An Invitation to Experience Being Music
A few nights ago I was at an event in which we were invited to go on an inward journey with
the assistance of a buffalo drum. As I listened to the drumming, I found myself becoming one with it- absorbed and enveloped in the sound waves in a way that I hadn’t experienced before.
This led to the realization that we ARE music. I’ve long found compelling the analogies and metaphors comparing music as life or as aspects of life, and intellectually it resonated with me.
Feeling Music on a Deeper Level
Yet, I hadn’t felt it viscerally as I did at that moment. Whether this was due to the acoustics of the drum or due to the intention behind the journey, the experience led me to a greater awareness of myself as music. As well, it led to a more profound recognition that part of what I’m here to do as a music therapist and psychotherapist is to help others experience themselves as music.
Not as musical, but as music.
What this means to me is that our beings- the functioning of our bodies, the interaction between mind and body, our relationships- all help to create the music of our lives. At times there may be dissonance, and at other times harmony, but we compose our lives through our choices, actions, perspectives, and insights. We are simultaneously the composer and the composition.
Breathe into that idea. What are you composing with your life? Who are you as a composition?
Please feel free to comment down below so that we can carry on this conversation.
Comments
4 responses to “Being Music: Insights from a Buffalo Drum”
What a beautiful, thought provoking post. You inspire me to take more pauses for my own music making.
Thank you so much, JoAnn. It is so important for us to take the time to make music for ourselves without any agenda. I think it can assist in preventing burnout, as well as provide continued inspiration to keep doing what we do!
[…] This isn’t about the music industry. It isn’t about supporting music in our schools and community. (Yes, these are important!) This is about keeping the music within you alive. It is about keeping in touch with the music we make with our lives. (See this beautiful post by music therapist Faith Halverson-Ramos.) […]
[…] Have you ever thought about yourself as being a piece of music? What thoughts come to mind when you look at yourself from this perspective? It can be a strange thing if you haven’t considered it before. Even with my experiences as a music therapist and musician, it took me some time to more fully understand what this meant. […]