MUSIC FOR CONNECTION
“Music doesn’t get in. Music is already in. Music simply uncovers what is there, makes you feel emotions that you didn’t necessarily know you had inside you, and runs around waking them all up. A rebirth of sorts.”
— Matt Haig, in How to Stop Time
Music moves us. It can propel us to the dance floor or calm a racing heart. If we know how to use it strategically, music can transform our societies, connecting us across our differences, helping us use our voices, teaching us to listen better, and healing our bodies, hearts, and minds. And music stimulates the brain’s reward center, resulting in increased empathy and greater willingness to connect.
Through SonicBloom I help organizations and individuals use music as a tool for empathy, deep listening, and healing. The gifts of music include connecting to our bodies, each other, and the earth. This work is especially useful for groups that have been highly traumatized.
Previous projects include:
Music and resilience for IDP workers (Metta Development, Myanmar)
Arts-based Dialogue (Graceworks/ActionAid, Myanmar)
Resilience and Trauma Awareness (Hope International, Myanmar)
The Mother Tongue Project (Music Indigo, USA)
To hear conversations with singers working to promote wellbeing, social justice, and sharing the gift of song with vulnerable communities, check out the SonicBloom podcast series, Singers on the Front Lines.
