Music and Health in America:
Schedule

Thursday, June 28 – Music in Society and Culture

8:30-9:00 am / Welcome

Dean Dan Sher, Don Campbell, Thomas Riis

9:00-10:30 am / Keynotes

“Only when I sing do I feel loved” Kay Norton

This paraphrased Maria Callas quotation suggests the tremendous power of the voice to affect the human condition. A well-known scene from Jonathan Demme’s 1993 film Philadelphia and the principles adapted from Jerrold Levinson’s Music and Negative Emotion (1997) are juxtaposed to highlight several ways that vocal music can make a positive impact on listeners when it most matters.

11:00-12:30 pm / Panel

Music that Heals Society: Historical, Cultural and Community Perspectives Kay Norton, moderator

 

Appalachian Traditions Ron Pen
African American Music and Healing Guthrie P. Ramsey, Jr.
Music and War Thomas Riis
Music of Social Activism Ysaye M. Barnwell
The Couch at the Piano Margret Elson

Lunchtime

Informal Roundtable Discussions on Music and Health

2:00-3:00 pm / Keynote

Cross-Cultural Musical Healing in America Pat Moffitt Cook
Musical healing practices of traditional world cultures have an important role in addressing the needs of patients from different ethnic, religious and spiritual backgrounds living in America today. This presentation, through discussion and audio/visual examples, identifies and examines cross-cultural sound and music repertoires and healing practices that are currently being used in a wide variety of healthcare settings and wellness workshops across the nation.

3:30-5:30 pm / Breakouts

A: Music in Native American Healing Chad Hamill, moderator
Indigenous healers and researchers will discuss how Native Americans utilize music and song in their life ceremonies and healing. They will broadly examine what healing means, how their work today reflects traditional rituals or methods, influenced by the cross-cultural world of the 21st century. While their ceremonies are usually secret, a basic demonstration will provide insight into this integral component of Native American culture and life.

 

B: Healing Hearts and Spirits with the “Original Sacred Harp” Toby Tenenbaum
First developed in New England, fasola or shape-note singing has been a popular form of musical and religious expression across the U.S. for nearly 20 years. It can appeal to anyone who enjoys singing in parts and performing with open-throated gusto. Easy to learn and fun to teach, fasola hymns in the tunebook called The Sacred Harp (1842) are filled with catchy melodies and resonant open harmonies. Give your eyes, ears, nose, throat, and lungs some healthy restorative exercise by spending a session with local Boulder expert, Toby Tenenbaum.

 

C: Emotional and Spiritual Health for Music Educators Sue Williamson
Music educators in all settings are experiencing substantial stress due to exhaustive workloads, cultural models of martyrdom in teaching, and challenging relationships with parents and students.  This workshop examines American cultural values which create toxic work environments in music teaching and guides participants to explore five frameworks designed to cultivate personal joy and profound meaning in our work.

7:30-10:30 pm / Plenary Workshop & Reception

Building a Vocal Community with Ysaye M. Barnwell
The workshop is designed to facilitate the development of a community through the vehicle of music from the African American tradition. Musical forms include calls, chants, spirituals, ring shouts, hymns, gospels, songs of resistance from the Civil Rights and other freedom movements, and contemporary songs. The historical, social, and political context will be provided as an introduction to songs in each of these music forms. Through participation in the songs and discussions of their context, the group will explore from an African American world view, the values embedded in the music, the role of cultural and spiritual traditions and rituals, ways in which leadership emerges and can be shared by and among community members, the nature of cultural responses to and influences on political and social struggle, and finally, the significance of a shared communal experience in individual lives. Following the workshop, enjoy a dessert reception in the Clubhouse of Folsom Stadium with stunning views of the  mountains.

Friday, June 29 – Finding the Music in Ourselves

9:00-10:30 am / Panel

Music in New Orleans: A Case Study after Katrina Don Grusin, moderator; Guthrie P. Ramsey, Jr.; Art Jones; Terry Sawchuk
A hallmark of New Orleans is its music. Panelists will examine how music and music-making has helped to heal the hearts and communities of the people of New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Musicians who are active in these efforts will speak about their particular work and experiences.

11:00-12:30 pm / Keynote

Music, Healing and Spirit Barbara J. Crowe
Spirit, both the vitality and playfulness of human spirit and the deep transcendence of Divine spirit, are important aspects of health. Music has historically been linked with spirit, which will be explored as it relates to physical and psychological health.

Lunchtime

Informal Roundtable Discussions on Music and Health

2:00-3:30 pm / Keynote

“Deep Listening” Experience with Composer Pauline Oliveros
Deep Listening is experiencing heightened awareness of sound, silence and sounding. Pauline Oliveros will discuss Deep Listening practices and lead the group through an auralization exercise that will promote inner listeining.

4:00-5:30 pm / Breakouts

A. Composers  and Performers Consider "Deep Listening"  Personal Creative and Healing Perspectives Pat Moffitt Cook, moderator; Pauline Oliveros; Ysaye M. Barnwell; Sue Coffee

B. Therapeutic Voicework: Sounding the Body-Mind-Spirit Laurie Rugenstein
Each voice is a unique energetic “fingerprint” with the potential to form a bridge between the physical and non-physical realms of inner and outer experience. We will explore ways in which the voice brings awareness to our internal physical and emotional landscape and ways in which we use our voices to connect with others, giving expression to this internal world.

C: Healing the Stress of American Performers with Alexander Technique James Brody
Performers encounter numerous challenge when they prepare to make music. What do we do when the challenges are not just musical, but are mental or physical? The Alexander Technique offers strategies that Professor James Brody will share in this session.

8:00 pm / Experiential Performance

Blues as Healer with John Galm, Jonathan Goldman & Friends
This performance will explore the unique qualities of an original American Music. The evening features: live drumming through master drummer John Galm, exploring the African roots of the blues and other American musics; a look at the healing nature of music and the blues in particular by Jonathan Goldman; then, live ensemble playing with The Zen Bardo Blues Band, featuring Goldman, Galm, and other blues performers. The audience will receive rich cathartic and joyous experiences through listening and dancing to the energies of Blues as Healer.

 

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7:30 pm / Concert Option ($35)

Orchestral Concert at Historic Chautauqua Park
The Colorado Music Festival Orchestra, led by its music director Michael Christie, offers an opening week performance for Symposium participants. Enjoy Boulder’s premiere summer orchestra known for its award-winning musicians, innovative programming and great acoustics. General admission ticket includes shuttle from campus.

Saturday, June 30 – Music, Medicine and Personal Health

9:00-10:15 am / Keynote

The Science of Music in Western Medicine Cheryl Dileo
This presentation will include a description of the results of a recent meta-analysis of the effects of music and music therapy in medical settings. Based on these results, an agenda for future research is detailed.

10:45-12:30 pm / Panel

Music and Health: Applications and Clinical Results with Music Therapies Sue Williamson, moderator
Overview of Auditory Stimulation Methods for Learning Disabilities Pat Moffitt Cook
Music and Epidemiology: Coal Miners and Textile Workers Ysaye M. Barnwell
Music and Special Education Arthur Harvey
Combined OT/SI and Sound Stimulation in a Research-based Clinical Setting Ron Minson, M.D.
Musical Interventions for Multi-Family Groups Tony Edelblute and
Marianne  Z. Wamboldt, MD

Picnic Lunch ($10)

Informal Discussions on the Lawn

2:00-3:00 pm / Panel

New Directions for Music and Health in the 21st Century Ron Pen, moderator
Visioning Music’s Role in American Health Don Campbell
Traditional Treatments for a 21st Century Virus: Healing HIV/AIDS in East Africa Gregory Barz
Music, Therapies and Spirituality Arthur Harvey

4:00-4:30 pm / Closing Plenary

A Sound Diet for the Future Don Campbell

6:00 pm / Dinner Option ($65)

Dinner at The Historic Boulderado Hotel
Join other participants for a social evening and enjoy the cuisine of one of Boulder’s finest chefs. Seating is limited.

8:00 pm / Concert Option ($20)

Healing Voices with Ars Nova Singers and Sound Circle
This concert brings together two of Boulder’s outstanding choral groups, Ars Nova Singers, under the direction of Thomas Edward Morgan, and Sound Circle, under the direction of Sue Coffee.

Sunday, July 1 – Post-Symposium Intensives ($65)

9:00 am – 1:00 pm

A. Music and Soulmaking with Barbara J. Crowe
This workshop will explore a theoretical foundation for the use of music and sound for therapy and healing based on the principles of complexity science and chaos theory. The impact of sound/music on the four basic areas of human functioning – body, mind, emotion, and spirit – will be explored as a process of soulmaking—the process of establishing the unique essence of each individual. The workshop will provide information, discussion, and direct experiences with various music therapy and sound healing techniques.

 

B. Music-Evoked Imagery: Experiential Session in the Bonny Method of GIM with Laurie Rugenstein
This music-centered approach to imagery work was developed by Helen Bonny in the 1970s and is widely used in psychotherapy, personal growth, enhancing creativity, and spiritual development. Music evokes imagery, facilitating an “awake dream state” which stimulates a dynamic unfolding of inner experience. This state supports deep insight, emotional release, and core integration of body, mind, and spirit. In addition to exploring the origins and applications of this work, participants will take part in a group experience of Guided Imagery and Music.

Sunday, July 1 – Community Event

7:30 pm - Free Community Event

The 2nd Annual Great American Sing-Along
Join in an  Independence Day celebration, singing popular American songs from the  19th and 20th centuries, including barbershop favorites,  songs from Tin Pan Alley, early jazz and music of Gershwin, Berlin, Cohan and  others. Led by the Jubilate Sacred Singers, artistic director David Harris, and pianist Bill Elliott, the evening is dedicated to long-time CU professor and song arranger Wayne Scott.

All programs subject to change.
$ = additional charge

For further information, contact baileyll@colorado.edu or 303-735-0237.