The Souloist Podcast

Listening is  one of  the most important components in Suzuki Talent Education program.

Even if it seems to be the easiest task, it’s too often neglected.

Why is  listening so important?

And why we neglect it so often?

Are you convinced that listening is important?

Have you created a habit of listening?

How much listening should we do?

How should we  listen?

When should we listen?

Which recording should you listen to?

What device should you use?

Do or don’t we listen enough?

How to make listening a habit?

All of these and more in this episode of “But first comes the listening”.

Rupda is a councillor, therapist and corporate coach.

She works with people around the globe in areas of conscious leading, self-leading and self-development. 

Rupda has spent over 45 years dedicated to a conscious path, bringing her knowledge, tools and techniques through the work she offers.

She has captured the hearts of many influential people over the years, such as Tony Robbins, Bill Lipton, Russel Brand and numerous others through her one-of-a-kind  approach. Her sense of presence and sense of humour brings both a lightness and a depth to how she works with individuals, groups and organisations alike.

Rupda's passion is to inspire people to discover their own unique qualities and how to apply them in their personal and professional lives. 

We talked about:

• Rupda’s  childhood in spiritual communes
• our need to belong
• how awareness creates choice
• our presence that pulls us together
• work with group dynamics
• what is leadership
• being conscious leads to conscious leadership

and more.

Weather affects our being…our mood.

The changes of seasons, seasonal fruits, seasonal clothes, seasonal colours.

The weather whispers.

Weather brings different feelings, and sometimes even at the same time.

Feeling them all brings  richness to our life.

Life gives us lemons, and sometimes life gives us pearls.  

Things in life go in pairs: love and grief, light and dark, gain and loss etc.

It's only  natural that  we prefer the “good” side.

When we go through difficult times, we tend to not show our sadness. We prefer instead to go to our cave.

In the past we used to be surrounded by a tribe that supported us in times like these.

Now we more often find ourselves lonely.

The  cave turns out to be a cage .

How can we help people who go through hardships ,without trying to fix it for them?

We can always offer our PRESENCE.  We can simply be there for them.

In our presence we don’t have to DO anything.

Being present heals us and them at the same time.

( And watch for where you put your telephone when you meet a friend...Hopefully in your bag and not on the table).

Be gentle with offering help ( especially when not asked,) and be generous with offering your presence.

Since I remember myself, I wanted to be a mother and a teacher.

These two topics are very close to my heart – motherhood and education.

I was asked a question : “ How can we help our children today?”.

To raise children in today’s world is a mammoth task. Maybe more than ever.

Shinichi Suzuki’s words: “ Where love is deep, much can be achieved” echoes in our heart, but we need to add to love more things.

What is the essence of education?

We will continue to explore these questions in future episodes.

In this episode we’ll talk about listening.

In Suzuki Talent Education, listening comes before practice.

It’s the core of learning a mother tongue.

The question of how to establish listening habit has been asked through many years of teaching.

Working in a team of parents  - teachers is necessary.

Reflecting on life, big words, the universe within us and us within the universe.

On slowing down and the gift of our being.

And ending with John O'Donohue words:

"May we learn to return

And rest in the beauty

Of animal being,

Learn to lean low,

Leave our locked minds,

And with freed senses

Feel the earth

Breathing with us".

Many children suffer from having too many activities.

“Keeping children busy” has become a norm.

Children have their own pace and need to have time for thinking, for day dreaming, for wonder.

Helping children develop concentration is crucial.

“If children are trained with concentration in a single area for two or three years, their ability will startle their parents and others around.

If we first help them develop outstanding ability in one area, we ought to know that children can use that ability to absorb other things easily.”

- Shinichi Suzuki

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Today I am in conversation with Dr Marcus Bussey.

Marcus is a futurist and educator with a keen interest in intercultural encounters. He has taught widely throughout Australia and currently works as a Senior Lecturer in History and Futures at the University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia. In his work Marcus explores spirituality as a catalyst for richer futures… this leads him into many unexpected places.

Highlights from our conversation:

· What is a futurist

· We cannot free ourselves from the pain of the past.

· The evolution of consciousness through struggle

· Future as optimal engagement on behalf the 7 future generations

· The critical - questioning mind

· How we project ourselves to the world in meaningful ways

· The spiritual trajectory behind all things

· Longing calls us into our lives

· To be authentic we have to know ourselves

· Vision – Dream – Longing

· Time weaving together

· Discipline and love

· Intergenerational process

And more…

Introducing “Soul moments”- short episodes that will come to you between the longer ones.

And today we bring the question:  where are the elders?

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Everyone has been or will be visited by death and grief at some point.

We go through this experience in different ways.

We ignore, we deny, we avoid.

We might even not do it  deliberately.

We grieve differently and at the same time there are common feeling and experiences we go through.

Participating in a seminar about the future of death and dying, recently, made me realise the richness of this topic.

It’s a topic that embraces many things.

In a mysterious way it makes my reach a depth it hasn’t been there before.

Death brings grief.

And grief deserves to be treated with respect.

Grief is both personal and universal . It’s a personal and collective experience at the same time.

I’d like to see our society becoming more open to talk about death.

Death education very is needed in our society.

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When children are seen and trusted in their ability, they  learn with joy and ease

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Changes in the world and life will continue to occur and accelerate.

Since it is difficult to keep up with the pace of change, it might be a good idea to re-evaluate and learn what is important to keep and what we could  let go of.

Meeting children and parents in different countries, re- informed and confirmed for me the important things in life.

How can we get “education changed from mere instruction to education in the real sense of the word.  “(Shinichi Suzuki)

Educating the heart and soul of a child, of all children in the world, through music.

In these changing times, we need to ask ourselves:

- What are the things that are beyond fad?

- What are the values that humanity could not survive without them?

- What is in the core of being human?

Children and adults alike, cannot live without love.

The need to love and be loved is existential.

Children love to learn; this too is an existential need.

In order to survive we need to learn.

All of us feel loved when we are seen and listened to.

How can we give more by doing less.

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Today i'm talking with you while travelling, about:

• Time and Travel
• Unpredictability 
• The core of being / the place that Soul resides
• Finding our centre in the pace of the world
• "Adopt" a person a day
• Creating quiet, precious moments  daily chaos

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• What's the point of life?
•  What sustains life?
• What nurtures life?
• How do we find meaning in life?

I was invited to school to discuss these topics with groups of young adults. 

Here's what I learnt from them.

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In this episode we talk about:

Age- ageing- ageism

To “look young”

We need to change the way we look at age

To become old is a privilege

We get perspective on life as we age

The bonus in every year

Everything changes

We invest too much effort in “staying young”

Breathing in the different stages and ages

The joy of being in different stages of life

Life brings small gifts

The social pressure to look young

The world is in urgent need of elders and crones

Mentoring the young ones

Finding the inner elder

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Today I'm in conversation with Braxton Neate, a Suzuki Talent Education Cello teacher. 

We speak about:

· Tone and Soul

· Suzuki’s  Vision

· Changing ourselves, changing the world

· The seeds of potential

· How can we  make life force more sustainable

· The Suzuki movement in war time

· How to live with changes

· Environment as nurture and nature.

· What is Nine Star Key School

....and more....

 Links mentioned in this podcast:

Reflecting on children in wars, in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Trying  to foster hope in my heart and inquire what I can do in times like these.

Sparks of hopes for me are reading wisdom words:

§ Our purpose does not lie in a movement to create professional musicians, but to create people of beautiful minds and fine ability through an unparalleled, uniquely musical approach. We engage in human education through music so that children will grow beautifully with high sensitivity. - Dr Shinichi Suzuki

§ To teach the arts to children is nothing less than to be charged with their destiny. -Dr Katoaka

§ This will be our reply to violence: to make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before.  -Leonard Bernstein

* * *

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"Every child has an unlimited potential", Dr Shinichi Suzuki

So, how do we motivate children to do their work - practice their instrument, do their homework, help in the house etc.

Do we need to motivate them?

Anything we learn needs encouragement and acknowledgement, in order to make us want to repeat it. 

When we want our children to have the desire to do learn, play and practice, we have to reflect on  our role in it. 

Love and desire are necessary  to acquire ability. 

The thirst to learn is innate in every child. We don't need to create it, but we need to make sure we don't harm it. 

How can we allow it to grow and continue to develop?

Self motivation might be the key here. Self motivation comes with self discipline. 

When children become self motivated it transfer to other areas in their life. It becomes a part of their character.

" Man is a son of his environment", Shinichi Suzuki.

If art and  music are in the environment , children will naturally  absorb the love for it. 

When a parent asks, "how can I help my child love doing this", the answer will be, " love it yourself".  

The way you approach the practice will be the way your child approaches the practice. 

Like what you want your child to like. Invest the love, and trust that it will be in the heart of your child. 

One of my favourite quotes:

“A seed is planted in the earth. We don’t see when the germination begins.That is the doing of Mother Nature. We have to wait patiently.We cannot dig up the seed to see wheatear it is really growing; to do so would be to destroy everything. Suddenly a bud appears. What a joy and pleasure to watch it grow! At the same time the root, unseen in the ground, is getting stronger and has the power to produce a big, sturdy tree”. (Shinichi Suzuki, Nurtured by Love)

Love and nurture the seed with curiosity and wait to marvel in the flower or tree. 

Don't judge day by day. keep the big picture in your heart. Believe in your child. 

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When we stop and slow down the minutes become thicker and longer. 

When we slow down we have more time ; time becomes more spacious.. more precious.

When we empty the mind  the heart fills up.

Grief contains wisdom. And on my day of retreat I heard its whispers . 

Things in life cannot be judged merely in "good" or "bad". Only time will tell the whole story.

Like in the Taoist story about the old farmer.

As we go through the transition in the world we are invited to let go of things that belong to the world we leave behind. 

To tune in... to take a breath... to trust the inner voice, our soul.

To dare to not know. 

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How can we go beyond division

Sweet intimacy and/or Self love

The place we could meet beyond our divide.

Let Soul speak and wait for the wonder.

“Out beyond ideas of wrong doing and right doing,
there is a field. I’ll meet you there.

When the soul lies down in that grass,
the world is too full to talk about.
Ideas, language, even the phrase “each other” doesn’t make any sense.” - Rumi

Thank you for coming. 

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Everything in life changes, if we like it or not.

As 2021 is coming to an end i reflect on language, hope and wonder. 

Wishing you a year of wonder. 

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"How are you ? "

A very common question that is asked and answered almost automatically.

Here's another perspective on this loaded , encompassing and important question. 

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Today I’m in conversation with Moana Pearl.

Moana is a culture activist, ritual maker, mother and dreamer of a new paradigm.  She supports women to reclaim and remember their inherent relationship to Earth, spirit and the Sacred Feminine. For decades she has been involved with women's circles, as a facilitator, educator, and participant.

This is how I first met her, many years ago in a women’s retreat.

As a family counsellor, menstrual educator, and community builder her deep connection with the natural world is reflected in a grounded and compassionate approach to life’s challenges.

Moana offers programs for mothers and their adolescent daughters, to welcome young girls into womanhood.

She offers workshops and mentoring  for women's personal development.

Inspired by the connections between psychology, physiology and cultural influences, and the spaces in between, Moana provides a space for nurturance, authenticity, inquiry and compassion.

We talked about listening, sitting in circles , making a different mark on the Earth, changing our neuropathways, the importance of keeping the questions, the call to be initiated, crone-hood, elderhood, community and connection, and so much more.

" Knowing your own darkness is the best method for dealing with the darkness of other people" - C.J Jung

Shadow Work is the way of becoming aware of what we are unaware of.

Exploring our hidden parts.

Getting to know in ourselves the  parts that we disowned.

Making the unconscious conscious.

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• The need to express feelings, emotions and meaningful transitions
• Personal and collective grief
• Delayed grief
• Grief work - what to do / not do
• Sunrise & the experience of 'Yugen' (see previous episode with Paul Cadzow )

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Paul is a psychiatrist, psychotherapist and an artist.

He holds a  medical degree and Fellowship of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists with a Certificate of Advanced Training in Consultation Liaison Psychiatry.

In addition to his medical qualifications, Paul has  Masters of Arts in Creative Writing and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours), majoring in painting,

Paul  had short stories published and two  painting exhibitions, as well as being a finalist in a number of painting prizes.

Paul is a father of three sons who learnt with me , which is how I got to know him.

We talked about:

· Death ,grief and the journey of mourning.

· Paul ‘s exhibition named ‘Journey into Mourning ‘, based on grief that is passed down through generations.

· How  trying to make sense of things experienced  in childhood, led  him to become a psychiatrist,

· ‘Yugen’ – an aesthetic experience.

· Flow

· The gift of consciousness

· Existentialism

· Suzuki way and  reverence to the learning soul.

· Helping children reveal their gifts

· Choices that define our lives

· The building of character

· Parenting from a state of  fear

......and more...

Paul's webpage: paulcadzow.com

instagram: @paulcadzowart

Mentioned in the conversation:

“Inspired” by  the current  lockdown here...

Reflecting on the frustration I hear  children expressing  about drifting in and out of schooling in lockdowns...

Youth contemplating about their future in today’s world...

My students and children in general are very close to my heart.

I keep thinking – what I could  do to help them move through these uncertain times...

Aware of  the presence of death and grief ...

Elders have an important role with young people...

When children cannot go to school could it be any  blessing in the situation?...

When everyone is confused, could we find the solution within?...

Creating a parallel education system that won’t be crashed when things change?...

This time invites us to be more creative instead of complaining. ...

How could the topic of death be an eye opener...?

Death is not skipping anyone after all....

How can  we look at life through other lenses...?

What is really important? ...

We want children to do what they are good at and what they were born to do and share with the world.

Is school going to teach them how to do  it?...

Music is very important in the life of every human being.

How can we bring more music to the lives of children...?

“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves” - Viktor frankl.

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How many times have you  heard:

• "I don't want to offend you but..."
• "I don't want to undermine you but..."
• "I don't want to put pressure on you but..."

Let's talk about what your words really mean. 

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We are back after more than 2 months away. 

This has been time of walking in the valley of death with my beloved man. 

I'm sharing here little snippets of the journey of loosing loved ones, the new relationships with grief and mourning, and how we could all help people who are in this place. 

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“I’ve been reflecting on your lecture which I appreciated so much. Thank you. Especially the part about how families /society have changed. It was a relief for me as a young teacher to hear that what happens now is not all about me being a “bad “ teacher. So, I wanted to share with  you this story of a family.

There's a mother  in my studio who's  doing such a fantastic job with her two children. She drives them to lessons, does her best to practice with them while she’s also working full time as a lawyer. I don’t know how she manages...

The truth is that they rarely practice, being either too tired or the kids don’t want to do it. The mother thinks that everything is up to what the child feels like doing, so they rarely listen to her and only to their immediate feelings.

It’s difficult for her to set boundaries and say ‘NO’. It’s always chaos when they enter and lots of frustration

Also, the father is not really  involved. Today I got a message saying that the young child doesn't want to come to group lessons ( he's nearly 5 and has only started recently). I wanted to ask you what you think. I think the youngest feels the mother’s stress and wants unconsciously to protect her through not wanting to play, seeing the stress it brings her. 

I also think he sees that his father is not involved.How can I say this to a mother who desperately wants to give her children the gift of playing an instrument? I don’t want to lose this family but I think the only way is to get the father on track. What do you think? I’d be deeply grateful for any idea or though. Thank you again for being a continuous inspiration.”

This has been the question asked by a teacher.

It could have been asked by any teacher of any subject, about any parent. This is a question often asked .

In my reply I touched a few highlights. Hope you find it beneficial.

On Sunday we'll be celebrating Mother's Day here. 

This is a perfect time  to reflect, celebrate, acknowledge and appreciate on the role of motherhood. 

The ritual of saying "Mama, Thank you" by children of all ages and stages, is celebrated around the world ( in different dates).

The job description of a mother is never ending. It's a role that has the biggest effect on the family, the world and the planet. 

Therefore it's worth replaying last year episode : To the Mothers of the World. 

Happy Mother's Day !!

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In these fast changing times we reflect on the role of educators and adults in the future of the world. 

The enormity of the  changes that are going in our world now,  are calling to see a big picture. 

Extreme measures call to extreme actions. We can't wait for the "big" people, the ones that "have power", to create the change for us. 

Each and one of us has a role in this transformation. We are all called to participate in the change. To work together. No task is too small here. We cannot wait. The time is now. 

“I want, if I can, to get education changed from mere instruction- to education in the real sense of the word; Education that inculcates, brings out, develops the human potential, based on the growing life of the child. That is why I am devoting my efforts to furthering Talent Education: what a child becomes depends entirely on how he is educated. My prayer is that all children on this globe may become fine human beings, happy people of superior ability, and I am devoting all my energies to making this come about, for I am convinced that all children are born with this potential”.

-Dr Shinichi Suzuki

Reflecting  on Suzuki's words,  I invite you to do a self- inquiry to find  what your gift is. 

This is a call for parents, educators, grandparents, guardians - the whole village: what could we  do for a child? How could we recognise the gift of every child ? How could we nurture the gift in every child? How can we bring them up to share the gift they were born with to share with the world.

This is how we plant seeds for the future of the world. The time is NOW. 

Life comes in packages, or so it seems.

Love comes with hate. Light with dark. Joy with sorrow. Gain with loss.

Friendship with animosity. Connection with disconnection. Expansion with contraction. Success with failure. Advance with decline. Forward with retreat. Growth with Decay. Life with death.

We have a tendency to see things in good or bad. It sort of helps us know where we  go. We were taught from the beginning of life to choose the good and avoid the bad.

• The good wolf and the bad wolf
• A good choice and a bad choice.
• Good behaviour and bad behaviour and so on.

Good and bad could be associated with  high human values BUT they could also be associated with cultures.

 The reaction to your actions leads you to decide what is "good" or what is  "bad".

This is how we all learnt as children how to discern between good and bad.

And now, in times of changes let's change it. Let's do a "spring clean" and discard of the things that don't serve us any longer.

To change we need an open mind.

We need to listen to other ideas.

We have  to try other ways.

We need to be willing to let go of rigidity of thoughts.

"Change is the end result of all true learning" - Leo Buscaglia.

We want our children to become self motivated.

We wish for them to have the will and desire to acquire ability, talent and knowledge; things  we need in order to grow, survive and thrive.

How can we pass on to them the ability to motivate themselves.

The answer is tied with self discipline and Joy. 

Regardless of culture, no child will enjoy  the learning process if being forced.

Child might DO what they are forced to do but they won’t enjoy it.

We want our child to LOVE music -listening and playing .

We help our children develop character through music.

If parents want their child to love something, they have to check their attitude to it.

Keep the big picture in your heart. Believe in the ability of your child.

Every child has an unlimited potential.

Come to the practice with open heart.

As long as you hold the vision and acknowledge the EFFORT your child does – you will create motivation in your child, that will become their self discipline to develop and grow with joy. 

Life is experienced in beats. Each beat has its Taste...Essence...Story.

And there’s a gap between the beats.

We plan. We expect. We dream. We wish. We prepare.

But things don’t always turn up the way we wanted.

How can we live in the gap between what we thought should happen and what it turned out to be.

What can we do when things go “wrong”?

· We could blame the other / others

· We could blame ourselves

· We could justify

And the cycle of blame <> self-blame <> justify goes on and on.

· We could break free of the situation

The way I learnt from wise people on my path is REFLECTION. So, let's reflect together. 

If we go the same way every day, we get to the same place...

We can choose to road less travelled. There’s not  much noise or traffic there.

We can walk there gently... one step at a time...one beat at a time...

Inner work is always available to us, if we are willing...if we are listening.

Tools like journal writing, going to nature, dance, play, go for a walk, are invitations to choose the ‘third way’.

And there we meet Grace...Serenity...Sweetness of Recognition and Acceptance.

When we accept the paradox in life ,things start to shift for us.

Living in the paradox allows opposites to exist in our lives.

The music of our soul always invites us to play its music... to dance its dance.

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“Everything has its beauty, but not everyone sees it.” (Confucius)

What makes us see beauty?

· What is the driving force that makes one person see beauty while another cannot see it?

Or

· what makes us see it one day and not see it the next day?

Let's have a conversation on beauty. 

Experiments in beauty.

· Can we learn, practice or train ourselves to see it?

· Can we teach ourselves to be in this place?

We explore here:

1. Presence
2. Wonder
3. Silence
4. Interest
5. Beauty as Medicine
6. Willingness

And conclude with some suggestions for inviting beauty in our lives. 

By now we've established : 1. pleasant practice (episode 23). 2. Turning up (episode 25) and 3. Practice content (episode 27). 

This week we  talk about  time - this rare commodity in today's world. 

We want to help our children develop the skill of playing the instrument. 

"The development of ability cannot be accomplished by mere thinking or theorising, but must be accompanied by action and practice ." (Shinichi Suzuki). 

Time is connected to routine. Practice routine is the skeleton of practice. As "Student’s ability grows at home" (Suzuki), you don’t want to wait for the lesson to improve your child’s ability.

This episode talks about WHEN to practice and HOW LONG to practice. 

And finally in Suzuki words: " If one child practices 15 minutes a day, and another child practices three hours a day, it takes the second child THREE MONTHS to accomplish what the first accomplishes is NINE YEARS! Most people would say:  The second child was more talented that the first. This of course is not true; he/she has simply practiced more." 

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Today is St Valentine day.

Did you know that the ancient story behind Valentine's Day is more brutal than romantic?

It all goes back to a mysterious, third century saint who suffered a brutal fate.

Listen here to some stories and legends about the day and Saint, the festival of Lupercalia as well as Love festivals of other cultures. 

And then invite yourself to contemplate on the topic of love as the best medicine for life. 

Love enriches the soul of the person who loves. 

Happy Valentine Day  !

Week 3 of Back to the Groove - the series of establishing practice routine after the long holiday break.

This week we plan the content of the practice.

What to start with and what to keep for the end. 

New piece, polishing piece, review piece or music reading .

Make a decision according to where your child is at in any given day OR practice the same order every day.

Language and environment are connected.Language is embedded in the world we live in.And the world we live in is embedded in the language we speak.Language welcomes the new born. And it starts before birth. The language is there, surrounding us.

The child doesn't need to be taught. He just LEARNS it. The teaching IS in the environment.

As I was preparing this episode I was sitting outside with the birds. I couldn’t help but think that if I was surrounded by this sound when I was born.. I would probably speak bird language now...

We can use the word SPEAK as a metaphor here too. 

If the language is gentleness - the child will speak gentleness

If the environment is restlessness –children will speak restlessness.

If the language is  violence - child will speak /express violence.

If there’s love for books,  It will show on the child.

Love of music- will become the child’s love of music

Love and appreciation of the arts... will become love and appreciation of children to the arts.

So put in the environment what you want for your child. This topic in not exclusively for children; it applies for all.

When you live among people who have an awareness for well being you’ll develop it too.

If You want to be happy and content, you will try to spend more time around happy people

And then there's the internal environment. The way you speak to yourself. The time you spend doing things you like and enjoy. 

Let's touch soul ( take 2).  Nature and Music as a great effect on our well being. 

Pandemic has allowed or pushed many of us to deeper observation and inquiry. 

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Week 2 of Back to the Groove-  the series of establishing practice routine after the long holiday break. This week we TURN UP. If you could get Pleasant environment ( see episode 23) and you turn up to practice every day, you are almost back to the groove. 

• What if you like doing many things and you find it difficult to "manage your time" between them?
• Do you need to make a priority list?

Reflecting on the topic:

If life is a canvas, I could be the artist.

If life is blank page with music clefs , I could be the composer. 

If the score has already been written, I could be the pianist. 

If life is a clay, I could be the potter. 

If my pottery is broken I could glue them together, like in the art of Kentsugi, or throw it away...

What is your 'Life List' and your 'soul list'?

So, let's talk about soul. 

Let's  define what soul is. 

In the southern hemisphere academic year starts now.

Students are going back to school after a long holiday of 6 -7 weeks.

How do we go back to practice routine after such a long time?

I'll be offering here a series of talks on this topic. 

• If you're starting a new school year.
• If you are back after a short break
• If you feel that you need a makeover or fresh start 

     You might find this podcast helpful.

Each week we'll talk about ONE point that's easy to implement. 

In week 1 - We make practice pleasant. 

You are invited to share your questions and experience by sending a voice message ( from anywhere you listen to the podcast)

I’m looking to grow the podcast to reach more listeners and I'd much prefer to not use advertising.

?מאיפה הגיע הרעיון הזה

... הוא בא מאותו מקום שמגיעים ממנו תינוקות... ורעיונות

מה זה אומר? זה אומר שמהיום תוכלו למצוא חלק מהפרקים - גם בעברית

שאלתם.... ביקשתם...ושמחה לספק

בחרתי להתחיל עם נושא שבוער היום כתמיד (וקצת יותר)... נושא הזיקנה... ובבקשה אל תגידו לי לא לקרוא לו בשמו

.כי אני דוקא רוצה לקרוא לילד ( חחח )הזקן בשמו

למטה תמצאו פרטים ולינקים לרשימת התפוצה אליה אתם מוזמנים להצטרף, כדי שאוכל ליידע אתכם באירועים הממשמשים

In the last month of 2020 we gathered around in circles ( online) to send off 2020 .

These were circles of women, elders, teachers and parents.

In this episode i'm sharing with you about the Soul of Elderhood.

You don't become an elder by being old. You become an elder by acquiring wisdom & depth.

The dance of life goes on from birth to death.

Sadly, in our culture many old people dread getting old. They do everything possible to stay young, or to look young.

Elderhood could be the time to shed  the expectations  that your tribe, family or society have planted in you.

Becoming an elder could mean setting yourself free to be who you are or who you've  always wanted to be.

Accepting old age comes with GRACE and NOBILITY.

Weaving a new world requires the elders to step into their elderhood.

*.  *.   *.

I’m looking to grow the podcast to reach more listeners and I'd much prefer to not use advertising.

Two themes appear in this episode. 

One is a myth about a "witch"  and the other a reflection about Corona times. 

They are bound by a name - the  crown. 

"One day, when I was a child, stories began to circulate about a witch that lived in an old, dilapidated hut."

At the beginning of this episode I'm sharing the myth,  the realness, the essence, the fear and  the role they  played in our collective  early age consciousness.

The Crone, the Wise Old Woman, The Hag, The Witch  became distorted as history and patriarchal society took hold. 

Today marks one year since the first case of Corona has appeared in Australia

• Do you remember what you thought about it then?
• Do you remember what you felt?
• Do you remember the plans you had when you realised it might stay for a while?
• And now, after a year, do you have the courage to look at this list and see if you’ve done any of them?

We could look at the mystery behind the plans that's hiding in the mud of creation. 

Looking at this time as time of germination. 

"A seed is planted in the earth. We don't see when the germination  begins.
That is the doing of Mother Nature; . . . We have to wait patiently.  We cannot dig up the seed to see whether it is really growing; to do so, would be to destroy everything. 

Suddenly a bud appears.  What a joy and pleasure to watch it grow!  At the same time the root, unseen in the ground, is getting stronger and has the power to produce a big, sturdy tree."     Dr Shinichi Suzuki, Nurtured by Love, p. 45

*.  *.  *.

I’m looking to grow the podcast to reach more listeners and I'd much prefer to not use advertising.

One of the greatest ways to practice  "tricky" bits is to stop JUST BEFORE them. 

When you learn /practice  a  piece , Instead of playing the  whole piece  s l o w l y , analyse (with the help of your teacher, if needed) where the "tricky" bits are.   (it's usually the place  where  you usually  get stuck or make mistakes).

Draw a dotted line in the score.  When you play stop ( or freeze) where the line is,  prepare in your head and go. 

Soon  you'll realise that the  stop  doesn't happen any more. Congratulate yourself. You've mastered this place. 

*.  *.  *.

I’m looking to grow the podcast to reach more listeners and I'd much prefer to not use advertising.