Dear Ones,
Artistic expression as understood as a sharing of one’s internal passion through an art orm, is achieved by having the artistic tools of consciously connecting within oneself to sincere love and having the tools of technical elegance to share the transformation of the intangible, inaudible love into artistic form of some kind.
BUT HOW?
Here is a true story to demonstrate this.
Before I had my own music studio, I drove to student’s homes and taught them there. One of my very first students was what seemed like an impossible case.
First of all, he didn’t ask for oboe or flute lessons, he asked me if I could teach him how to play the Shakuhachi. I said that I only teach what I know, and I’ve never played one…however, until he found a proper Shakuhachi teacher, I could teach him what I do know, and that is diaphragmatic breathing, proper posture, how to get in touch within himself, meditate, focus the mind and develop better concentration - would he be interested in that? I’d only charge him 50% since I couldn’t play the instrument.
He accepted provided I accepted a gift of a shakuhachi which I could try to figure out how to play…
DEAL
This man was working towards reinventing and healing himself.
He was cleaning himself up from years of cocaine abuse which was cultivated while serving in the US military, which was preceded by years of schools for “derelicts” which was preceded by years of intense physical and psychological abuse from his father.
He had NO prior artistic experience.
I thought, hmmm, the door to success is through love, which is probably best accessed through the back door - MEANING - indirectly so he doesn’t avoid it or sabotage it.
The good news was that he was humble. He didn’t have a high opinion of himself. He was not arrogant. In fact, he could barely life with himself. The way he served his country was to sit in a silo and push the button, not knowing if it was a drill or if he was actually launching nuclear missiles and wrecking death, dreck, torture and havoc upon creation.
His military training was helpful in that he followed my leadership incredibly well.
I said sit like this and BOOM - he sat just like I said. He was most obedient and cooperative. This certainly expedited his progress. Maybe he wasn’t so hopeless after all!
He nailed posture and breathing in his first lesson. He learned how to focus his mind on performing the physical function of using breathing as a way to relax muscle groups and direct his air stream.
I taught him the 5 step focus>
Step one: focus mind on breathing and posture: observe and know when you are inhaling and exhaling. Follow the breath with the mind
Step two: continue step one and pay attention to all you can hear.
Step three: continue step two and deliberately breathe deeper and slower, also scan body head to toes and relax any unnecessary tension - let it melt like ice cream in the sun.
Step four: continue step three and pay attention to the feel of air around you
Step five: continue step four, put fingertips together pinky to pinky and so on and open eyes, including eyesight.
The strategy to invasive thoughts was to let them pass like something out of a train window.
That was his only daily homework for a week one.
Next week, we added the instrument after 5 step focus because I had figured out how to make sounds with it. (I still only charged him 50% - while I could play it, I couldn’t really PLAY it like an accomplished Shakuhachi master, or adept student for that matter - however, but could be expressive.)
Patiently, we worked on sound production. At first it sounded awful. I said - remember what it sounds like now, book mark it as a perspective point. It will improve. Plants don’t grow overnight.
He listened to what he created, observing nuances of changing sounds - research and observation. Cause and effect. PRACTICE with patience, while keeping form and staying within mediation - step 5.
Over time, he got the hang of it and I instructed him to look outside his picture window to something he thought was beautiful.
HE LOVED TREES.
(Note to self.)
His assignment and practice was to - while in the 5th step of meditation- play a note, while observing the trees.
Another week, we added more notes. He was improvising/listening/observing the sound. Play notes while playing to the trees.
Another week, he would tell a story to the tree, or cloud of whatever.
He also loved to read stories.
Note to self.
We worked on story - beginning, middle, end with sound. A note is a story, a phrase is a story, a few phrases a story.
Three months from the first lesson or so, he was moving around the instrument with more capability.
I asked him to improvise a sonic portrait of the tree - imitate the movement, color….
IT WAS ARTFUL, SKILLED, AND SO BEAUTIFUL!!!!! He told an expressive story with sound. He made a gorgeous portrait of the tree. He expressed himself.
I stood up, shook his hand and said, “Nice to meet you sir. Congratulations. Mission accomplished. You just played YOUR heart and it is beautiful. You expressed your love of the tree. No charge for today’s lesson.”
At that I walked out of the house while he cried.
Years later, I bumped into him at a flea market. He looked GREAT - very healthy and he was accompanied by a very beautiful and kind and sensitive looking woman. They both appeared to be genuinely happy together and he and I light up like Christmas trees when we saw one another.
He learned and achieved inspired expression.
Peace,
K.J.P.