Music as Medicine

Release what sucks, find something good

“The body is a temple, the soul is a bell. That’s why music is the best medicine I sell.”

Maya De Vitry (The Stray Birds)

How are you? Who needs a hug? Everybody? That’s what I thought.

Remember when you were a teenager, and you would listen to your favorite albums cranked to 11 on repeat with your friends? Remember when you made mixtapes for your friends as presents? ( I know this dates me, but I’m sure there has to be a playlist equivalent.) Remember when you stayed up all night at that summer festival? You remember right?

These are exhausting times. Don’t forget about music.

I’m not going to write about the news; there are plenty of places to find that, but I’m also not going to deny my duty as an artist to help in the face of the collective grief I’m observing and experiencing. Processing grief is bodywork. We need practical ways to put down the world and move it through our bodies to be healthy and stay engaged with our families and communities. Music is cheap, easy to access, and an ancient method for releasing what sucks and tapping into something that feels good.

MUSIC IS THERE FOR YOU.

Just LISTENING to music works on us in profound ways. It can induce transcendence, release our tensions and anxiety that have become stuck, and help us to become more embodied. Any music that you love or are curious about will work.

I like to turn it up loud and disappear into it. I like to dance to it. I like to sing along. All you have to do is listen. Maybe find your breath, and let it carry the music into your body. Just be intentional about listening to it. I’m all for music on in the background, too, but I’m talking here about making a date between you and a song and keeping it.

PRACTICE FIRST

If you’re a musician, or a singer, or a poet, now is a really important time to be practicing. For all the normal reasons of course, but also because our bodies and our nervous systems need the regulation of rhythm and resonance. Life gets busy. We know. I was sick last week, so I’ve spent the week trying to do work I should have done then at the same time as work I need to do now and also get ready for work I know is coming. Personal practice will get squeezed out, so practice first. I know you want 2 hours. You need 10 minutes. Don’t skip the 10 minutes because it isn’t the 2 hours.

FIND LIVE MUSIC, BE LIVE MUSIC

Go to local shows, see touring artists, and get back to the jam you haven’t been to in a while. Join your church or community choir: take any opportunity you can to sing and dance and clap your hands with other people. It’s not just a fun way to pass the time. It’s a way to know and bond with our communities, and that isn’t optional.

We NEED each other.

MUSIC IS THERE FOR US.

THINGS THAT ARE MAKING LIFE WORTH LOVING

We are alive on this planet at the same time as Jon Batiste, which is something to be thankful for. I loved this video of him hearing Green Day for the first time.

Brad Montague is a total inspiration, and I think his Absurd Times Manifesto should be mandatory reading- I know I’ll be quoting it for a long time.

Holy wow, my album THREE RED FEATHERS turns 10 this year.

IF YOU ARE ON SUBSTACK:

I’m trying out the Substack Chat as a place for us to share pieces of our practice. If this inspires you to to find some new music, practice in a new way or write a whole darn song, I hope you will share it with us in the Wilder Wonder Chat.

Paid Subscribers- You can start threads, which means you can ask questions, and I’ll do my best to answer or point you to someone who can. ❤️

If you want some one on one help:

If you want some one on one help getting direction in your own music or other creative practice, I am pretty good at helping people find their learning edge. I’ll be opening up a few slots for one on one work next month. Let’s chat.

Just reply to this email or