Inspired by Pauline Oliveros

Take on the role of the composer and create your own healing soundscape! Anything can be an instrument, the objects around you, or even yourself. Your voice is your own unique instrument. Experiment with melodies, rhythms, and instruments to craft a piece that resonates with your emotions and needs. No experience is necessary- just breathe and express yourself!

Think about a song you listened to when you were younger. As you’re listening, write down your thoughts/memories on a piece of paper. Now, listen to it again, and hum, whistle, or sing along. Engage your body and feel the music ~

Or you can be a curator for the music of your own life! You can use Spotify or any platform to choose songs that express your feelings.

Exercise:

Exercises from Pauline Oliveros’s Sonic Meditations:

If you want to make your own music:

https://www.soundtrap.com/musicmakers

https://www.audiotool.com

Go on the piano, and try learning a song that you listened to when you were younger. Or, make your own melody! And you can record it with your phone, or any device.

Exercise:

Listen to the “formwelas” in the Songwrights Apothecary Lab, and try to feel the intended healing properties of each piece.

Exercise:
Step outside and walk into the open air. Take in the noises of nature—the rustling leaves, the call of a distant bird, sound of a car passing by. Try to focus on one noise, and tune everything else out.

Exercise:
Gather with others and share your voices. Whistle, hum, or sing in harmony, weaving a song together like threads in a tapestry. Feel the connection as melodies rise and clap/dance together.

Comment below what your favorite pieces are / songs that have helped you through tough times / songs that remind you of home ~

~If you are curious ~

More organizations, events, and books dedicated to music and healing:

• The Healing Project: a nonprofit organization that creates “artistic works, collective healing spaces, and advocacy initiatives in partnership with individuals impacted by structural violence to build a world based on healing rather than punishment.” This project was created by Samora Pinderhughes, a Harvard graduate student pursuing a PhD in creative practice and critical inquiry at the Harvard Department of Music.
• Healing with Music Series at Princeton: https://concerts.princeton.edu/healing-with-music-videos/
• Longwood Symphony Orchestra: Orchestra full of physicians who focus on healing through music.
• Johns Hopkins Center for Music and Medicine: Explores therapeutic potential of music in medicine.
• Renée Fleming’s book on Music and Mind: A book on music therapy, edited by opera-singer, Renée Fleming.