“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 One note following another. The linear, technical, […]
Yoga
The Conductor as Yogi: A Moment of Peace
It’s Saturday morning as I write this. A few days until a big concert with guest choirs and a full day of auditions and prospective student visits on the holiday sandwiched in between. My “little world” is busy but in the face of the challenges of the “bigger world,” I take a step back. I […]
The Conductor as Yogi: An Encouragement
As I sat down to write this last CAY blog post of the year, I contemplated various topics but kept coming back to an overriding sense that what we all need right now is Encouragement, capital E. At the root of the word “encourage” is the French “coeur” or heart. Encouragement is a way of […]
The Conductor as Yogi: Nuggets of Gratitude
“The little things? The little moments? They aren’t little.“ Jon Kabat-Zinn It’s easy to think about gratitude when the calendar tells us to. Thanksgiving Day is a traditional time to celebrate gratitude as we gather with others and eat a large meal (and fall asleep afterwards to the lulling sounds of the big football game). […]
The Conductor as Yogi: (Become) Aware, Adapt, Repeat
“Awareness is like the sun. When it shines on things, they are transformed.” Thich Nhat Hanh I recently presented a webinar entitled, “Our Voice as Our Superpower: From Sound to Mission” for the yoga and Brain Longevity® Specialist community, sponsored by the Alzheimer’s Research and Prevention Foundation. It was an interesting opportunity to explore the […]
The Conductor as Yogi: Own Your Purpose, (Re-) Define Your Mission
“Actually, you can only expect a fulfilling life if you dedicate yourself to finding out who you are. To finding the ineffable, idiosyncratic seeds of possibility already planted inside. There is some surrender required here.” ~ Stephen Cope When I think about the times in my life when I felt the most engaged and focused […]