There are four events happening during the Music Therapy and Wellness Week. All events are open to public! Healthy food are provided in all the events. Everybody is welcome to drop by to participate in these music activities and experience how they relate to wellness.
The schedule followed by an interview with Suzanne Hanser, chair of Berklee Music Therapy Department about Music Therapy and Wellness Week: Flourishing with music
Tuesday, March 1st, 8:00-9:00 am
Integrative Medicine Grand Rounds with Suzanne Hanser
Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Wednesday, March 2nd, 3:00-5:00 pm
CD Release Party: “The Remembrance of One”
Suzanne Hanser and Daniel Kobialka
160 Massachusetts Ave., 3rd floor, Eisenson Room
Wednesday, March 2nd, 5:30-7:00 pm
CD Signing—All sales go towards Sam Hanser Memorial Fund
Suzanne Hanser
1090 Boylston Street, Berklee College of Music Book Store
Thursday, March 3rd – 3:00-5:00 pm
Preview of “Music Therapy & Wellness” Symposium: Student-led Musixperiences, Rhythmical Movement, Kinesthetic Flow, and HealthyRhythms
160 Massachusetts Ave., 3rd floor, Eisenson Room
Friday, March 4th, 9:00 am-1:00 pm
“Music Therapy & Wellness: Flourishing with Music” Symposium
David Friend Recital Hall, 921 Boylston St.
Featuring Artists/Presenters/Facilitators:
Layth Al-Rubaye ’14
Phil Didlake
Suzanne B. Hanser, EdD, MT-BC
Annette Philip
Ayumi Ueda ’10
Ann Webster, Ph.D
Steve Wilkes
Lisa Wong, MD
Xingyu-X
Suzanne-S
X: What’s the significance of the CD: The Remembrance of One?
S: The title of the CD: The Remembrance of One, is the title of a book that my son, Samuel, wrote. My son died six years ago. He was very spiritual. He was a philosopher. He wrote a book called Many Blessings: The Remembrance of One. He wrote for his younger sister, as an instruction book of life. It was very deep and philosophical. My good friend, Dr. Daniel Kobialka, a composer who has a large selection of recordings, he created some music inspired by Samuel’s words. He asked me to read the words the Dao De Jing.
X: Dao De Jing, along with the Zhuangzi, is a fundamental text for both philosophical and religious Taoism in China.
S: Indeed. I took excerpts from the Dao. I am reading words from the Dao, then I am reading Sam’s words, which was inspired by the Dao. In fact, he had that book on his bookshelf. He had notes. So I am reading the ancient mysteries of the Dao, and I am reading words from the contemporary young man. Daniel has set all these to music. Daniel is supposed to be with us, but he was ill. So we will have Skype during the CD releasing party. He will be performing on the violin with his music. We will talk about our relationship and how this came about. We will have lots of food, round food.
X: Round food?
S: Round food means One, the circle of life.
X: Daniel composed the music inspired by the Dao and Sam’s words.
S: Exactly. It is a very meditative music experience to hear the words of the Dao and the music. It transpires the words. It’s meant to be a spiritual experience.
X: That’s so interesting! From Chinese ancient times, music is a spiritual practice. The listeners can connect with the players’ spiritual path through the music.
S: Here you go. He says “discover the interconnection of the all things.” That is the idea of the CD. It’s an unusual CD. I don’t think there is anything out there yet.
X: I am curious about the name “Musicxperiences.” How did you come up with this name?
S: I had to describe Drummassage, circle song, singing bowl, rhythmical movement, and Indian mantra. So how do I describe all these things? “Musicxperience” concludes all these activities of celebrating music, celebrating life, celebrating wisdom.
X: Is there anything else that you would like to include?
S: I hope you will gain inspirations from sampling some of these experiences. It’s about spirituality, it’s about wellness, but it’s also about how do we maintain health no matter how our outlook is, what our perspective is, through music. How can we use music in our lives? I fear that music students associate music with discipline and the technique of music, and the stage anxiety, the performance anxiety.
X: Perfectionism.
S: Yes! There is actually a lot of research that talks about how musicians process music very differently because they are analytical about it. That’s the way they are taught. So when you hear music, when you experience music, you say “Oh! It’s in that key” or “it’s in that form” or “this person is performing that.” It’s very analytical. While these experiences are all about the musicxperience and the integration of music in your life. Making music makes you feel whole. Hearing music makes you feel whole.
X: There is no mind involved, no thoughts involved.
S: In one way there is no mind, no thoughts; in another way, focused. On the inner life, what is happening when you experience this music. In my psychology and music class, we did an experiment. We learned that the more music training students have, the less they use music in their lives for regulating their emotion and for enjoyment. We call it inverse relationship. It’s very sad. The very passion that brings Berklee students here to study music is having this effect. They are limiting their use of music for their own good.
X: Because the trainings we have here at music school associate music with anxiety and judgement.
S: Right. If students come and experience Drummassage, singing bowls, song circle, Rhythmical Movement, Kinesthetic Flow, this is a way to experience music in your life and integrate your mind and spirit. So I hope anyone who is open to a new way to use music beyond performing, writing it yourself, being on the stage, even you are a music educator or music therapist, you focus on the discipline. This is a way to focus on the music within you, and to remember the passion to music that brought you to music.
Music Therapy and Wellness Week: Integrative Medicine Grand Rounds
