My Music…There Goes Joanie!!!

“The human voice conveys who you are through a unique combination of rhythm, melody, timbre and dynamics. It not only reveals who you are, but it also reveals from what sphere or plane you draw your greatest energy. Our voice is the personal vehicle for spiritual and creative expression…..Each voice represents a unique personality that defines an individual’s character….Our voice is our most creative and musical instrument. It has great power to touch our lives and the lives of others.” Excerpts from “Sacred Sounds: Magic & Healing Through Words & Music” by Ted Andrews.

I love the thought and the awareness of every time I speak I am creating my music. This awareness brings with it a responsibility of what I am saying, the tone I am using and the intent of my words. My music changes constantly and I use my tone to sing my love, to calm, to excite, to express my anger, to state my desires, to exude my enthusiasm….so many sounds, so many instruments. As a Sacred Athlete I use my music to teach and heal, guided by my awareness that every action in my life, including my sounds, are sacred. With love as my healing energy, I use the full potential of my music to manifest my greatness and the greatness of the world.

As a Sensation Scientist, I am devoted to continually explore my voice, my sound, my music. I have recently been exploring my voice in relationship with the 7 cycles of my Nia classes and the power my music (my sound and silence) has on my students and the class experience. Setting my Focus and Intent, my voice is sparked with confidence and enthusiasm as I to create the space for students to feel safe, excited about the possibilities and relaxed. When we Step In to the class and the Warm Up cycles, my tone is relaxed and reassuring, that invites students to connect to their body, their MUSIC, so they can be in the NOW. In the Get Moving cycle my music creates excitement and motivation to enhance their experience and provide the environment for everyBody to reach their potential. As we cool down and move into Floorplay, my music inspires playful exploration and self healing. And then as we Transition Out, my music creates the space for harmony and peace as we all prepare to Dance Through Life. All my music/sounds infused with love and joy. My exploration continues and will never stop. There is so much to discover.

 

I believe the most important skill to develop for receiving the healing benefits and the power of sound is 2 fold: The art of listening to sound along with the awareness that our whole body...organs, bones, muscles, cells, connective tissue...everything, is listening and responding. Listening is one thing; however if we have the awareness of the affect music has on our body, our mind, our emotions and spirit, and understand that music stays with us long after the sound is gone, we raise the consciousness of the healing aspects of music and sound. We can listen to a song from long ago, and if we had a past emotional experience in life with that song, the memories come flooding back as if we are back in time. With this our physical body may take on a different shape. Our mental realm is flooded with the images of that moment and our spirit becomes alive and transformed by the experience as if it is real and now. “Every cell within our body is a sound resonator. It has the capability of responding to any other sound outside of the body. Every organ, in which cells of like vibration have gathered to form that organ, will respond as a group to particular sound vibrations, as will various emotional, mental and spiritual states of consciousness. The human body is a bio-electrical system.....strengthened or balanced through the use of sacred sound."  Sacred Sounds, p. 9 by Ted Andrews.

Music has the power to inspire, to relax, to excite, to make you sad, happy, chaotic .......allows us to transcend our imaginations and our dance. Music heals the body and the soul. I have used Chinese gongs, Tibetan bowls, my sound and silence, and music that is healing to me in my recovery from surgery and from my broken foot. And music is my entry into each new day. Oh the bliss!! As a Nia teacher, soon to be trainer and a healer, I am conscious of the power of music and the ability it has to transform people’s lives. I am aware every time I choose my playlist for every class, every workshop. The power of music to create magic within everyBody’s dance!

I personally experience the vibration and resonance of music throughout my entire body! I am a receiver of sounds, vibrations, rhythm and melodies and it stays within the fabric of my body for years. I’m thinking it will for my entire lifetime. Nia gave me this gift, and through the practice of RAW, I have developed the skill of listening to music...the art of listening. Nia has opened me up to all types of music, sounds and silence, and it continues to inspire and excite me, and flood my body. This is particularly evident with the Nia routines I learn. Through my listening practice and awareness, I can recall the movements of a Nia routine from my body, even if I have not danced the routine in several years. The resonance is present. The sound is a part of me. I love this!!! This body memory has been proven, and as Daniel Levitin states in “This is Your Brain on Music”, research at Keele University in the UK found that a year after a child is born, they can recognize music they were exposed to when they were in the womb. It’s in all of us - all the sounds we experience in our lifetime, and when we connect physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually to the music/sounds, the sound waves become part of our being.

I’ve been contemplating/meditating on what Debbie Rosas said in her April NGT call about the 8 BC system and how we may need to first focus on the music and then the beat/count/bars in our Nia white belt. Listening to the music, understanding the music has given me a greater appreciation for the 8 BC system.  When I started my Nia practie, I first listened to the music..constantly... and I discovered the sensation of music permeating into my cells. This was in 1994 and I still get high with this sensation!!

 
I am unique, I have my own tone, my own syncopation, my own tempo, with the tools to change my song moment to moment. Music, Movement, Magic. I make music everyday. There goes Joanie!! (Thanks Debbie for this phrase !)