Sunday, August 26, 2012
Sunday, August 12, 2012
CelloChanWoods retreat 2012. Day one talk. Well being and the art of cello playing.
I will now instruct you on your meditation. When you meditate today, thoughts will, as usual, come up. Sit comfortably on your chair with your back on the back of the chair, but sit up. Rest your hands in your lap in secure way. Your feet should be set apart and solidly in front of you. When the bell rings, you will have 6 minutes of meditation. There will be three periods of 6 minutes each with stretches in-between. You may find yourself becoming tense, bored, or anxious. Simply ignore it. We are getting the mind ready to play. Breathe with your lips slightly apart and shut your eyes. Do not force your breath in or out. Allow it to happen while watching it from afar, as if your mind is above you just quietly checking out the scene. Give your body to the chair, your mind to the method. Wandering thoughts are natural. Acknowledge them but do not engage with them. Let them go on their way. Or, as they say in Zen, drop them over the side of the mountain. What remains is a peaceful, spacious place from which your best cello playing will come. I’ll end our talk this morning with this quote by the Buddha. “There is nothing to worry about, you already have everything you need to be happy, be grateful. For it is a healthy state of mind. By meditating, you are taking a step toward calming your mind and readying yourself to play the cello from a more powerful and intelligent place. What is the highest teaching of Zen? Attention. It is the place from which everything you need comes.
This retreat is about exploring ways to be at your cello in a way that allows your natural energy, talent, power, emotions, musical ideas, and joy to be accessible to you in the way you desire.
It is an opportunity to understand your issues, clarify your goals, and learn how to solve your problems from a more knowledgeable and clear perspective.
On this retreat we will be talking about the mind body connection. You will attend classes, talks, discussions, practice sessions, and ensemble with the goal of integrating the mental, emotional, and physical process. Chan means to see - thus cellochan. But is means to see as deeply as possible. Total seeing. If we understand something, we can do it. But that understanding in the case of cello playing means: mentally, emotionally, and physically understanding something in the same instant, during movement, and as a whole. So, during our time together we will study ways to bring these different facets under one roof so that playing can start to truly become an extension of our natural selves and not a reflection of our conflicts, conscious on subconscious. After all, like it or not, the cello is a mirror. You can see yourself and your struggles in it. So it’s probably time to stop struggling, redefine your approach to learning at the cello, and enjoy your work.
The cellochan mission statement:
To help students enjoy making music
To employ the cello in the work of self acceptance
To cultivate ways to serve others through music
There will be four ½ hour talks during our retreat each morning to help us set the tone for our mental direction for the day.
1. Awareness * Mind / Body
2. How to move within awareness * Stillness and motion
3. Practicing * Like a crystal
2. How to move within awareness * Stillness and motion
3. Practicing * Like a crystal
4. Being a cellist. Going forward and Stories of great musicians
Becoming aware of your body
A disciple once asked his old Zen Master, “What is the highest teaching of Zen?” The master replied “Attention, attention, ...attention.”
The student said, “Yes master, I am ready.” Again the master said, “Attention student, attention.”
“Yes master, what is Zen’s highest teaching?”
What is it...? The word starts with A.
CelloChanWoods is not a Zen retreat or a Buddhist retreat. But there are some valuable concepts that I will offer to you over the span of four days that directly relate to becoming more liberated at the cello.
The truth is that most people are not very clear about what bare awareness really is. Raw awareness is not a tense thing. It simply is itself. (In the beginning of trying to understand this, most people see mind chatter as the only way for the mind to be.) But pure attention is invisible and it is right in front of you. It also has an enormous amount of power, just because. Not because of some extra exertion on your part. Ask yourself when you last exerted your self in order to pay attention, as opposed to finding it easy to pay attention. Let me give examples of what both kinds of awareness might look like. The first: If you are tired and bored in class, but you are going to have to remember something for a future test, you exert yourself to pay attention. This exertion is in contrast to the you that is bored. You are in conflict with the desire to think about other things or perhaps even to sleep. What is set up here is a very subtle kind of stress, straining, and disturbance. The second kind of awareness is so unified with the object of our attention that we hardly know we are paying close attention. An example of this would be a fascinating event or story that transfixes us, eyes wide and mouth open. The body seems to drop away – i.e. we are not aware of it, and our attention is simply fused with the matter at hand. The matter at hand could be anything in the physical or mental world. This is complete attention without conflict or exertion. But how quickly it fades. Back to the chatter. Another quality of complete attention, focus, or awareness is a sense of ease. There may be an intensity to it, but not strain.
When we play music, we are often in conflict with ourselves in a number of ways that we may well be unaware of. It could be that we are unclear about the musical line, our overall musical conception, the physical demands and how one hand works with the other hand, and countless other things. Trying to do things on the cello without awareness makes it impossible to see the bigger picture and is a set up for struggle, frustration, and failure. (Of course there is a time for work on small passages or notes that we will go into detail about on Saturday.) We cannot express ourselves freely because we are scattered, trying in the wrong way to keep track of things, because the energy of the music itself has become broken up. Music. What is it? It is you. Playing the cello itself is complicated and has to be brought under control on your own terms. It can often feel like there are too many balls in the air to juggle. This is a scattered mind. Janos Starker said to me, “ Most people are still practicing when they are performing.” That is an interesting statement to me. How does one go from the state of mind that most of us practice in to freedom and ease of playing? How can we become free on the cello? An unfocused mind exerts force to play. A quiet mind is power from which playing flows. Again Starker: “Power in playing is not force.” Force is something pushing against something. Power is itself. The power that beats your heart is a natural, balanced power.
The necessary first step is to stop. Relax. Let the mud settle and look around a bit. In Zen it is called, “stopping.” Get off the mental merry-go-round and let thoughts fall away. There is saying by Lao Tzu that I think is a lot of fun. “Stop thinking and end your problems.” Easier said than done! So, first we must feel what not being in conflict actually is. We have to do this before we can move from this newfound place of centeredness to falling into the river of music. Today we will be concentrating on finding this center both mentally and physically. I encourage you to be open-minded. When you do Eileen’s visualizations, really do them. When I move you in a certain way or instruct you to do something, fully do it. Investigate. That is another great word. Don’t take my word for it...investigate.
In Eileen’s movement class, she will be doing visualizations with you as a group to bring you into your body and to blur the self-created lines you have drawn between your mind and body. The cello movement class today will concentrate on your cello position in a completely balanced and solid way. This balanced, relaxed position will prepare you for movement work tomorrow. The meditations you do today are short and introductory, but will help you learn to minimize your random and planned thinking and to sit in still awareness. A greedy mind has to move, has to chatter. Let thoughts fall away, you won’t disappear!
Remember, mind chatter or the monkey mind as they say in Zen, is the ongoing chatter that is part of our usual way of being. Monkeys leap from branch to branch, sometimes shrieking and/or laughing as they go. A monkey mind is like a chain smoker. One thought leads quickly to the next, most of the time without the consent of the thinker. Have you ever shifted to a note too fast – before you knew where it was? Or imagine a line of gasoline after a match has been set to it on one end of the line. Just so, one thought produces the next and the next and the next. We even think that a random thought has a right to be attended to in all cases, regardless of its negative nature. This however, is not the case. Who after all is really in charge?
When the mind settles, we begin to become aware that the foundation of our mind is not chatter, but something vast, powerful, and at peace. It is not still and it is not moving. Come talk to me about that if that troubles you! :) Our quiet mind, where music is born and lives by the way, is a place beyond the province of words to describe it. And it puts our chatter to shame.
When Eileen, our Trager specialist and Physical Therapist works with each of you on the Trager table. Tell her to the best of your ability what parts of your body feel tense when you play. You’ll get a lot out of it if you are open. Her work with you will attempt to get you to a state of relaxation that is deeper than normal for you. She will help you feel this place we’ve chosen to stop at......our rest stop, before moving on tomorrow into motion. There will be no talking, except to whisper something to staff if you need to, until sectionals begin at 9:40 this morning. This means that we’ll all be in total silence during my talks, meditation, and during Eileen’s class.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Thought for the week
"Stop thinking and end your problems"
Lao Tzu
In the context of playing the cello, this means to back up and "see" as much as possible when playing in a relaxed, flexible state. This will help integration of the facets of technique to happen naturally. It is a good method to include in daily practice to accompany slow work on more local issues.
Janos Starker recommends playing in a dark room for 1/2 hour after regular practice. Why? Because, as he says "most people are still practicing when they perform" One has to be able to play freely and in a holistic, aware way without over doing local analysis.
Suzanne
Lao Tzu
In the context of playing the cello, this means to back up and "see" as much as possible when playing in a relaxed, flexible state. This will help integration of the facets of technique to happen naturally. It is a good method to include in daily practice to accompany slow work on more local issues.
Janos Starker recommends playing in a dark room for 1/2 hour after regular practice. Why? Because, as he says "most people are still practicing when they perform" One has to be able to play freely and in a holistic, aware way without over doing local analysis.
Suzanne
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Fall 2011
Hello cellochan,
We're ready for another year together, exploring how to find the music while sitting, and yet moving, at the cello. I encourage everyone to watch, listen carefully, and move freely when playing. Save some time at the end of your practice to "just play." In fact, Janos Starker says "Most people are still practicing when they perform." His suggestion: "Put a blind fold on if you have to, or play in a dark room for a short time every day." The larger "viewer" in our mind's eye will gradually learn how the process is a flowing one and can only truly work once we are free. See you soon.
Suzanne
We're ready for another year together, exploring how to find the music while sitting, and yet moving, at the cello. I encourage everyone to watch, listen carefully, and move freely when playing. Save some time at the end of your practice to "just play." In fact, Janos Starker says "Most people are still practicing when they perform." His suggestion: "Put a blind fold on if you have to, or play in a dark room for a short time every day." The larger "viewer" in our mind's eye will gradually learn how the process is a flowing one and can only truly work once we are free. See you soon.
Suzanne
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
A unique cello retreat camp ~ Well Being & The Arts 2011 * Click here to visit site
We invite you to a new and rich experience that brings together mind, body, music, and a supportive musical community. For more information about June and July dates and more, visit: cellochanwoods.com
CelloChanWoods is a unique music camp for young cellists. Its holistic approach to cello playing combines the fun of summer music camp with a retreat-like atmosphere. Relaxation classes, master classes, individual supervised practice, and beginning meditation start off the day. Adults are welcome as day participants.
A cello student who experiences CelloChanWoods will leave with greater mental clarity and a deeper understanding of the difference between force and power in cello playing. They will gain more confidence in themselves as well as in their ability to play. This retreat teaches many things including creative practicing and understanding the musical phrase, as well as the importance of being centered at the cello.
CelloChanWoods is a unique music camp for young cellists. Its holistic approach to cello playing combines the fun of summer music camp with a retreat-like atmosphere. Relaxation classes, master classes, individual supervised practice, and beginning meditation start off the day. Adults are welcome as day participants.
A cello student who experiences CelloChanWoods will leave with greater mental clarity and a deeper understanding of the difference between force and power in cello playing. They will gain more confidence in themselves as well as in their ability to play. This retreat teaches many things including creative practicing and understanding the musical phrase, as well as the importance of being centered at the cello.
cellochan Mission
To help students experience the joy of music-making;
To employ the cello as a tool in the work of self-esteem;
To cultivate service to others through music
To help students experience the joy of music-making;
To employ the cello as a tool in the work of self-esteem;
To cultivate service to others through music
"You have to be confident before you put your hands on the instrument."
~ Janos Starker
~ Janos Starker
Thursday, December 30, 2010
CelloChanWoods an outstanding success
We here at cellochan invite you to explore our new cello retreat camp for the summer of 2011.
Designed for cellists aged 12-17 overnight and welcoming adult students during the day.
Visit us at: cellochanwoods.com
Designed for cellists aged 12-17 overnight and welcoming adult students during the day.
Visit us at: cellochanwoods.com
Monday, May 3, 2010
A New Michigan summer strings camp for cello! Summer Cello Camp! Click to visit the camp website.
~ CelloChanWoods ~
A Unique retreat for cellists
Well Being & The Arts
A unique summer retreat for young cellists
Music, Mind and Body * Well-Being and The Arts
Howell Nature Center, Howell Michigan
July 26 - July 29 * 2010
July 26 - July 29 * 2010
CelloChanWoods is a new summer music camp for young cellists. Its holistic approach to cello playing combines the fun of summer music camp and a retreat-like atmosphere. Cello students ages 11 -15 learn new ways to access their abilities in an atmosphere of mutual support and creativity.
The day's events are designed to cultivate self-acceptance and a heightened awareness in the context of music making. The schedule begins with an early breakfast followed by a 30-45 minute talk given by Suzanne, setting the tone for the day. Morning activities follow in an atmosphere of silence with individual supervised practice, relaxation methods, beginning centering meditation, and a daily master class. The silent part of the day ends at noon with a leisurely lunch. In the afternoon students participate in cello ensemble and outdoor activities. During the evening: a bonfire, capture the flag, and more. Thus the day flows from inner work in the morning to chamber music playing and community by day's end.
We would like CelloChanWoods campers to leave with: improved mental clarity, good practice techniques, and a renewed excitement about music. By understanding the value of patience and self-respect as necessary ingredients in the learning process, students become more grounded in their artistic journey. The art of cello playing requires a solid belief in oneself and everyone has something of value to say. Confidence and playing the cello go together like the two wings of a bird.
"You have to be confident before you put your hands on the instrument."
~ Janos Starker
cellochan Mission
To help students experience the joy of music-making;
To employ the cello as a tool in the work of self-esteem;
To cultivate service to others through music
The word Chan comes from the Chinese word Ch'an, meaning deep insight. The three parts of the cellochan mission statement are mutually reinforcing with the sum often being greater than the parts
Suzanne Smith Director/Teacher: Phone: 734-662-2325 ~ Email: cellochan3b@gmail.com
Monday, April 5, 2010
Monday, October 26, 2009
Feeling free while playing is one of our essential goals. We strive to make cello playing natural when it is, in the beginning, very unnatural. So much more can be acheived when one backs away and scans the process of playing from a place of calm, even when the music is very exciting. As Starker says, "don't get excited, create excitement." Enjoy Mark Summer and this high school student playing Julie-o by Mark Summer.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Summer
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Summer
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Opening the bow without strain in proper form.
We indeed got off to a good start this week. One of the tips that I seemed to be giving a lot in lessons was one concerning opening the bow arm. Here it is summarized. Do this as an exercise: The upper part of the bow arm is basically at rest hanging from the right shoulder when the bow is at the frog on the string. Let's choose D string. The bow hand ( including the thumb!) is relaxed and loose. Start tapping your foot establishing a beat and part your lips slightly to ensure that you are breathing normally...always be aware of this. Start the bow above the string anticipating the motion and coming in for a landing moving in the air from left to right on your way to the string. Relax as you touch the string and continue to bow. ( breath!:) When you approach the point along the bow that is just before mid bow or even a tad earlier, raise your right elbow but do not pull upper arm to the right while doing so. Just lift the elbow as if you're pointing with it to something in front of you or waving "hi" with it. Explore what is too low and what is too high in terms of ease of the forearm continuing to pull. All the while you are pulling the bow. (Importantly, the right shoulder should not in any way prevent you from raising the upper arm as described above). In fact it is part of the upper arm and should feel free. Think of the butterfly stroke in swimming. As you continue to mid/upper half of the bow the elbow continues to open but the upper arm is still "available" to move slightly as needed. At the far UH of bow and tip, the entire arm and shoulder will do a subtle rotation to the left ( arm is high now and elbow has been opening during the second half of bow) positioning the index finger in the perfect place for a powerful and free up bow. During down and up bow your concerns should be: Balance of form, the lines of power, no angles, breathing, no resistance, good sound, mid contact point, and searching for a basically ( distilled ) circular loop. And as Starker says of the bow stroke "nothing stops!" More on the lines of power next week.
Happy practicing.
Happy practicing.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Sunday, September 5, 2009
Hello,
This year at cellochan things are evolving in new and exciting ways. The CelloChanWoods retreat/camp website will go live at the end of September. We have a full class of 30 cellists this coming year consisting of all ages including seven very bright and interesting adults. The high school section is coming along very well and the talent there is something to see.
This past year and summer I have been doing some work with Janos Starker. He, as most everyone knows, is a consumate teacher as well as being one of the greatest players of all time. In my view he seems to be a wonderful combination of humor, intelligence, courage, and compassion. He gives his all when teaching the many incoming cellists that consult his advice calling them "kids." I remember quaking at the thought of playing for him long ago because of his reputation for being "direct." He doesn't mince words so to speak. However, the Starker today is accessible, full of light, as sharp as ever, and still doesn't mince words!!
I will be writing every Sunday this year, unlike other years. cellochan is busy, but our blog needs attention! You'll read things about technique, student stories, my thoughts about Zen and how it might be connected to better playing. There is lots to talk about. In the future I will open up the comments but only after we've put in some regular posting under our belt.
Have a great year with your cello/s! And remember--"practice is the goal." Master Sheng Yen.
Suzanne
Friday, September 4, 2009
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
PRESS RELEASE * CelloChanWoods 2009 * A unique arts camp
CelloChanWoods is a retreat style music camp designed to help cellists access a deeper sense of well-being, self -Acceptance, physical relaxation, and cellistic excellence. Last years pilot day camp was a great success and is returning this summer as an overnight camp that will run from July 27-July 30, 2009 at the Howell Nature Center in Michigan. CCW creates an opportunity for a special type of community by combining the traditional fun of summer camp in the afternoon and a more focused, retreat like atmosphere during the morning. The counselor to student ratio of one to five , with a total enrollment of 16 cellists means campers will receive our total attention and have the best experience possible. Campers will learn gentle centering meditation, receive daily unobtrusive Trager*/relaxation sessions, supervised practice sessions, and more. A daily master class in the late morning given b Suzanne allows students to learn from each other in a mutually supportive, low key atmosphere. Our cellist counselors will also join cellists in the cello ensemble, which will rehearse in the afternoons. And there will be ample time for fun, camaraderie, and supervised outdoor activities after lunch. These activities will include a voluntary high ropes course; hiking, swimming, and a game of capture the flag one evening! Our final day will include a concert, potluck supper, and evening swim with families invited to participate. We welcome you to be part of this unique arts experience!* Space is limited. CCW will accept students aged 11-15 who have played at least two years. Arrival time is 8 AM, July 27 and camp ends at 8 PM, July 30. A deposit is required by March 15 to receive the discounted rate of $490. After 3/15 tuition will be $525.. Pictures and testimonials from last summer's camp can be found on this web site and blog.
We look forward to an interesting mix of talent and personalities!
Sunday, September 7, 2008
A counselor's experience of CelloChanWoods 08
By Caitlin, a graduate of Pioneer High School and presently an undergraduate at Mount Holyoke College in Mass.
The CelloChanWoods Experience
It is difficult to remember the precise feeling I experienced at the beginning of day 1, but I do know how nervous I was. I doubted myself, particularly my ability to instruct others in the art of making music. Would I be able to give constructive advice? What if I told them something "wrong"? What if I have trouble with rhythm? I do know, however, that I experienced none of these feelings come Day 3. I believe every aspect of the retreat helped theses feelings to dissipate, and to be replaced with confidence, patience, and focus. I found the meditation provided fitting bookends to the day. I felt rejuvenated following the morning meditation, ready for the day's work, while the afternoon meditation helped clarify so many things, without actually thinking about them. As one who obsessively- compulsively goes over and over things in her head, it was a welcome, and exciting change. This new approach to thinking helped both my playing, and my teaching. Every day it became a little easier to let frustrations go, and for lack of a better way to say it, just go with the flow. If a note was played that I didn't particularly like, I would ask myself how I could make it better, rather than punishing myself for an imperfection. In my ten years of playing the cello, never have I been able to do that.
The CellChanWoods Orchestra proved to be quite inspiring as well---there is nothing like hearing 12 beautiful cellos performing together. I thought this was the foundation of the retreat. Having that chance to pull together and share what we all learned was an important component to the retreat. I know it motivated me to work on my own part, and incorporating advise given to other players helped me to play with more ease, focus, and confidence. At the next retreat, I would love for there to be more group playing, whether in small ensembles or as a cello orchestra.
My only regret is that I did not keep a journal documenting my experience. I think it would have been helpful to all to record their feelings each day to really see how they progressed. It would be useful for jotting down what things worked,and what things didn't. As I'm writing this, I wish I had something to remind me of the little things that have since slipped my mind.
Music, Cello and Life Afterwards:
The most profound difference I see in my life following CelloChanWoods is simply patience. It allows me to be unhurried in my approach to not only practicing, but to the little things that arise each day. This feeling has ripened over time, surprising me with acceptance of myself, others, and my music. I find my focus is sharper, my ears listen a bit better, my body mid more open, an my head is held little bit higher. I have held on to this feeling by meditating a few times a week, and practicing when I feel as though "I had forever." If I had to summarize CelloChanWoods in one word, it would be 'enlightening.' I've heard many of the words spoken at the retreat before, but something about the group experience triggered the words to sink in. I am still attempting to understand what made the retreat so effective, but I know that everything and everyone contributed to a truly unique and enjoyable experience.
Sept 4 / 2008 Ann Arbor
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Max And The Cello Tree Forest
Once upon a time there was a cellist named Max. He was six years old and had a great mom, a neat room, an oak tree outside his bedroom window and lots of stuff. He also did cool things, like play the cello.
On the day our story begins, his mother had gotten quite tough with him about practicing. She told him that she didn’t want to see him come out of his room until he had finished his cello work. But, unfortunately, it was one of those outside days if there ever was one. All of his friends were climbing trees at the park.
Max wasn’t very pleased to have to stay in. He sat there staring angrily at his little cello, and the longer he sat, the madder he got. He just didn’t want to practice-----AT ALL! His arms felt so heavy! Oh, he loved the cello songs a lot, but when HE played, it sounded, well......“different” than his CD. And it was hard!
So he sat slouched in his chair swinging his bow, back and forth between his fingers with a sour expression on his face, until he remembered a wonderful dream he had a few nights ago. It was so real he could hardly believe it was only a dream. It was about a forest with huge trees, and amazingly, there were cellos hanging from the giant branches. They were all sizes, colors and shapes. Some were of glass, some of cloth, some of metal and wood. He wished he could go there. If only he could pick a cello growing from one of those fantastic trees, maybe the magical cello would help him practice. It would certainly “sound” special and couldn’t possibly be as hard to play as his own, he thought.
Time wore on as the clock ticked quietly and he sat alone in his room. He looked out his window at the great friendly oak tree, while NOT practicing, and suddenly an idea appeared in his mind. He sat very still. Max's mood could turn on a dime sometime “Yes siree, it has been quite a boring day!” said Max to himself in a strange voice. “But it sure isn’t going to stay that way! I’m taking a trip to the cello tree forest!”
He scrambled to his feet and rushed to the closet. It took him a long time to dig out an old rope he used for tree climbing. After untangling it, Max threw it expertly out the window and around the old oak outside. He had practiced that! In seconds he slid down the rope and was in the yard below! No sooner had his feet touched the ground, than he was off. He didn’t have a clue where he was after a short while but this didn’t seem important. He knew where he was going. The cello tree forest!
As he walked along the sidewalk, he imagined the multi colored cellos swinging in the breeze from towering trees in the bright sun. He walked and walked and walked. The shadows grew longer and the air turned a bit chilly. He could now see fields between the houses and the sidewalk had turned into a dirt path. As he reached the end of town and reached the countryside, he could hear grumbling in his stomach. “I’m hungry", Max thought, and started to wish he were back home. At that moment he noticed a strange group of trees across the road ahead of him. They gave off a funny bluish light -very strange he thought. He ran to get closer and was really surprised when he got to the edge of the woods. He heard music!
He stepped into the forest past the first line of trees, and immediately felt something special was happening. Things looked magical and shadowy. Now Max felt somehow sure that he was close to finding the cello trees.
He hiked on faster and the music got louder. It was cello music but it sounded oddly dollhouse sized. How on earth could there be such a thing as “tiny” music? He could hear the small cellos but couldn’t see them. How small were they he wondered. As he peered up into the trees he noticed mysterious colored lights moving in and out among the branches. Then he spotted it. He was flabbergasted! High up near the top of a tree, was the smallest cello player he had ever seen. His bow was moving furiously. It was a chipmunk! With a little laugh, he wondered if the chipmunk hated to practice as much he did.
As Max traveled farther down the path, he saw more little animals sawing away on their instruments up in the trees. They were certainly working hard and yet seemed happy.
Next he noticed rays of light shooting up from the ground at the end of the path ahead of him. It was the first time he felt truly surprised since beginning this trip, (which is strange considering there were tiny animal musicians playing in the tree tops). And .....streams of light shooting up from the forest floor? Was this a dream?
When he reached the source of the light he realized that it wasn’t coming from the ground because there was no ground. It was a drop off.
(ask your mom or dad what a drop off is) He was basically standing on a high cliff looking down on a valley so far below that he may as well have been seeing it from an airplane. There were rolling hills, trees, and roadways. Here he was up above in a dark forest looking down into another world with trees dotting the hills and a beautiful stream winding through it. “Hmmmm.......I don’t get it” thought Max.
More surprises were on the way. This time he surprised himself. Max jumped.....weeee!!!! And the next instant he was floating the long distance down between the forest and the valley with no more fear than if he were jumping over a puddle. The air felt warm coming up to meet him and it carried a delicious mixture of smells, sort of like cello varnish and apples! It all happened so fast that he was on the ground with a soft comfortable thump in the blink of an eye.
All around him in the sunshine were the biggest green trees he had ever seen. The grass was very soft on his feet. Where had his shoes gone he wondered? Did they fall off when he jumped? Then Max heard something. The sound of chimes, sort of the ones dangling from his neighbor’s porch at home, rode the breeze from far off. He walked in the direction of their tinkling and suddenly heard first one cello and then another. Cellos in conversation! In a land of surprises, surprise is no surprise!
He walked on and when he reached the top of a very steep hill, he looked down and saw what he had dreamed about. It was a HUGE orchard. On the trees hung cellos of all sizes, colors, shapes and materials. There were golden ones with pearl edging, cellos of glass that you could see through, even tiny ones made of wood that you could hold in the palm of your hand. He was excited beyond belief. He walked between the trees hoping to find the cello of his dreams, when a booming voice came out of nowhere.
“MAX!! I know the secret to success!” He stopped abruptly, frozen with fear. Then silence. The cellos swayed gently from the trees. Click, clack....click...clack. The sounds they made as they gently bumped each other in the breeze were soft and pleasing. “MAX!!” trumpeted the voice again; “I know the secret to success!” This time, afraid, he let the words sink in and began to wonder what they meant. “It would be kind of nice to know the secret to success,” he thought.
“Max!!....” the voice rumbled on. Well, it continued saying the same thing over and over as the shadows of the cello trees danced along the grass in the sunlight. On and on the voice repeated the same thing. “I know a secret to success!” it roared now louder. Max slumped against a tree in a sort of daze, growing tired of the voice after a time.
Then in a weak little voice he asked, “What..... What is a secret to success?”
The Voice paid absolutely no attention, but went on repeating the same message. Max got impatient. “What!!!!?” he asked angrily. “WHAT IS IT!?” Finally he was so angry that he stomped the grass and started to cry. His mother always answered his questions. This was an outrage! He thought about going home, if he could find his way back.
More time passed and he grew sleepy. The sound of the “Voice” rolled over him, over the trees, and up into the sky like waves. “Oh dear”, he thought sleepily “what a beautiful place this is, even with that stupid voice.” He fell asleep.
When he woke up, a new idea had taken shape in his mind. There was something about that voice. It said the same thing over and over and.........OVER!
That was it!
Max figured it out and had his answer in a flash. He knew the secret to success. “Over and over” ...that was it. After all, he was in a cello tree forest and it was obviously trying hard to tell him something. Just practice over and over until it’s not so hard. How amazingly easy. He had always been in a rush and never wanted to just sit with his cello or get into the work for very long. It was always rush rush rush. Everything in this place was telling him he could be great at playing the cello if he just took the time, repeated it over and over, and believed he could do it. The message was that he had lots of time to get it right. Max thought, “A long trip could be as wonderful as a short one!”
Somehow, the moment he learned the secret to success, he found himself back in his room. It was more magic. It happened with no time elapsing. He saw his cello next to the chair on the floor. He thought about music and flying fingers. With a new kind of excitement he picked the cello up. There had been so many different cellos hanging from the trees, and yet he had forgotten to pick one after all. He didn’t care. His own cello seemed lonely, so he sat down and picked it up. He liked it fine.
“ Max!” called his mother. “ Have you finished your practicing yet? Kyle wants to play outside ”
“No”, answered little Max as he calmly arranged his music on the music stand. “And don’t rush me please, I’ve got work to do!”
Max’s mother was shocked!! And very very pleased. She told Max’s friend he could come back later because Max wanted to practice.
The sounds that came from Max’s room were never the same from that day on. He still had problems and the notes were sometimes wrong, but every day he got better. He knew the secret to success.
TheEnd
By Suzanne Smith
Music, Mind, and Body ~ A talk by Suzanne Smith Jan 31 /08
Tonight I will be talking about Music, Mind, and Body from a couple of different perspectives.
Over the years I have learned and observed certain things through performing and teaching that I would like to share. One of the most basic learnings for me has been that the instrument, in this case the cello, is truly an extension of the player. The ultimate goal then, is to achieve a type of control that allows the player the freedom to be him or her self in the context of the music being played or improvised. Sounds obvious doesn't it? I'm really talking about freedom. The road to that kind of freedom on the cello, or in life for that matte is a rich, challenging, and mysterious one to say the least. Why mysterious? It is my belief that much of what is involved in mastery of the cello demands being open to oneself, one's heart and mind, all the while engaging in dialogue with the instrument. This very engagement is a constant learning process for a player. Listening is activity and takes effort. We are explorers. We are exploring our inner world...listening to it. Because an artist is gathering his/her feelings and observations and transforming them into the language of whatever medium the artist is using whether it be painting, music, poetry etc. So, listening is a kind of seeking awareness that can never go on automatic for a true musician. That may sound like it would be tiring, but actually it is energizing because one is in touch with one's energy as a continuous flow and not blocking it.
So let's talk about the body first, since it is more concrete. In western philosophy, and Descartes is a good example of our culture's thinking, we tend to think of the body as separate from the mind. We've all heard the quote: I think; therefore I am. However these days there is more and more discussion about how mind and body are interconnected on a deep level and not really at all separate. My thinking is more along these lines.
The Oxford Dictionary: Body: the physical structure of a person or an animal, including the bones, flesh, and organs : it's important to keep your body in good condition [as adj. ] body temperature.
• the physical and mortal aspect of a person as opposed to the soul or spirit : a duality of body and soul.
Eileen, a physical therapist and Trager specialist will be explaining a bit about anatomy and the muscles used in cello playing, in addition to explaining the Trager technique briefly for you.
The two of us did a project last summer working with 6 of my students first on the Trager Table, then leading them in a short session of meditation, and then having a brief cello lesson. We then repeated the process over a period of an hour and half. Our project identified for the student which muscles are involved in playing the cello and how to let go while still remaining engaged and active. We worked with a technical issues/skills needed to play from the perspective of a body free from tension and resistance to movement. There are many educational movements out there today geared to mind body unity and in general I think this is good. How do we get to a profound state of acceptance or relaxation on the physical level is one of the questions an instrumentalist must ask I believe. Eileen will demonstrate how this can be done through Trager techniques. Trager is a set of motions the therapist puts a client through while he/she is on a comfortable massage type table. http://www.trager.com/
It is my belief that we must begin to play the cello with the realization that we are never truly physically still and that movement when needed,however slight, can be a cure for blocks and tensions in playing. These blocks are actually defenses when a player is worried about a mistake about to happen or generalized over caution and fear of losing control. If one realizes that one can find solutions by being more immediately flexible and allows freer range of movement, if only a hair, that player is beginning to move toward freedom. One has to learn the cello from the inside out, so to speak, and this cannot happen without making many mistakes. Albert Einstein
"Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new."
Let's talk a bit about the mind. First, what is a mistake? We all have our set definitions in our minds. Let's redefine a mistake from the current definition in the Oxford dictionary: "an action or judgment that is misguided or greater clarity to a given situation than was the case before it took place." From "How Children Fail" by John Holt. "From the time of birth until the age of three years, children have a "tremendous capacity for learning, understanding, and creating." Adults, either through their own actions or through excessively dictating their children’s actions, destroy most of the this intellectual and creative capacity. Most frequently, we destroy this capacity by making our children afraid; afraid of being wrong. Holt’s examination of our present educational system is a critical and insightful study, one which forces us to look more closely at the lessons that we are unwittingly imparting to our young ones."
More about the body: The body searches. It is almost as if in some sense it has it's own "way." I often say to my students, who is beating your heart? In Zen we would call that big mind. Or maybe Freud would call it the subconscious. But I am getting beyond the body at the moment. The body is set up magnificently to do things, things that we do every day without a thought that are just as difficult as playing the cello. The body learned these various things through repetition and making many mistakes. I guess we could even suggest that evolution is a stream in slow motion (from a more detached perspective) of a long line of mistakes and corrections. We have become human through a long history of trial and error. It moves at it's own pace. So the body, as far as cello playing is concerned, is not really the problem in my view. Given enough space and time, the body is quite capable of playing the cello. George Nicrug, former head cellist at the New England Conservatory said, " I could teach a monkey to play the cello." What was he saying? He was saying that he had the pedagogy and craft of cello playing so clear in his mind, that he could transmit that to a monkey. He also, more importantly I think, was hinting that a stunning technique, something that some people bow down to as before an alter, is really not the center piece of being an artist. It is a part of the whole - and given the right approach, can be learned. So then, what's so great about a superb technique if you're a monkey? Where is the rest of it...the speaking of the soul- the music? What about the unique expression of a given player and how does that mesh with technique? Now the subject gets a bit stickier.
Here are a few quotes/definitions on mind:
Webster's medical dictionary: Mind: That which thinks, reasons, perceives, wills, and feels. The mind now appears in no way separate from the brain. In neuroscience, there is no duality between the mind and body. They are one.
Albert Einstein again. I like Albert.
A human being is a part of a whole, called by us 'universe', a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest... a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.
Oxford Dictionary: Mind
That part of being associated with thinking. Both Plato and Aristotle stressed the immaterial nature of the mind and, even today, the concept of mind is distinguished from that of the brain as a physiological centre of thought, although few support the radical distinction of mind and body as proposed by Descartes.
Buddha "All that we are is the result of what we have thought: all that we are is founded on our thoughts and formed of our thoughts." These momentous words lead straight home, into man's very heart. Mind is the nearest to us, as through mind alone we become aware of the external world—including our own body. If mind is comprehended, all other things are comprehended
Mind is where, if there is truly a where, the music arises. It, in my view is the beginning and the end as we go full circle like one breath following the other in our lives. Descartes insert:
Since I hold the view that nothing is truly separate from anything else, though we can't see this directly, the music that arises in the mind also arises, in the body. Where does the mind begin and the body leave off? This question is an old one. Rather than use the word mind, I prefer to use "bare awareness." In Zen we ask, who is it that is aware? Or what is this awareness? For our purposes tonight, that is not really important and is a question still being asked. But the question is relevant in that it acknowledges that there is this awareness and it is hard to pin down just where and what it is. It is a mystery. In the context of teaching the cello, I see awareness as a friend, active observer and director of our playing. The observation of detached awareness, in Zen, is a potent thing. It has the power to transform what it observes. It is like shining a light on the situation and bringing clarity and healing. The meditation technique called Silent Illumination in Zen is a simple one. It simply involves the watcher, this awareness, become aware of the body and it's surroundings. Master Sheng Yen, a famous Zen Master and mentor says "Your mind creates your world." He means that situations, be as they may, do not in and of themselves dictate your state of mind. This is your choice in the final analysis. So as a cello instructor, I deal with many situations involving many different students. Fear, impatience, tension, unhappiness,
Mediation : The Japanese term "shikantaza" literally means "just sitting." Its original Chinese name, mo-chao, means "silent illumination."The method of silent illumination slowly calms the mind until it is completely settled. This is a gradual method where one allows wandering thoughts and vexations to slowly dissipate. You can liken this method to a pool of very muddy water. If there is no wind or activity to disturb the pool, the mud will gradually settle to the bottom, allowing the water to become clear. Like the clearing of the pond, silent illumination seeks stillness and clarity. One keeps letting the mind-dust settle until all of it has reached the bottom.
Next, be aware of your body, but do not think of it as yourself. Regard your body as a car you drive. You have to handle the car well, but it is not you. If you think of your body as yourself, you will be bothered by pain, itchiness and other vexations. Just take care of the body and be aware of it. The Chinese name for this method can be translated as "just take care of sitting." You have to be mindful of your body as the driver must be mindful of the car, but the car is not the driver
Sheng Yen also said, "practice is the goal" What does he mean? Or take Pablo Casals, one of the greatest of all cellists and artists. "I always practiced as if I had forever" These two statements are the same at heart. They are saying that the process begins and ends where you sit. So many people, students are rushing ahead of themselves to get to the result, ( often approval, the confidence they believe playing well will bring, or as a tonic for whatever ails) that they are incapable of "just sitting" and allowing the process to bring it's fruits. We all know that the person afraid of dropping the tray is more likely to do so. He is watching himself in the wrong way. It is fear. Detached watching, being in a state of keen focus and calm...backing up as it were, is the place where great playing, in my view, is possible. It's paradoxical. This kind of detachment brings about a larger unity of Mind and Body. Here is a formula: : Calm down and relax + become aware of yourself in that moment + focus and begin to make/produce/sing the music inside before and while you play not losing this focus + allow the body to be free to find it's way as an extension of the mind. This is not to say that there is not a place for slow work that is more local and differently focused, but the method above is the method within which the other ways of working are contained. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart quote
“The most perfect technique is that which is not noticed at all.” This can only happen when Mind and body are not in conflict. So, to summarize. We go from relaxation and calming to focus and keen awareness, to flowing activity, correcting ourselves as we go along if we slip into tension, scattered unfocused mind, or anxiety.
Music:
• noun 1 the art of combining vocal or instrumental sounds in a pleasing way. 2 the sound so produced. 3 the written or printed signs representing such sound. Music - The organization of sounds with some degree of rhythm, melody, and harmony.
Music - The organization of sounds with some degree of rhythm, melody, and harmony.
From the Harvard Dictionary of Music:
Some medieval writers believed the word to be derived from the Egyptian work moys ( water) co. Of basic importance throughout the Middle Ages was Boethius concept of music as an all embracing "harmony of the world" divided into musica mundana( harmony of the human soul and body and musical instrumentalis misc as actual sound. 485 bc.
Let's begin with some quotes once again:
Music can name the unnamable and communicate the unknowable.
Leonard Bernstein
Technique is communication: the two words are synonymous in conductors.
Leonard Bernstein
The key to the mystery of a great artist is that for reasons unknown, he will give away his energies and his life just to make sure that one note follows another... and leaves us with the feeling that something is right in the world.
Leonard Bernstein
“Neither a lofty degree of intelligence nor imagination nor both together go to the making of genius. Love, love, love, that is the soul of genius.”
Pablo Casals quote
“The heart of the melody can never be put down on paper.”
Pablo Casals quote
“It's easy to play any musical instrument: all you have to do is touch the right key at the right time and the instrument will play itself.”
How or why has been a mystery forever. Just as why and how we are able to think has always been, ultimately, a mystery, We can discuss it forever and we can come to conclusions, but we can never be sure. So I will to speak about music as I understand it within the context of Mind and body tonight.
Music arises in the mind. When I say music arises, I mean, it comes about. Just like our thoughts. It comes about. In Zen there is a phrase "just so." This refers to the fact that things are as they are, and though they can be labeled and "explained" from a given perspective, the thing still remains itself is....... just itself. Music does not only arise, it in some special sense, is always going on in my view, as odd as that may sound. We just hop on for the ride. Just as we are constantly in motion, however still we think we are. We are constantly breathing for example. I'll put it another way. Music is not apart from the player, it is the player and it flows, as do we. Change is constant and happening every second of our lives. Music cannot be wrestled to the ground and controlled. It is something to listen for, to watch for, and to join with.
Meditation is the process of calming the mind to help a person see more clearly. The process is like the mud in a stream settling to the bottom until the pebbles show clearly on the bottom. Agitation is not good for playing and is not power or dramatic playing. It prevents powerful dramatic playing. Janos Starker:
"Power is not Force." A rushing stream or river is powerful, but nothing is being forced. Once again, we are talking about flow. We don't create the flow, we find it, see it, and join it.
What are we trying to achieve by playing the cello, mastering it? I submit it is an attempt to integrate, heal and express ourselves which is what great art does. Integration is health..it is integrity. It is also about connection to others and when we come full circle those we touch and ourselves are in a greater state of harmony. Here are some quotes about the artistic process:
A excellent professional cellist and friend; Nina Deverich's comment : Where are we going to put all these cellists....in context of today's limited job market?
My answer was, we are going to enjoy the music they make where ever, however and when ever they choose to make it. Playing is itself the goal.
Or as Sheng Yen put it "practice is the goal" Why would he say that?
I think it is because being a musician is a state of being. It is a path and a process and one that happens in the moment, not in the past or the future. Sometimes I say to a student, " your finger tips need to sing" or "play from the back", or "play as if you are a mother watching your child ( the body dealing with the cello) learn to walk."
Music:
What is music
Hope you will share your definitions at the end of our demonstration
Music is akin to life energy...the energy that runs and imbues everything and it is mysterious
( share quotes........i.e no one can truly define music. )
Music is related to our emotions, thoughts, and deepest selves. If we can't listen to or accept that, we have trouble being in touch with music, our music.
Starker ( Force is not power) Power of the rushing stream....flowing. How does one jump on? By letting go while at the same time being in a calm, watchful state that joins with the flowing. Often I'll observe students playing and all of a sudden they get lost. Their minds shift and they go from doing to too much thinking. Has anyone every been driving and realized at a certain point that 10 miles have gone by and you don't remember paying attention? It's a bit scary.
It is also scary for a musician to trust by detaching and allowing the body to learn, to catch up with the music in ones head and heart in effect. What most people will not allow to the extent needed is the space and time, whether we're talking about a slower tempo to work within or about accepting learning the craft as a long term process. Why? Here is how I see this. For one, people are trained from birth to be ashamed of making mistakes. ( insert your def of mistake) This creates a pattern of putting on the breaks and resisting the flow through physical tension in an ongoing basis. In other words, they have greatly reduced their arena of exporation, trial and error, and for gaining mastery. ( Pablo Casals quote)
Another reason is a type of impatience, and this sounds a bit alarming perhaps, but it is related to greed in a way. We are desperate for immediate results because we don't enjoy remaining in a state of flux or uncertainty. Results must come at their own time as a result of constant practice and an approach to the instrument that is more like parent to child then Slave master to slave. A good parent gives a child the space and support to experiment and find their footing as a human being. The slave master is not listening to the slave.....simple dictating. When we drive ourselves like this, the result is a sort of facade of control. It does not spring from the core outward. And it is fragile and can be knocked off course more easily by nerves in performance and a multitude of other things. For one thing, because our emotions are fluid and always chaning, we need a cellistic technique that an accomodate that. If we learn how to do a shift one concrete way removed from the living music, music happening that moment, we don't have the tool to express that new subtlety. We then have a smaller tool box or pallet to express ourselves with. How do we constuct a large pallet with many many colors/skills at our disposal? We practice being awake in each moment. We watch, listen, feel, and
try to clarify what we want to express again, and again, and again.
I believe that music is not seperate from the self nor seperate from the basic energy of life.
So really, in my view, Music, Mind and Body are different parts of a single phenonoim. And that is almost impossible to describe. Balance is what we seek so that the sluice way can be cleared and the water rush through. Pablo Casals grew up in the village Catalonia in Spain. In his village the ability to balance was a badge of honor and once a year all the men, young and old, would form large pyrimads standing on each others shoulders. There were teams and the tallest pyrimad won the day. Balance.
Janos Starker : "The physical aspects of playing are most important. The real problem is not to break the muscle line, not to interrupt the power as it goes to various parts of the body. We must avoid cramp in the muscles and yet not think of relaxation. We cannot relax and still create power. The cellist must learn to distribute the power from the back muscles down to the upper arm, the hand, and finally the fingers. All pressure comes from the back."
A rudimentary but vital principle, according to Starker, is that the bow arm should not be neglected but should be developed to the highest degree.
Casals - Joys and Sorrows
For the past eighty years I have started each day in the same manner. It is not a mechanical routine but something essential to my daily life. I go to the piano, and I play two preludes and fugues of Bach. I cannot think of doing otherwise. It is a sort of benediction on the house. But that is not its only meaning for me. It is a rediscovery of the world of which I have the joy of being a part. It fills me with awareness of the wonder of life, with a feeling of the incredible marvel of being a human being. The music is never the same for me, never. Each day it is something new, fantastic and unbelievable. That is Bach, like nature, a miracle.
I do not think a day passes in my life in which I fail to look with fresh amazement at the miracle of nature. It is there on every side. It can be simply a shadow on a mountainside, or a spider's web gleaming with dew, or sunlight on the leaves of a tree. I have always especially loved the sea. Whenever possible, I have lived by the sea, as for these past twelve years here in Puerto Rico. It has long been a custom of mine to walk along the beach each morning before I start to work. True, My walks are shorter than they used to be, but that does not lessen the wonder of the sea. How mysterious and beautiful is the sea! How infinitely variable! It is never the same, never, not from one moment to the next, always in the process of change, always becoming something different and new.
I see no particular merit in the fact that I was an artist at the age of eleven. I was born with an ability, with music in me, that is all. No special credit was due me. The only credit we can claim is for the use we make of the talent we are given. That is why I urge young musicians: "Don't be vain because you happen to have talent. You are not responsible for that; it was not of your doing. What you do with your talent is what matters. You must cherish this gift. Do not demean or waste what you have been given. Work-work constantly and nourish it."
Of course the gift to be cherished most of all is that of life itself. One's work should be a salute to life.
Mission statement in the context of MMB.
To help student enjoy making music.
This means to help students make music without self-consciousness and enter into it fully, which is freedom.
To employ the cello in the work of self esteem
This means to convey to a student that they are whole when they start learning and all through the process. Mastery is a never-ending project. When they can approach the challenges of cello playing with self compassion, patience, awakens, and joy, they are learning a way to approach themselves in other contexts as they face other life challenges. There is no reason to delay self acceptance. I do not believe it is something anyone should need to earn. The best playing springs from an integrated and confident person.
To cultivate service to others through music.
How can music serve others in my view? Because the process of learning and playing the cello is one that enriches and can heal a person. This person then can better connect and love others. Also, music touches the heart. I really do believe that it is a part of love itself.
Summary:
The mind is the seat of awareness from which everything flows and comes from.
The music is part of the mind, just like anything else we perceive. It is at our finger tips
The body is part of the mind, flows from the mind so to speak.
A last thought about hard work:
The integration of these three lead to clarity, happiness, solid confidence, and mastery.
Over the years I have learned and observed certain things through performing and teaching that I would like to share. One of the most basic learnings for me has been that the instrument, in this case the cello, is truly an extension of the player. The ultimate goal then, is to achieve a type of control that allows the player the freedom to be him or her self in the context of the music being played or improvised. Sounds obvious doesn't it? I'm really talking about freedom. The road to that kind of freedom on the cello, or in life for that matte is a rich, challenging, and mysterious one to say the least. Why mysterious? It is my belief that much of what is involved in mastery of the cello demands being open to oneself, one's heart and mind, all the while engaging in dialogue with the instrument. This very engagement is a constant learning process for a player. Listening is activity and takes effort. We are explorers. We are exploring our inner world...listening to it. Because an artist is gathering his/her feelings and observations and transforming them into the language of whatever medium the artist is using whether it be painting, music, poetry etc. So, listening is a kind of seeking awareness that can never go on automatic for a true musician. That may sound like it would be tiring, but actually it is energizing because one is in touch with one's energy as a continuous flow and not blocking it.
So let's talk about the body first, since it is more concrete. In western philosophy, and Descartes is a good example of our culture's thinking, we tend to think of the body as separate from the mind. We've all heard the quote: I think; therefore I am. However these days there is more and more discussion about how mind and body are interconnected on a deep level and not really at all separate. My thinking is more along these lines.
The Oxford Dictionary: Body: the physical structure of a person or an animal, including the bones, flesh, and organs : it's important to keep your body in good condition [as adj. ] body temperature.
• the physical and mortal aspect of a person as opposed to the soul or spirit : a duality of body and soul.
Eileen, a physical therapist and Trager specialist will be explaining a bit about anatomy and the muscles used in cello playing, in addition to explaining the Trager technique briefly for you.
The two of us did a project last summer working with 6 of my students first on the Trager Table, then leading them in a short session of meditation, and then having a brief cello lesson. We then repeated the process over a period of an hour and half. Our project identified for the student which muscles are involved in playing the cello and how to let go while still remaining engaged and active. We worked with a technical issues/skills needed to play from the perspective of a body free from tension and resistance to movement. There are many educational movements out there today geared to mind body unity and in general I think this is good. How do we get to a profound state of acceptance or relaxation on the physical level is one of the questions an instrumentalist must ask I believe. Eileen will demonstrate how this can be done through Trager techniques. Trager is a set of motions the therapist puts a client through while he/she is on a comfortable massage type table. http://www.trager.com/
It is my belief that we must begin to play the cello with the realization that we are never truly physically still and that movement when needed,however slight, can be a cure for blocks and tensions in playing. These blocks are actually defenses when a player is worried about a mistake about to happen or generalized over caution and fear of losing control. If one realizes that one can find solutions by being more immediately flexible and allows freer range of movement, if only a hair, that player is beginning to move toward freedom. One has to learn the cello from the inside out, so to speak, and this cannot happen without making many mistakes. Albert Einstein
"Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new."
Let's talk a bit about the mind. First, what is a mistake? We all have our set definitions in our minds. Let's redefine a mistake from the current definition in the Oxford dictionary: "an action or judgment that is misguided or greater clarity to a given situation than was the case before it took place." From "How Children Fail" by John Holt. "From the time of birth until the age of three years, children have a "tremendous capacity for learning, understanding, and creating." Adults, either through their own actions or through excessively dictating their children’s actions, destroy most of the this intellectual and creative capacity. Most frequently, we destroy this capacity by making our children afraid; afraid of being wrong. Holt’s examination of our present educational system is a critical and insightful study, one which forces us to look more closely at the lessons that we are unwittingly imparting to our young ones."
More about the body: The body searches. It is almost as if in some sense it has it's own "way." I often say to my students, who is beating your heart? In Zen we would call that big mind. Or maybe Freud would call it the subconscious. But I am getting beyond the body at the moment. The body is set up magnificently to do things, things that we do every day without a thought that are just as difficult as playing the cello. The body learned these various things through repetition and making many mistakes. I guess we could even suggest that evolution is a stream in slow motion (from a more detached perspective) of a long line of mistakes and corrections. We have become human through a long history of trial and error. It moves at it's own pace. So the body, as far as cello playing is concerned, is not really the problem in my view. Given enough space and time, the body is quite capable of playing the cello. George Nicrug, former head cellist at the New England Conservatory said, " I could teach a monkey to play the cello." What was he saying? He was saying that he had the pedagogy and craft of cello playing so clear in his mind, that he could transmit that to a monkey. He also, more importantly I think, was hinting that a stunning technique, something that some people bow down to as before an alter, is really not the center piece of being an artist. It is a part of the whole - and given the right approach, can be learned. So then, what's so great about a superb technique if you're a monkey? Where is the rest of it...the speaking of the soul- the music? What about the unique expression of a given player and how does that mesh with technique? Now the subject gets a bit stickier.
Here are a few quotes/definitions on mind:
Webster's medical dictionary: Mind: That which thinks, reasons, perceives, wills, and feels. The mind now appears in no way separate from the brain. In neuroscience, there is no duality between the mind and body. They are one.
Albert Einstein again. I like Albert.
A human being is a part of a whole, called by us 'universe', a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest... a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.
Oxford Dictionary: Mind
That part of being associated with thinking. Both Plato and Aristotle stressed the immaterial nature of the mind and, even today, the concept of mind is distinguished from that of the brain as a physiological centre of thought, although few support the radical distinction of mind and body as proposed by Descartes.
Buddha "All that we are is the result of what we have thought: all that we are is founded on our thoughts and formed of our thoughts." These momentous words lead straight home, into man's very heart. Mind is the nearest to us, as through mind alone we become aware of the external world—including our own body. If mind is comprehended, all other things are comprehended
Mind is where, if there is truly a where, the music arises. It, in my view is the beginning and the end as we go full circle like one breath following the other in our lives. Descartes insert:
Since I hold the view that nothing is truly separate from anything else, though we can't see this directly, the music that arises in the mind also arises, in the body. Where does the mind begin and the body leave off? This question is an old one. Rather than use the word mind, I prefer to use "bare awareness." In Zen we ask, who is it that is aware? Or what is this awareness? For our purposes tonight, that is not really important and is a question still being asked. But the question is relevant in that it acknowledges that there is this awareness and it is hard to pin down just where and what it is. It is a mystery. In the context of teaching the cello, I see awareness as a friend, active observer and director of our playing. The observation of detached awareness, in Zen, is a potent thing. It has the power to transform what it observes. It is like shining a light on the situation and bringing clarity and healing. The meditation technique called Silent Illumination in Zen is a simple one. It simply involves the watcher, this awareness, become aware of the body and it's surroundings. Master Sheng Yen, a famous Zen Master and mentor says "Your mind creates your world." He means that situations, be as they may, do not in and of themselves dictate your state of mind. This is your choice in the final analysis. So as a cello instructor, I deal with many situations involving many different students. Fear, impatience, tension, unhappiness,
Mediation : The Japanese term "shikantaza" literally means "just sitting." Its original Chinese name, mo-chao, means "silent illumination."The method of silent illumination slowly calms the mind until it is completely settled. This is a gradual method where one allows wandering thoughts and vexations to slowly dissipate. You can liken this method to a pool of very muddy water. If there is no wind or activity to disturb the pool, the mud will gradually settle to the bottom, allowing the water to become clear. Like the clearing of the pond, silent illumination seeks stillness and clarity. One keeps letting the mind-dust settle until all of it has reached the bottom.
Next, be aware of your body, but do not think of it as yourself. Regard your body as a car you drive. You have to handle the car well, but it is not you. If you think of your body as yourself, you will be bothered by pain, itchiness and other vexations. Just take care of the body and be aware of it. The Chinese name for this method can be translated as "just take care of sitting." You have to be mindful of your body as the driver must be mindful of the car, but the car is not the driver
Sheng Yen also said, "practice is the goal" What does he mean? Or take Pablo Casals, one of the greatest of all cellists and artists. "I always practiced as if I had forever" These two statements are the same at heart. They are saying that the process begins and ends where you sit. So many people, students are rushing ahead of themselves to get to the result, ( often approval, the confidence they believe playing well will bring, or as a tonic for whatever ails) that they are incapable of "just sitting" and allowing the process to bring it's fruits. We all know that the person afraid of dropping the tray is more likely to do so. He is watching himself in the wrong way. It is fear. Detached watching, being in a state of keen focus and calm...backing up as it were, is the place where great playing, in my view, is possible. It's paradoxical. This kind of detachment brings about a larger unity of Mind and Body. Here is a formula: : Calm down and relax + become aware of yourself in that moment + focus and begin to make/produce/sing the music inside before and while you play not losing this focus + allow the body to be free to find it's way as an extension of the mind. This is not to say that there is not a place for slow work that is more local and differently focused, but the method above is the method within which the other ways of working are contained. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart quote
“The most perfect technique is that which is not noticed at all.” This can only happen when Mind and body are not in conflict. So, to summarize. We go from relaxation and calming to focus and keen awareness, to flowing activity, correcting ourselves as we go along if we slip into tension, scattered unfocused mind, or anxiety.
Music:
• noun 1 the art of combining vocal or instrumental sounds in a pleasing way. 2 the sound so produced. 3 the written or printed signs representing such sound. Music - The organization of sounds with some degree of rhythm, melody, and harmony.
Music - The organization of sounds with some degree of rhythm, melody, and harmony.
From the Harvard Dictionary of Music:
Some medieval writers believed the word to be derived from the Egyptian work moys ( water) co. Of basic importance throughout the Middle Ages was Boethius concept of music as an all embracing "harmony of the world" divided into musica mundana( harmony of the human soul and body and musical instrumentalis misc as actual sound. 485 bc.
Let's begin with some quotes once again:
Music can name the unnamable and communicate the unknowable.
Leonard Bernstein
Technique is communication: the two words are synonymous in conductors.
Leonard Bernstein
The key to the mystery of a great artist is that for reasons unknown, he will give away his energies and his life just to make sure that one note follows another... and leaves us with the feeling that something is right in the world.
Leonard Bernstein
“Neither a lofty degree of intelligence nor imagination nor both together go to the making of genius. Love, love, love, that is the soul of genius.”
Pablo Casals quote
“The heart of the melody can never be put down on paper.”
Pablo Casals quote
“It's easy to play any musical instrument: all you have to do is touch the right key at the right time and the instrument will play itself.”
How or why has been a mystery forever. Just as why and how we are able to think has always been, ultimately, a mystery, We can discuss it forever and we can come to conclusions, but we can never be sure. So I will to speak about music as I understand it within the context of Mind and body tonight.
Music arises in the mind. When I say music arises, I mean, it comes about. Just like our thoughts. It comes about. In Zen there is a phrase "just so." This refers to the fact that things are as they are, and though they can be labeled and "explained" from a given perspective, the thing still remains itself is....... just itself. Music does not only arise, it in some special sense, is always going on in my view, as odd as that may sound. We just hop on for the ride. Just as we are constantly in motion, however still we think we are. We are constantly breathing for example. I'll put it another way. Music is not apart from the player, it is the player and it flows, as do we. Change is constant and happening every second of our lives. Music cannot be wrestled to the ground and controlled. It is something to listen for, to watch for, and to join with.
Meditation is the process of calming the mind to help a person see more clearly. The process is like the mud in a stream settling to the bottom until the pebbles show clearly on the bottom. Agitation is not good for playing and is not power or dramatic playing. It prevents powerful dramatic playing. Janos Starker:
"Power is not Force." A rushing stream or river is powerful, but nothing is being forced. Once again, we are talking about flow. We don't create the flow, we find it, see it, and join it.
What are we trying to achieve by playing the cello, mastering it? I submit it is an attempt to integrate, heal and express ourselves which is what great art does. Integration is health..it is integrity. It is also about connection to others and when we come full circle those we touch and ourselves are in a greater state of harmony. Here are some quotes about the artistic process:
A excellent professional cellist and friend; Nina Deverich's comment : Where are we going to put all these cellists....in context of today's limited job market?
My answer was, we are going to enjoy the music they make where ever, however and when ever they choose to make it. Playing is itself the goal.
Or as Sheng Yen put it "practice is the goal" Why would he say that?
I think it is because being a musician is a state of being. It is a path and a process and one that happens in the moment, not in the past or the future. Sometimes I say to a student, " your finger tips need to sing" or "play from the back", or "play as if you are a mother watching your child ( the body dealing with the cello) learn to walk."
Music:
What is music
Hope you will share your definitions at the end of our demonstration
Music is akin to life energy...the energy that runs and imbues everything and it is mysterious
( share quotes........i.e no one can truly define music. )
Music is related to our emotions, thoughts, and deepest selves. If we can't listen to or accept that, we have trouble being in touch with music, our music.
Starker ( Force is not power) Power of the rushing stream....flowing. How does one jump on? By letting go while at the same time being in a calm, watchful state that joins with the flowing. Often I'll observe students playing and all of a sudden they get lost. Their minds shift and they go from doing to too much thinking. Has anyone every been driving and realized at a certain point that 10 miles have gone by and you don't remember paying attention? It's a bit scary.
It is also scary for a musician to trust by detaching and allowing the body to learn, to catch up with the music in ones head and heart in effect. What most people will not allow to the extent needed is the space and time, whether we're talking about a slower tempo to work within or about accepting learning the craft as a long term process. Why? Here is how I see this. For one, people are trained from birth to be ashamed of making mistakes. ( insert your def of mistake) This creates a pattern of putting on the breaks and resisting the flow through physical tension in an ongoing basis. In other words, they have greatly reduced their arena of exporation, trial and error, and for gaining mastery. ( Pablo Casals quote)
Another reason is a type of impatience, and this sounds a bit alarming perhaps, but it is related to greed in a way. We are desperate for immediate results because we don't enjoy remaining in a state of flux or uncertainty. Results must come at their own time as a result of constant practice and an approach to the instrument that is more like parent to child then Slave master to slave. A good parent gives a child the space and support to experiment and find their footing as a human being. The slave master is not listening to the slave.....simple dictating. When we drive ourselves like this, the result is a sort of facade of control. It does not spring from the core outward. And it is fragile and can be knocked off course more easily by nerves in performance and a multitude of other things. For one thing, because our emotions are fluid and always chaning, we need a cellistic technique that an accomodate that. If we learn how to do a shift one concrete way removed from the living music, music happening that moment, we don't have the tool to express that new subtlety. We then have a smaller tool box or pallet to express ourselves with. How do we constuct a large pallet with many many colors/skills at our disposal? We practice being awake in each moment. We watch, listen, feel, and
try to clarify what we want to express again, and again, and again.
I believe that music is not seperate from the self nor seperate from the basic energy of life.
So really, in my view, Music, Mind and Body are different parts of a single phenonoim. And that is almost impossible to describe. Balance is what we seek so that the sluice way can be cleared and the water rush through. Pablo Casals grew up in the village Catalonia in Spain. In his village the ability to balance was a badge of honor and once a year all the men, young and old, would form large pyrimads standing on each others shoulders. There were teams and the tallest pyrimad won the day. Balance.
Janos Starker : "The physical aspects of playing are most important. The real problem is not to break the muscle line, not to interrupt the power as it goes to various parts of the body. We must avoid cramp in the muscles and yet not think of relaxation. We cannot relax and still create power. The cellist must learn to distribute the power from the back muscles down to the upper arm, the hand, and finally the fingers. All pressure comes from the back."
A rudimentary but vital principle, according to Starker, is that the bow arm should not be neglected but should be developed to the highest degree.
Casals - Joys and Sorrows
For the past eighty years I have started each day in the same manner. It is not a mechanical routine but something essential to my daily life. I go to the piano, and I play two preludes and fugues of Bach. I cannot think of doing otherwise. It is a sort of benediction on the house. But that is not its only meaning for me. It is a rediscovery of the world of which I have the joy of being a part. It fills me with awareness of the wonder of life, with a feeling of the incredible marvel of being a human being. The music is never the same for me, never. Each day it is something new, fantastic and unbelievable. That is Bach, like nature, a miracle.
I do not think a day passes in my life in which I fail to look with fresh amazement at the miracle of nature. It is there on every side. It can be simply a shadow on a mountainside, or a spider's web gleaming with dew, or sunlight on the leaves of a tree. I have always especially loved the sea. Whenever possible, I have lived by the sea, as for these past twelve years here in Puerto Rico. It has long been a custom of mine to walk along the beach each morning before I start to work. True, My walks are shorter than they used to be, but that does not lessen the wonder of the sea. How mysterious and beautiful is the sea! How infinitely variable! It is never the same, never, not from one moment to the next, always in the process of change, always becoming something different and new.
I see no particular merit in the fact that I was an artist at the age of eleven. I was born with an ability, with music in me, that is all. No special credit was due me. The only credit we can claim is for the use we make of the talent we are given. That is why I urge young musicians: "Don't be vain because you happen to have talent. You are not responsible for that; it was not of your doing. What you do with your talent is what matters. You must cherish this gift. Do not demean or waste what you have been given. Work-work constantly and nourish it."
Of course the gift to be cherished most of all is that of life itself. One's work should be a salute to life.
Mission statement in the context of MMB.
To help student enjoy making music.
This means to help students make music without self-consciousness and enter into it fully, which is freedom.
To employ the cello in the work of self esteem
This means to convey to a student that they are whole when they start learning and all through the process. Mastery is a never-ending project. When they can approach the challenges of cello playing with self compassion, patience, awakens, and joy, they are learning a way to approach themselves in other contexts as they face other life challenges. There is no reason to delay self acceptance. I do not believe it is something anyone should need to earn. The best playing springs from an integrated and confident person.
To cultivate service to others through music.
How can music serve others in my view? Because the process of learning and playing the cello is one that enriches and can heal a person. This person then can better connect and love others. Also, music touches the heart. I really do believe that it is a part of love itself.
Summary:
The mind is the seat of awareness from which everything flows and comes from.
The music is part of the mind, just like anything else we perceive. It is at our finger tips
The body is part of the mind, flows from the mind so to speak.
A last thought about hard work:
The integration of these three lead to clarity, happiness, solid confidence, and mastery.
Monday, July 28, 2008
"CelloChanWoods" ~ cellochan presents a new kind of cello retreat
WELL BEING AND THE ARTS GO CAMPING:
Recently the AARP named Ann Arbor the healthiest city in the US. Gary Gossein, of the Michigan Business Review wrote, "We've been talking with a lot of state organizations, and a
lot of cities are trying to aspire to what Ann Arbor offers," said Amanda Cyr, project manager for the University of Michigan Health Management Research Center.....wellness, she explained, is looking at the whole person, and applying healthy lifestyle concepts, rather than the traditional models of treating each individual illness as separate from the person." http://www.mlive.com/businessreview/annarbor/index.ssf/2008/07/ann_arbor_named_healthiest_cit.html
And speaking of viewing health and happiness in the context of the whole person, a cello program called cellochan in Ann Arbor aspires to do just that. cellochan is a unique program for all ages that places the art of cello playing between the two bookends of care of self and care of others. The program juxtaposes relaxation, self-acceptance, and keen concentration and attention as essential to good playing. The surrounding optional activities, including frequent performance opportunities, offer the types of experiences and community support that can lead to greater personal well-being. Students come to value and respect their unique learning styles and clarify their own cellist goals. The word Chan comes from the word Ch'an, a Chinese word meaning ‘insight.’ Playing the cello involves all facets of a person: physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual. Finding our authentic musical ‘voice’ by employing patience, regular practice, self-love, and presence can open us up to greater levels of fulfillment and I believe, overall health.
This July 15th – 17th, cellochan held it's first cello retreat/camp, "CelloChanWoods." The theme of this cello retreat, held at the Michigan Friends Center in Chelsea, MI, was well-being and the arts. In the course of the three days they spent there, students learned beginning centering meditation, experienced deep relaxation through the Trager method, (http://www.trager-us.org/milton_trager.html) and prepared a performance of the Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber for cello ensemble. Meditation, Trager sessions, daily master classes and supervised individual practice occupied the mornings. Afternoons offered ample time for hikes, swimming, orchestra rehearsal, and a treasure hunt. The schedule produced a balance between the contemplative tone of the morning and freer activities in the afternoon. The ratio of students to counselors was three to one, providing students with a great deal of attention.
Janos Starker, one of the greatest living cellists of the twentieth century said: "Power is not force." He is referring here, in my view, to the need for complete freedom of physical motion while playing in order to allow a natural flow of energy and expression. This can apply to any activity. Pablo Casals, another of the great cellists and teachers said, "I always practiced as if I had forever." This statement, to me, suggests a compassionate approach to oneself in the practice room while simultaneously allowing the space needed for real trial and error and thus, real progress. This way of approaching learning is a gift to any student, in my experience, because there are so many natural obstacles, both physical and mental which can cause subtle tension and anxiety. Ann Arbor has demonstrated its commitment to both wellness and the arts. This program, which links the two, is fortunate to be part of a city where so many have made the ground fertile for a mission like that of cellochan.
cellochan mission:
Recently the AARP named Ann Arbor the healthiest city in the US. Gary Gossein, of the Michigan Business Review wrote, "We've been talking with a lot of state organizations, and a
lot of cities are trying to aspire to what Ann Arbor offers," said Amanda Cyr, project manager for the University of Michigan Health Management Research Center.....wellness, she explained, is looking at the whole person, and applying healthy lifestyle concepts, rather than the traditional models of treating each individual illness as separate from the person." http://www.mlive.com/businessreview/annarbor/index.ssf/2008/07/ann_arbor_named_healthiest_cit.html
And speaking of viewing health and happiness in the context of the whole person, a cello program called cellochan in Ann Arbor aspires to do just that. cellochan is a unique program for all ages that places the art of cello playing between the two bookends of care of self and care of others. The program juxtaposes relaxation, self-acceptance, and keen concentration and attention as essential to good playing. The surrounding optional activities, including frequent performance opportunities, offer the types of experiences and community support that can lead to greater personal well-being. Students come to value and respect their unique learning styles and clarify their own cellist goals. The word Chan comes from the word Ch'an, a Chinese word meaning ‘insight.’ Playing the cello involves all facets of a person: physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual. Finding our authentic musical ‘voice’ by employing patience, regular practice, self-love, and presence can open us up to greater levels of fulfillment and I believe, overall health.
This July 15th – 17th, cellochan held it's first cello retreat/camp, "CelloChanWoods." The theme of this cello retreat, held at the Michigan Friends Center in Chelsea, MI, was well-being and the arts. In the course of the three days they spent there, students learned beginning centering meditation, experienced deep relaxation through the Trager method, (http://www.trager-us.org/milton_trager.html) and prepared a performance of the Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber for cello ensemble. Meditation, Trager sessions, daily master classes and supervised individual practice occupied the mornings. Afternoons offered ample time for hikes, swimming, orchestra rehearsal, and a treasure hunt. The schedule produced a balance between the contemplative tone of the morning and freer activities in the afternoon. The ratio of students to counselors was three to one, providing students with a great deal of attention.
Janos Starker, one of the greatest living cellists of the twentieth century said: "Power is not force." He is referring here, in my view, to the need for complete freedom of physical motion while playing in order to allow a natural flow of energy and expression. This can apply to any activity. Pablo Casals, another of the great cellists and teachers said, "I always practiced as if I had forever." This statement, to me, suggests a compassionate approach to oneself in the practice room while simultaneously allowing the space needed for real trial and error and thus, real progress. This way of approaching learning is a gift to any student, in my experience, because there are so many natural obstacles, both physical and mental which can cause subtle tension and anxiety. Ann Arbor has demonstrated its commitment to both wellness and the arts. This program, which links the two, is fortunate to be part of a city where so many have made the ground fertile for a mission like that of cellochan.
cellochan mission:
To help students experience the joy of music-making;
To employ the cello as a tool in the work of self-esteem;
To employ the cello as a tool in the work of self-esteem;
To cultivate service to others through music.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Announcing: CelloChanWoods
From cellochan:
A cello retreat style music camp "Well being & the Arts"
July 15, 16, & 17, 2008
Final deadline for enrollment is July 3, 2008
CelloChanWoods is a unique retreat style music camp designed to help musicians achieve a deeper sense of well-being, improved concentration skills, ease of playing, and meaningful community with other musicians. Playing the cello involves all facets of a person: physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual. From one perspective, music is a kind of language of the self. Finding our musical "voice" can open us up to greater levels of awareness and personal satisfaction. Campers will learn gentle beginning meditation, receive daily Trager*/ relaxation sessions and benefit from supervised cello practice sessions. Students will also participate in the CCW cello orchestra and daily master classes led by Suzanne. This important work will be balanced with ample time during the day for fun, camaraderie, and supervised outdoor activities.
Where: The Michigan Friends Center, located in Chelsea, is an estate of 90 acres of beautiful woods and trails. It offers an ideal setting for the calm clarity and enjoyable community CCW cultivates within a musical context.
When: Camp takes place July 15-17, 2008. Students will arrive at 7:00 am; pick-up will be at 5:30 pm. On the final day, Thursday, July 17, there will be a concert by the CCW Cello Orchestra, potluck supper, and evening swim, ending around 8 pm.
Space is limited. This year's pilot program will be comprised of no more than 15-20 cellists, ranging in age from 11 to adult.
For more information and/or to reserve a place, please contact Suzanne Smith at cellochan3b@gmail.com or 734-662-2325. The cost is $300. A deposit is required by July 3 of $50 which goes toward tuition.
* Suzanne Smith was a student of Bernard Greenhouse. She has a Masters in Music and performance degee from Oberlin Conservatory. In addition to teaching and performing over many years, Suzanne has been on many meditation retreats, studied methods of profound relaxation and concentration for many years.
* Eileen Dickinson, PT, is a Certified Trager Practitioner. Her presence, creativity, and nurturing touch are supported by her knowledge and experience from more than 25 years practice as a Physical Therapist. The Trager approach utilizes gentle, non-intrusive, natural movements to help release deep-seated physical and mental patterns and facilitates deep relaxation, increased physical mobility, and mental clarity."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
* For more about Suzanne and her program cellochan in Ann Arbor, MI. visit: cellochan.com
Contact: Suzanne Smith at cellochan3b@gmail.com or phone: 734-662-2325
A cello retreat style music camp "Well being & the Arts"
July 15, 16, & 17, 2008
Final deadline for enrollment is July 3, 2008
CelloChanWoods is a unique retreat style music camp designed to help musicians achieve a deeper sense of well-being, improved concentration skills, ease of playing, and meaningful community with other musicians. Playing the cello involves all facets of a person: physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual. From one perspective, music is a kind of language of the self. Finding our musical "voice" can open us up to greater levels of awareness and personal satisfaction. Campers will learn gentle beginning meditation, receive daily Trager*/ relaxation sessions and benefit from supervised cello practice sessions. Students will also participate in the CCW cello orchestra and daily master classes led by Suzanne. This important work will be balanced with ample time during the day for fun, camaraderie, and supervised outdoor activities.
Where: The Michigan Friends Center, located in Chelsea, is an estate of 90 acres of beautiful woods and trails. It offers an ideal setting for the calm clarity and enjoyable community CCW cultivates within a musical context.
When: Camp takes place July 15-17, 2008. Students will arrive at 7:00 am; pick-up will be at 5:30 pm. On the final day, Thursday, July 17, there will be a concert by the CCW Cello Orchestra, potluck supper, and evening swim, ending around 8 pm.
Space is limited. This year's pilot program will be comprised of no more than 15-20 cellists, ranging in age from 11 to adult.
For more information and/or to reserve a place, please contact Suzanne Smith at cellochan3b@gmail.com or 734-662-2325. The cost is $300. A deposit is required by July 3 of $50 which goes toward tuition.
* Suzanne Smith was a student of Bernard Greenhouse. She has a Masters in Music and performance degee from Oberlin Conservatory. In addition to teaching and performing over many years, Suzanne has been on many meditation retreats, studied methods of profound relaxation and concentration for many years.
* Eileen Dickinson, PT, is a Certified Trager Practitioner. Her presence, creativity, and nurturing touch are supported by her knowledge and experience from more than 25 years practice as a Physical Therapist. The Trager approach utilizes gentle, non-intrusive, natural movements to help release deep-seated physical and mental patterns and facilitates deep relaxation, increased physical mobility, and mental clarity."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
* For more about Suzanne and her program cellochan in Ann Arbor, MI. visit: cellochan.com
Contact: Suzanne Smith at cellochan3b@gmail.com or phone: 734-662-2325
Saturday, May 31, 2008
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