IN THE COMMUNITY

Group music therapy in the wellness/community setting has two main areas of focus.

• The Voice: Coming Home to Self – This work focuses on the relationship to one’s voice and body in service of the authentic self.  Drawing on improvisation, text and known songs, we engage the breath, body and imagination to experience the voice as a container of physical, emotional and psychological energy.  And we witness and learn from one another.
• Music Improvisation – Lessons in Mindfulness – According to Jon Kabat-Zinn, “Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally.” In this work we explore this way of being by engaging in music improvisation exercises using our voices, bodies and instruments. We begin very gently and ultimately experience the joy and power of singing and making music together communally.

This workshop is designed for the novice as well as the experienced musician.  According to mentor David Darling,

“There are no unmusical people, only people with no musical  experience.”

Sitting with a group of three or four people making music together engages mind, body and spirit, and leads us to experience skills and behaviors associated with the practice of mindfulness including:

• Listening/Concentration/Focus
• Being/Staying in the present moment
• Letting go of judgment, one’s inner critic
• Risk-taking/Letting go of fear
• Trusting one’s Imagination/Creative Impulse
• Leading and Following
• Applying skills to Singing Songs/making music as a community