify it all as perfectly acceptable, because “the
What Freedoms Have You Won for Yourself?
We celebrate Independence Day for our country, but use this day to also focus on of the inner freedoms that you can claim for yourself. Have you won the freedom of inner peace? Don’t be dominated by the incessant outward
If Music is Your Religion, Here’s How to Worship
Think of one of your most amazing musical experiences—a concert, rehearsal or your private practice—and you’ll soon realize that music brought you into some form of bliss. Wherever it happened, you likely felt an awakening of energy, a presence, expanded
Music and Meditation: Keys to JOY
Deepen your experience of JOY using the divine dynamic duo of music and meditation. This workshop is perfect of music lovers, singers and instrumentalists of all abilities and experience. It features group singing specifically tailored to take you deep into an experience of your soul’s true nature of JOY.
Speak, Sing, and Play from the Hermitage of Your Heart
Although we connect through music, social networks, family and community, our most vital connection is to our own heart. Now more than ever do we need to spend time in our hearts, connecting us beyond our little egos into highest potential, a deeper experience of
3rd of 10 Obvious Inaudibles: Joy
Joyful performances can’t help but inspire. Musicians performing with Joy draw us into their sphere of inspiration. Their subtle physical cues of relaxed pleasure and confident presence trigger something within us—perhaps due to mirror neurons in our brain that elicit our own inner experience of uplifting
2nd of 10 Obvious Inaudibles: Focus
A 19-year old pianist recently showed me the power of focus. I heard Aaron Petit perform at the Young Musicians and Artists Camp in Salem this past summer. He played with impressive passion and precision, and drew us all very deeply into the