Music Gardeners Almanac: Cultivating the Roots and Fruits of Every Body Music

E15 Music for Human Connection: a presentation I gave at Trinity Church

One day Every Body Music will become a mainstream genre. In the meantime please support our work by sharing our podcasts, leaving comments, and contributing at everybodymusic.rocks/donate.
In this episode, we delve into the profound impact music has on human connections and social relationships. Jonathan shares the belief that music transcends the barriers of language, fostering deeper communication and bonding among humans. We talk about the ubiquitous nature of music in our lives, emphasizing the inherent musicality inside each one of us and the crucial role it plays in our existence. We talk about music as a tool to understand life better and to work on personal growth.
Our music is an essential part of that human connection, reaching places words fail to reach - a powerful form of communication that has become disconnected in the era of texting and computer interaction.
I invite listeners to reconsider conventional stereotypes of musical talent bestowed upon a lucky few, and instead accept that we are all musical in our unique ways. 
We sing songs like "Repurpose Hate and Turn It Into Love" and "Beautifully Flawed", reiterating the importance of love in facing adversities. The discussion is enriched with a quote from Martin Luther King on the power of love. Individual stories are shared showing the commonality of experiences and the potential for change and growth.
Throughout the discussion, Jonathan engages with the participants, encouraging them to recognize their individual skills and apply them in a musical context.
Concluding the episode, we stress the transformative potential of music and how music aids in dealing with personal fears, stories, and expectations. The engagement ends with a resonating message that reinforces the power of love and music in our lives. Join us in experiencing the magic of music in human connection.

E14 A Guided Musical Meditation

One day Every Body Music will become a mainstream genre. In the meantime please support our work by sharing our podcasts, leaving comments, and contributing at everybodymusic.rocks/donate.
In this immersive episode, recorded at the Trinity Presbyterian church in Prescott, AZ, USA, we take a profound journey through the rhythms and melodies within us, unraveling the musicality inherent in our bodies. Delve deep into this guided meditation structured around the music in and around us, as we attempt to slow our heartbeats and harmonize with the collective soundscape in the room.
Close your eyes and feel the music within you ebb and flow with your breaths, tapping into the personal groove within your bodily rhythm. As we delve deeper, we familiarize ourselves with the truth that our bodies are musical and designed to connect with one another. Together, we explore the unspoken melodies in our bodies, the shared lyrics and sounds that our bodies produce in unison, stirring the silence and making this room come alive.
Immerse yourself in the grand orchestration of collective breaths, individual notes, and shared vibrations. The rhythm of the room harmonizes with the patterns outside, seeping its essence into every breath.
Perceive the minutest alterations within your vocal cords, just as the body gently responds to each breath. We meet at the junction of solitude and togetherness, creating a mesmerizing symphony where our shared humanity becomes a palpable entity. We dive headfirst into the beauty of dissonance, the pleasure of harmony, and the intricate web of notes that silence can weave.
For the grand finale of this collective psalm, we release our notes into the universe, respecting and embracing our weird ideas. Tuning into this engaging guided meditation, we explore a world of music within us, connecting us deeper to our shared human experience. Now close your eyes and let the music guide you in.
 

E13 Osingolio in Ngong’u Narok (bonus episode)

Osingolio means singing and dancing in the Maa language of the Maasai. They cannot be separated in Maasailand. This episode is an excerpt from a video I made for the village of Ngong'u Narok in Amboseli, Kenya in 2008. You might hear Kaika talk about singing the dances. That's what they do there. That's how they flourish in drought and oppression. But this latest drought is really hitting them hard. I made this bonus episode to bring attention to a fundraiser I am doing. More details to follow.

E12 From Guns to God

This episode is a conversation with Jaden King who was a gun carrying MAGA guy til he found Jesus. I tell him that music saved me and we're off and running. 

E11 Seven UU Principles of Every Body Music at PUUF

This episode was recorded at Prescott Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (PUUF) August 14, 2022. I talked about how the seven Unitarian Universalist principles can be applied to Every Body Music. 

E10 Jazz Musician/Historian Paul Ruffner Talks About Music & Revolution

This conversation with historian and jazz musician Paul Ruffner shows the vital role music played in the movement that got Salvadore Allende elected in Chile and also how threatening music was to Pinochet’s coup that ousted him and also why it has been so hard to get Every Body Music going here in the United States. This conversation made me wonder if social change without music is really social change at all. Listen closely and click the links in the description. You will find yourself singing if you really listen to yourself.
Here are some amazing links Paul sent me connected to our conversation:
This is the first album where a whole political party's platform was put to music https://youtu.be/mqyzYx-p-PE
The theme song to Popular Unity, 1970 election campaign https://youtu.be/57tWbzDdx2s
El Derecho de Vivir en Paz ''The Right to Live in Peace  https://youtu.be/XkXise2bHE0
The Burning Sun Up Above  https://youtu.be/s2E9AXJozGw
The people, united, will never be defeated https://youtu.be/w8UGs0rdhq8
This is V. Jara's first political album https://youtu.be/i9z2d_1ESto
 

E9 My Life in Art - Jon Meyer of Prescott Center for the Arts Interviews Me.

This episode from 2016 was culled from the comMUSIKey archives three years after comMUSIKey's creation.  It's fun to see the very roots and seedlings of Every Body Music. 

E8 Musical Stories with Marieke

In this episode, I talk to Marieke Slovin who spent a number of years in Brussels turning stories of immigrants into songs. As I was listening to this conversation it made me think of a snowfall that seeps into the ground over time continuing to nourish the music garden. So Let this conversation sink in.
You can get the whole story at guidingsong.com/migrationsong
You can buy her book On the Move: Poems and Songs of Migration at Lulu. "Songs of Migration" is a collaboration between Marieke Slovin Lewis, Sarah Reader Harris, and residents of the Fedasil Petit-Château Arrival Centre between January 2017 and January 2020. During this time, Marieke and Sarah offered poetry and songwriting for asylum seekers at the center. The music in this songbook represents many hours of cultural exchange, discussion, vulnerability, creativity, and love.