As August descends upon us, I reflect on past summers at music festivals with dark skies.
After a long day of music making, I’d lie down and look up at the stars.
I’d see shooting stars and expanding galaxies that go on forever.
This year it's been an incredibly busy heart opening and fulfilling summer.
I’ve been expanding and receiving my ventures–saying yes to people and new experiences.
For example, we changed how we conducted the Music for the Everyone (MFE) free Strings and Percussion summer camps.
This year we incorporated poetry and added more improvisation opportunities.
We focused on building the community and creating a context where the kids and teachers could connect with each other as people rather than just jumping in to learn music.
Imagine 100 kids and teachers experiencing a daily sound bath or opening up about our challenges and strengths by using a poem prompts.
This is definitely not how I was trained but it was so much better!.
By the end of the strings and percussion camp, the kids trusted each other and the adults. This trust and acceptance made it easier to learn and more fun for everyone.
We even created an impromptu faculty community concert that was truly an MFE “vibing” event. It was an informal gathering of community members, parents, kids, and performers–all in different stages of musicianship. We were in a cool eclectic space...keeping it real and having fun.
So, I invite you to expand and say yes to something new!
Check out my new videos of sunrise plus music at Inkwell Beach in Martha’s Vineyard.
As we head into August, I’ll keep you updated on playing violin at Inkwell Beach in Martha’s Vineyard, new musical partnerships, and tips for how to use youtube when you are learning music!
