When music is created from a deep understanding of the math and architecture of sacred sound, when the composition and audio engineering respects and aligns with universal harmonic law, the vibration resonates into the deepest levels of the human body/mind/spirit. Growing up in the South Pacific I was exposed to sound from other cultures, the remnants of Maori microtonal music, Indonesian Gamelan, Tongan log drums, Hawaiian ukelele and slack key guitar, as well as Australian Aboriginal chant and didgeridoo music. This ethnic music has a visceral effect that does not rely on the major/minor, happy/sad, tension/relief paradigm that underpins Western music.
My combined experience as a musician/composer, sound engineer and myofascial release therapist has inspired me to create music that is born from healing and rigorously tested in the clinical setting. The feedback I receive in my treatment room is so much more detailed than if I were to have someone listen to my music and tell me what they think. I am able to observe micro-metabolic changes in respiration, heart rate, cranial rhythm, fascial tensegrity, muscle tone, as well as subtle shifts in energy/chi/mana/prana. All this data allows me to fine tune the music to enhance the healing hypnagogic state. While the music facilitates the relaxation response for a patient it must also provide entrainment, support, and centering for the practitioner. Healing music embraces two archetypes – it is sacred sound, and it is work music. Weaving these dual archetypes into the compositional architecture of music requires great structure that appears structureless.
The therapy room is a sacred space, and the therapist, no matter what modality they practice, is in a powerful and sacred position. Giving healers a tool to remain centered and empowered is a primary objective of my work in sound and music.
We can’t control the choices other people make in their lives. We can’t control their preferences, nor would we want to. What we can do is assist them in returning to their center, to their true essence, so that their choices are born out of that profound connection to self. This is the basis of the healing work we/I do, and my music is a powerful ally in that regard.
Each of us in our lives have many unique experiences. How we synthesize these experiences is our Art. My palate includes working with the producer of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody, chanting with the Lakota on the Pine Ridge reservation and treating both newborns and those nearing transition. All this is reflected in my music.