Musicians have lost jobs, performances, and the joy of ensemble. But now that everything has been taken away from us, what more do we have to fear? This moment is an amazing opportunity to shift the direction of music.
Music, Yoga, and the Divine Response
Live music & yoga: what incredible, dramatic impact they have on each other! I experienced this firsthand in February at the Northwest Yoga Conference. Then in March, I had the opportunity to collaborate with a yoga class, this time with a
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
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
A Search and a Call for Truth in Music
15 years ago I was an inexperienced spiritual seeker armed with a righteousness that rivaled JP Sears’ Ultra-Spiritual spoofs. I made a dismissive comment about a musical piece of angry, arrhythmic dissonance to my dear friend and cellist, Andrew Eckard. He knocked me off
The Sound of Devotion in Your Music
Last night, while performing Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, I was deeply moved during the 3rd movement where the first violin’s 16th notes flow in gorgeous counterpoint to the main theme in the winds (quick reference video). If I were to foolishly try to define what Beethoven
How to Make Sacred Music Truly Sacred
It was hot—really hot as I wound my way up the Historic Columbia River Highway to the Royal School of Church Music Retreat. The river glistened in the evening light as I entered the beautiful grounds of the Menucha Retreat Center in Corbett,
JOY—the ultimate motivator
Behind every great success is great motivation. What’s your motivator? An external reward or a pure JOY of doing? The final moments of the BRAVO Youth Orchestra Winter term had finally come. All week the kids were wound up and excited. I would have imagined that the final
The Thief that Stole My Song
I’m going to tell you the story about the thief that stole my song (my deep joy of music), the journey I took to find it again, and the unexpected treasure I discovered. But let me start in the middle,
Are you UP for the Allelujah Challenge?
I’m back in California for a week of concerts that includes a performance of Handel’s Zadok the Priest (no, Zadok isn’t from Dr. Who). This rousing Coronation Anthem is a setting of Old Testament text which emphasizes the word “Allelujah”,