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Editorial Musings:
Respecting other Musical Cultures
 With my trip to Hawaii just around the corner, I find myself thinking a lot about the beautiful native Hawaiian music and how much I would like to learn more about it and enjoy it while I am there. The musical culture in Hawaii is so rich and varied and yet while I am there I will be playing and teaching almost exclusively about mainland American and Western European music and how it affects our minds and bodies and health. The one big departure from that is when I will talk about toning, chanting and drumming on Monday night the 15th in Honolulu and Tuesday evening the 16th on Maui. These are basically vibrational healing forms and they do transcend language and culture. That is the beauty of learning these techniques. Of course this original healing music was probably going on in parts of the world that are still fairly remote; not the United States and Western Europe! It is the ancient instruments like didjeridoo and drums and rattles that were among the early instruments used. And of course, the voice.
I am hoping the the lovely people of Hawaii who invited me know that I am a mainlander, trained in Western classical music and that's what they are expecting but I do feel that for years we classical musicians took for granted that our music was superior to all others and I regret that. For the past forty years or more, the field of ethnomusicology has existed and musicologists now know and respect the music of many, many cultures and part of the world. I have alot of broadening of my horizons to do and I hope that while I am in Hawaii that I will get several opportunities to learn more about their native music.
To share comments or questions for our bulletin board, or to start a news and information group-posting section, contact me by e-mail: chantdoc@earthlink.net Your communication will be a fruitful experience. Any topic related to music is welcome! Let me hear from you! Soon!
Sincerely,
Alice H. Cash, Ph.D., LCSW
Chantdoc@HealingMusicEnterprises.com
Question of the Month
Q:
My family and I are not going to be able to take a vacation this summer because of finances and other reasons. How could we take a "Musical vacation?"
TQ, Louisville, KY
A: Dear T. Q.,
What a great idea! As I mentioned earlier, every culture has its own unique music and cultures on the opposite side of the globe even have totally different musical instruments and musical scales. I would strongly suggest sampling the music of each continent to start with. If you have young children (which I know YOU do!) you might also get some travel videos which would go along with the music. There are also stores that sell Third World crafts and musical instruments that you could purchase or at least hold and try out. Have a great musical vacation!
Send in Your Question to the ChantDoc!
New HME Summer Calendar Events posted at:
http://www.healingmusicenterprises.com/calendar.html
One special event coming up will be held in Hawaii!! On July, 11-19 Dr. Cash will be in Honolulu and Maui speaking at the University of Hawaii, Calvary-by-the-Sea Lutheran Church and "the Ohana Connection" in Maui. Specific times and places are listed on the Calendar Page .
A new color biography sums up HME services:
http://www.healingmusicenterprises.com/PRcolorbio2002.pdf
Louisvillle Area Health Professionals: Opportunity!!
Dr. Cash offers classes on a regular basis on:
- How to create music tapes for surgery
- Using music with pregnancy, childbirth and newborns
- Understanding how music affects the Mind-Body-Spirit & applying this to practice
- Toning, Chanting, and Drumming for Health
- Using Music with Alzheimer's Patients
2 -3 hour long classes are offered on demand for four people or more. Class can be booked for Fri am, Sat pm, & Sun eves. Also private sessions.
Call 502-895-7688 to register or Email me .
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Special Topic:
Boosting Your Energy with Music
Anybody need an energy boost? "Of course!" you say! "It's summertime and I want to go swimming, sailing, surfboarding, or just take a walk in the park!" We're all pretty much aware of the advertisements on television and in magazines for energy-boosting foods and drinks. There are also quite a few pills, capsules and powders that one can take, but what about a completely natural booster? One that is basically free and doesn't cause you to consume any calories or ingest caffeine or other addictive substances? There is one, readily available in our day to day lives. Yes, that would be music!
Humans have been using music since earliest times to stir up energy in the body and excite the neurons in the brain. Even in prehistoric times, early man and woman knew the power of drums and how they could alert many people at once that "something was brewing" and that they needed to marshal their forces. Today music is used in all kinds of arenas for energizing. Everything from jazzercise and aerobics classes to the pep bands at sporting events. Imagine how dull a sporting event would be without the band and the cheerleaders. Many women tell me that they definitely have their own favorite Rock N' Roll or Boogie-Woogie (or whatever their generations energizing music was) that they put on when they have to do some quick house-cleaning. Factors in the music that lead to the increase in energy include:
1. Fast tempo
2. Louder volume
3. Brighter instruments (like brass or piano or percussion)
When the body is exposed to these factors, the heart begins to beat faster, breathing quickens and the electrical energy in the body simply flows faster. It is a physiological phenomenon that happens whether we want it to or not. Luckily, we usually need the physical boost. When one has a physical task to do, bracing music can be just the ticket! Yes there are instances when it can be offensive. If you're trying to rest or sleep, or have a quiet dinner and loud, blaring, fast music suddenly enters your realm of awareness, it is quite jarring and obnoxious. That's the beauty of headphones. Everyone can listen to their own chosen music and not offend.
At my health club, I see many people of all ages listening to music (I assume) through headphones. I would love to know all the varied things they are listening to, but I guess I never will. Please feel free to write me and let me know what YOU listen to when you want to energize yourself. I'd really be interested to know! Have a great summer!
IN THIS EDITION
I. Editorial: Respecting other Musical Cultures
II. Ask the Chantdoc: A Musical Vacation?
III. Updated Calendar: Schedule in Hawaii
IV. Special Topic: Boosting Your Energy with Music
Healing Music Products
Dr. Cash offers affordable products to help you reap the benefits of music and healing.
Products available include audio tapes, music sample CD and book as well as her ebook & Mp3 package.
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"Notes for Tuning Your Life with Music"
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BOOK & CD-
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EBOOK & Mp3s
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Sets include:
Alzheimer's & Dementia Collection
Lullaby Collection
Chant Collection
AUDIOTAPES - $10 & S/H
Tape titles include:
The Healing Power of Music
Toning & Chanting with Addictions
Why Mozart? The Research on Mozart and Learning
To order, go to Dr. Cash's products page at:
http://www.healingmusicenterprises.com/book.html
Healing Music Services
Dr. Cash is available for seminars, workshops, classes and other group and individual instruction in using music
for healing and promoting health and wellbeing. Find out how to book her amazing services by going to:
http://www.healingmusicenterprises.com/services.html
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