"La Wally" aria "Ebben, Ne Andro Lontana"

I've been to two powerful movies in my life that used this aria strategically in the background to great effect. This is such an emotional and moving piece for vocal music and exemplifies why the human voice cannot be match ed by any instrument!

One of my favorite singers and songs

A beautiful lullaby sung by a beautiful lady...Kathleen Battle!

Drummers Get a Great Workout!

Rock drummers, some claim, are finely tuned athletes, as fit as any long-distance runner. But to get your head around that idea, you'll have to put aside all sorts of assumptions and stereotypes.


First, forget “Spinal Tap,” that hilarious mockumentary in which all of the band's besotted drummers perished mysteriously, such as in a gardening accident or by spontaneous combustion.
Forget, too, '70s icons John Bonham of Led Zeppelin and Keith Moon of the Who, whose extended drum solos were seemingly fueled not by a well-developed cardiovascular system so much as by, well, pharmaceuticals.
Consider instead: A recent study by two British sports scientists measured the heart rate, oxygen consumption, lactic acid buildup and peak endurance of Blondie drummer Clem Burke over a 10-year period ending in 2007 to find out just how much energy he used in a gig.
The researchers from the University of Chichester and the University of Gloucestershire found that Burke's exertion rate during a 1½-hour concert equaled that of a 10K runner or a professional soccer player. His heart rate averaged 140 to 150 beats a minute, reaching as high as 190 beats. He burned an average of 600 calories per performance and averaged about 2 quarts in lost fluids.
In short, banging on the skins is quite a workout. “Live rock drumming performance relies heavily upon the interplay between aerobic and anaerobic energy systems,” Smith wrote on the researchers' Web site, www.clemburkedrummingproject.com.
By Sam McManis • McClatchy Newspapers • November 26, 2009

Another kind of chanting

Most of the chants that I teach are Native American but I do love this kind too. What do you think?

Have you participated in a drum circle?

Drumming circles are a lot of fun and also can be very healing. There's something that's just so cathartic about picking up a drum with a nice resonant voice and letting loose on it! There's no right or wrong in a drum circle and everyone can do something different and it's OK! Usually we try to start and end together, but other than that, it's mostly free-form.

I'll be doing weekly drum circles at Healing Music Enterprises on 2720 Frankfort Avenue and would like to invite YOU! There's no charge but I'll ask for a love offering of your discretion. Bring your own drum or use one of mine. Family drumming on Saturdays at 1:30-2:30, adult drumming from 2:45-3:45. Please let me know if you will be there! Thanks!

Chanting and Meditation

People have been chanting for thousands of years. They have also been meditation for thousands of years. The two go hand in hand.

Recently there has been a lot written about the Law of Attraction and the amazing things that can result when this law is understood and practiced. Because I do believe that this is true and that it works beautifully when applied, I offer to you for your consideration and your use!

The Law of Intention and Desire: Inherent in every intention and
desire is the mechanics for its fulfillment. Intention and desire in the field
of pure potentiality have infinite organizing power. When we introduce an
intention in the fertile ground of pure potentiality, we put this infinite
organizing power to work for us.

I will put
the Law of Intention and Desire into effect by making a commitment to take the
following steps:

1. I will make a list of all my desires. I will carry this list with me wherever I go. I will look at this list before I go into my silence and meditation. I will look at it before I go to sleep at night. I will look at it when I wake up in the morning.
2. I will release this list of my desires and surrender it to the womb of creation, trusting that when things don't seem to go my way, there is a reason, and that the cosmic plan has designs for me much grander than even those I have conceived.
3. I will remind myself to practice present-moment awareness in all my actions. I will refuse to allow obstacles to consume and dissipate the quality of my attention in the present moment. I will accept the present as it is, and manifest the future through my deepest, most cherished intentions and desires.
Daily Inspiration"When there is no more separation between 'this' and
'that,' it is called the still-point of the Tao. At the still point in the
center of the circle one can see the infinite in all things." -- Chuang Tzu

The Serenity Prayer Chant

Many people who are in recovery from alcoholism, drug addiction, complusive eating or compulsive gambling, repeat the "Serenity Prayer." In some communities, the Serenity Prayer has been set to melody and is chanted, sometimes with the accompaniment.
The nature of chant is that it's repetitive, rhythmic, and has a narrow vocal range so that the average person can chant it. I would say this fits that description!