I look forward to reading it, Jud. I was listening to Bach’s B Minor Mass the other night on my way home from teaching class 7 at Copper Beech (an instance where turning on the radio was a really good thing!), and I was remembering my years of singing early music in small (8-16) music ensembles. That experience provided a “practice” of sorts in that it predictably brought about unity consciousness, the sense of separateness falling away as we made music together–often singing in a half-circle, facing each other. It reliably brought me to a still point–both concentrated, but also open and awake to others, the audience, the sound, my body–all the typical objects of focus. A beautiful memory on a spring night–and a reframing of that experience toward, and as practice.
And here’s the article:
Steinfeld and Brewer 2015 Psych benefits of music as mindfulness practice.pdf (76.1 KB)
Thank you so much for this Jud and I look forward to studying and benefitting from it as a mental health professional and an amateur musician.
Kind regards
Colin
Thanks for your post, Colin. As it turns out, sound/music making is an important part of my mindfulness practice. Although I spend some time reading music and playing existing compositions either by memory or ear, mostly I practice without a preconceived musical map or destination. Working with my voice or an instrument, I allow myself to listen deeply to sound vibrations and to become aware of physical sensations related to vocal production, fingers on keys or strings, lips on a vibrating reed, etc. For me, this is a rich field of experience and discovery. The realm of sound production and perception appears to be an infinite one.
Cheers, Bob
Thanks, Jud. Great article! In light of your text, I am reminded to mention that a substantial portion of my music/mindfulness practice consists of holding “musical” sounds in my mind–that is, imagining notated and yet-to-be notated tones and series of tones without actually playing them on an instrument or singing them. In fact, I find this to be among my most profound musical experiences. The mental imaging of individual sonic vibration and multiple sonic vibrations in relationship with one another is such a subtle, delicate event, perhaps not unlike the sensation of caressing air. The sound of one hand clapping…?
Thanks Bob, for a very inspiring insight into your approach and it is certainly one that I will try to develop along similar lines. I had been trying to find practical ways to bring mindfulness into music making and I believe I can fruitfully do so now. I agree with using the voice as an instrument too and I had been exploring this loosely but you offer a more methodological way forward than my Om’s and Ah’s!
Thank you for sharing, warm regards Colin
Hi all,
Very interesting topic. I’ve often felt that when singing or playing music and when I am able to stay open and present, that new discoveries and possibilities emerge. (sound familiar?) If anyone is looking for a song that has lyrics which speak to the process of mindful practice, this one really resonates for me: Jason Mraz Living In the Moment. http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/jasonmraz/livinginthemoment.html. Enjoy!
Great! Please let me/us know what you find. OMs and Ahs are good, too!
Bob
Along similar lines, Jud, has anyone written about/done research on the relationship between doing math and mindfulness practice? I am aware that some research has been done on math test scores increasing for students trained in mindfulness practice, but I am thinking more about the math itself as a mindfulness practice. Thanks in advance, Bob
I have had several MRI’s, and I always keep my eyes closed and spend the entire time singing inside my head, mentally rehearsing a song I’m working on. It has been wonderful to keep my spirit bathed in music, both sound and the poetry of the song, while I’m in that machine. I’ve come out of my MRI’s quite relaxed!
Thanks, I will check out Wim Martens, and others, and also reading the article link…
Recently, I discovered Sam Baker - he’s a singer songwriter in the Country Alt/John Prine vein. I heard him on a Terry Gross Fresh Air, (here’s the link:
http://www.npr.org/2014/05/06/310089151/sam-baker-finding-grace-in-the-wake-of-destruction
He’s quite something, rather Zen like. Here’s his song Pretty World, but all the more meaningful after hearing his story…Sam Baker Pretty World - YouTube
As a musician in one form or another since childhood, I long felt that music and meditation were very much akin, in the ongoing moment to moment attention/awareness of the gestalt of sound and sense coordination, and oh yes, the great great kindness needed during the many challenges faced in the learning process. (This kindness was certainly not a part of my musical upbringing, resulting in the addition of deeply embedded physical tensions that are not easy to keep in awareness during playing).
Thank you all, I look forward to following this conversation…
Gail
Hi @bspako, the Italian pianist, ludovico Einaudi, especially his piece ritonaire and for more modern tastes I listen to an artist called Patrick O’Hearn - two of his prices, a lovely place to be and beyond this moment. Johanne Johanson and Garth Svenson are also amazing have attached you tube links to all four artists.
I’m a fan of Meredith Monk and have been for many years.
Hi, Colin. Yes, I play the Japanese bamboo flute, the Shakuhachi, as a formal practice. The honkyoku pieces are specifically for contemplative purposes.
Hi Ted
Thanks for that. Perhaps societies with longstanding Buddhist practice or similar have more well established mindfulness techniques to draw on for such purposes, hence maybe such pieces as you are enjoying.
I will try and learn more about honkyoku pieces, thanks!
This might be a place to start, it gives a little background:
http://shakuhachi.org/HONKYOKU.html
Also, this piece is one of the first one learns:
Yes, that’s the sheet music for Hon Shirabe.
Thank you so much, my musical education continues!
Warm regards
Hello Bob,
I love this question. I took a class at Lesley University called Liberation Math. We had an assignment of Viewing Fractals in every day life, (I was especially interested in Architecture) and it was fun to notice the interconnections in design. It reminds me of Mathew Brensilver’s comment, “Living with our Eyes Open & Everything is teaching us.” The class was based on learning Math in a different way so people are not afraid of it. We watched this Ted Talk of Logan Laplante, who brings up some interesting points.
Hackschooling makes me happy | Logan LaPlante -…
Although it may not work for everyone, it is an interesting concept? See what you think?
Thanks, Marie, for picking up on this posting from a few months back. I love that course title: Liberation Math. In fact, as I near the end of a masters in psychology and think about going on to a PhD, Leslie University has been on my mind. Something of a hack self-educator and (for the most part former) skier myself, I very much enjoyed the video. As you say, the method may not work for everyone. But, with good guidance, the right young person, who might be crushed by traditional schooling, could really go far.
Now, here’s a recent example of my math/mediation idea: I have been reading a book on topology (the study of geometric properties and spatial relations unaffected by the continuous change of shape or size of figures–google) and thus was reading about and then meditating on mobius strips–that is, a strip of paper formed into a circle that seems to have two sides–front and back, inside and outside–until you put a half twist into it and reconnect it. Then you find that it really only has one continuous side. My meditative mind easily made the connection (as yet imperfectly understood) between the mobius strip and our perceptions of the universe. In our so-called normal experience, we imagine that there is an inside and an outside, a front and a back ,to things, ourselves, whatever. But it may turn out to be more accurate to think of the universe (and ourselves as part of that universe) as a mobius strip–only one side, no front or back, no inside or outside, etc. Cheers, Bob