(no subject)
Today I am freaking the fuck out. Not in a bad way. The best way possible.
I've had a series of experiences the last few days that will permanently alter the course of my research and my conceptions of transcendence, consciousness, and musical experience for the rest of my professional life and personal life both.
There really are those days where you realize exactly how charmed your life can be.
I'll avoid the super in-depth nitty-gritty neurocognitive stuff for now. If you want to know more, I'd be happy to explain in a phone call, over a beer, or in any sort of long conversation. Either that or you can read my master's dissertation because this is what its going to be.
But, I just found a link between my work, the works of my foundational theorist, John Blacking, the works of Rebecca Sager, another influential scholar and a woman who I look forward to calling a colleague someday, the works of Judith Becker, Ben Koen (from FSU, Captain "Persian Perspective"), and the theories on mirror neurons, musical experience, and everything having to do with the biocultural perspective on "Humanly Organized Sound" as Blacking so wonderfully dubbed it. This may be greek to you, so let me put it like this: I've just discovered how all the different perspectives I've been studying and pulling from for the past several months, and much more, the past couple years, have all come together. I've found my missing puzzle piece.
But wait, it gets better.
Those who have known me for some time will remember I used to work with a World dance and music group called Loud Zoo. Vonn New was one of the founders and someone I had the great pleasure to work with while she was part of it. She was a student of Pauline Oliveros, and was the first one to teach me of Pauline's philosophy of sound and music. Pauline even came down one time. But through my time with Loud Zoo, I was exposed to this.
And then, over the years, I forgot about it. Until now that is.
As I started working on my review of Judith Becker's Deep Listening: Music, Emotion, and Trance, I was explaining the concept of deep listening which Becker uses. This concept, she explains, draws of the work of Pauline Oliveros.
Wait a minute, I thought as I read that, I know that name. Who is that? What is this www.deeplistening.org website? Why is this so familiar?
That's when it hit me, when I pulled up the website and saw Pauline's photo, how very charmed life can be some times...
I started this journey into the study of transcendence and musical experience long before I actually started studying it. I met this woman long before I got into transcendence research. I was introduced to these concepts about the same time my dear friend and mentor Fred suggested I go into Ethnomusicology. I got involved with this group through the suggestion of my Muse Elitha who, god bless her, has been the belly dancer who helped train me as a Middle Eastern percussionist since I was 16. She was the one who introduced me to Johanna, the then co-leader now leader of Loud Zoo, and Vonn back in the day and told both them and myself I should perform with them.
Literally,
in one small paragraph
in one ethnographic work
my entire life for the last 10 years,
my music
my work
my conceptions and perceptions on music and reality
everything that is me
has inextricably come together.
This is really is one of those points where you see all the dots connect in hindsight.
Where your entire life comes together.
And it is so magical, I've no idea the words to express it.
And God Bless the future just got so much more exciting!
As-Salamu Alaykum, God Speed, and Namaste.
I've had a series of experiences the last few days that will permanently alter the course of my research and my conceptions of transcendence, consciousness, and musical experience for the rest of my professional life and personal life both.
There really are those days where you realize exactly how charmed your life can be.
I'll avoid the super in-depth nitty-gritty neurocognitive stuff for now. If you want to know more, I'd be happy to explain in a phone call, over a beer, or in any sort of long conversation. Either that or you can read my master's dissertation because this is what its going to be.
But, I just found a link between my work, the works of my foundational theorist, John Blacking, the works of Rebecca Sager, another influential scholar and a woman who I look forward to calling a colleague someday, the works of Judith Becker, Ben Koen (from FSU, Captain "Persian Perspective"), and the theories on mirror neurons, musical experience, and everything having to do with the biocultural perspective on "Humanly Organized Sound" as Blacking so wonderfully dubbed it. This may be greek to you, so let me put it like this: I've just discovered how all the different perspectives I've been studying and pulling from for the past several months, and much more, the past couple years, have all come together. I've found my missing puzzle piece.
But wait, it gets better.
Those who have known me for some time will remember I used to work with a World dance and music group called Loud Zoo. Vonn New was one of the founders and someone I had the great pleasure to work with while she was part of it. She was a student of Pauline Oliveros, and was the first one to teach me of Pauline's philosophy of sound and music. Pauline even came down one time. But through my time with Loud Zoo, I was exposed to this.
And then, over the years, I forgot about it. Until now that is.
As I started working on my review of Judith Becker's Deep Listening: Music, Emotion, and Trance, I was explaining the concept of deep listening which Becker uses. This concept, she explains, draws of the work of Pauline Oliveros.
Wait a minute, I thought as I read that, I know that name. Who is that? What is this www.deeplistening.org website? Why is this so familiar?
That's when it hit me, when I pulled up the website and saw Pauline's photo, how very charmed life can be some times...
I started this journey into the study of transcendence and musical experience long before I actually started studying it. I met this woman long before I got into transcendence research. I was introduced to these concepts about the same time my dear friend and mentor Fred suggested I go into Ethnomusicology. I got involved with this group through the suggestion of my Muse Elitha who, god bless her, has been the belly dancer who helped train me as a Middle Eastern percussionist since I was 16. She was the one who introduced me to Johanna, the then co-leader now leader of Loud Zoo, and Vonn back in the day and told both them and myself I should perform with them.
Literally,
in one small paragraph
in one ethnographic work
my entire life for the last 10 years,
my music
my work
my conceptions and perceptions on music and reality
everything that is me
has inextricably come together.
This is really is one of those points where you see all the dots connect in hindsight.
Where your entire life comes together.
And it is so magical, I've no idea the words to express it.
And God Bless the future just got so much more exciting!
As-Salamu Alaykum, God Speed, and Namaste.