I'd love to share with you my story of connection to music, in the hope that it inspires you to pick up an instrument, put on an album you love , take part in a sound healing or sing in the shower!
The Power of Music in My Life to Inspire and Heal
Music has always been a profound and vital part of my life. My earliest memories are of my Dad playing ‘Papillon’ on the piano to send me to sleep as a child and music has been a a soothing and constant companion ever since. It's a source of inspiration, and a powerful healer. Its ability to touch the deepest parts of our souls and evoke emotions beyond words has always felt like a kind of magic to me. I love how we can make music at any time or place with just our bodies. With our lungs, lips and throats, completely changing our breath, changing the vibration of our chests and necks, changing the air around us and changing the environment. Music delivers emotional information to us. When we add music to any given situation, or even change the music that's playing the effect is immediate and obvious. It's a complex mystery, yet the act in itself is so simple. It is the push of a button. Instant magic. Beethoven saw this magic and is quoted as saying "Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy. Music is the electrical soil in which the spirit lives, thinks and invents…music is indeed the mediator between the spiritual and the sensual life'.
A Lifelong Connection
My love affair with music began early. As a child, I remember being mesmerised by the way sounds could blend together to create something beautiful and transcendent. I started singing Schubert Lieder as a child, mimicking the classical music my Dad played and loved and my fondest memories are of him accompanying my wavering thin child's voice as I attempted to sing some truly difficult songs! Music always had a way of making the world seem lighter and full of possibility. It was through music that I first learned to feel deeply, to connect with big emotions, and to express myself in ways that words alone could not and I still do.
Inspiration Through Songwriting
As I grew older, music stayed a constant companion. It fuelled my creativity, and I started writing songs at a young age. My earliest ones were about Mossy my pet mouse and I even wrote some protest songs about Saddam Hussein! I was an activist even at 11! Every song was a story, a journey, it sparked my imagination in countless ways. Whether I was dancing around the room as Dad played Flashdance on the piano or trying to memorise Paul Simon lyrics and singing myself to sleep, music always had the power to lift my spirits and inspire me. It was a muse that never failed to ignite my passions and keep me moving forward.
Ability to Heal
Perhaps the most profound impact of music in my life has been its ability to heal. In times of stress, sorrow, or uncertainty, music has been a comfort that offered solace. My greatest fear was the possibility of losing my singing voice after I had thyroid surgery in 2021. With time and patience I made a full recovery. I always have music playing at home and you can normally tell how I'm feeling just by the choice of music I have on - a lot of Nils Frahm! I can be moved to tears through music and I find music helps to release pent-up emotions and find clarity. Other times, an uplifting song has helped me regain my strength and face challenges- anything by Beyonce or Dolly Parton! Music has a unique way of resonating with our innermost feelings, providing a sense of connection and reassurance that we are not alone in our experiences. Music seems somehow to give us permission to feel what we are feeling. Grief, exhilaration and everything in between.
Creating Connection
Music also has the incredible ability to bring people together. From family gatherings where we all stand around the piano and belt out Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody to when I started sharing and performing my original songs - no longer about Mossy the Mouse, but about love and loss and things I learned from my travels. From noisy student hang outs in Sao Paulo, to tiny bars in Evora, Portugal or noisy pubs in London, I played my music for people and it transcended language, culture, and background. It's been a few years since I've played my original songs in pubs and bars, and my way of sharing my music has changed. My new found connection to music is playing the crystal sound healing bowls and using my voice. This has reawakened my love of sharing music with people and realising the power of music to heal.
"Science is still catching up to understanding how sound heals, but the current research is promising. A review of 400 published scientific articles on music found strong evidence that music has mental and physical benefits in improving mood and reducing stress…One study found that an hour long sound meditation helped people reduce tension, anger, fatigue, anxiety and depression while increasing a sense of spiritual well-being." (Wel, The Healing Power of Sound)
I am planning on running regular restorative yoga and sound healing sessions where I use my voice and the crystal bowls to soothe and heal and I've been playing and singing during sivasana in some of my regular classes recently! The cello sound healing events I've held with with Jack Nunn will continue regularly as well and the addition of the cello is incredibly nourishing.
In reflecting on the power of music in my life, I am filled with gratitude for the countless ways it has inspired and healed me. Music’s magic lies in its ability to touch the soul, to speak to our hearts, and to remind us of our shared humanity. For all these reasons and more, music will always be a cherished and vital part of my journey, a kind of magic. As musician Athena Holmes told us:
“Music is witchcraft because music is vibration, which is the heart of all life. It has the power to move people emotionally. It has the power to create change…Music is life. You're accessing energy. You're accessing vibration. Where there's movement there's life. You're changing these vibrations.”
To the magic of music be a potent charm we use to bewitch ourselves and others.
Namaste and thank you for being on this journey with me.
Join me for an afternoon of Somatic Rest, Sound Healing and Voice. Please follow the link below for tickets and more information.
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