Academic, experiential, experimental. We go deeper into sound, self and creativity in various ways: recording, listening, reflecting, expressing. The focus is on developing creativity, systemic and sympathetic understanding, and a deepening relationship to Nature, the Planet and Life.
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Creativity & Innovation: Discover, Integrate, Create!
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Sound, Nature & Consciousness: Loving the nature of Sound!
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Voice Presentation: Expressing yourself clearly – getting people interested!
Suggested format: 6 weeks, one 2 hr meeting/week. £120/person. *( £45/session – ongoing – also available).
Creativity & Innovation:- Discover, Integrate, Create!
We are creative at our core. Using dialogue, personal research, discussion, sharing and insight we find out how it is we can shift our perspective on what it means to be ‘intelligent’ – to examine where intelligence comes from – e.g. how it relates to Nature – and to look at the possibility that our differences, accepted, are our strengths. Our different ways of perceiving, assimilating and creating are what makes us both part of a living system and part of the future of the living system. And becoming more creative is about learning new ways of understanding ourselves within the collective.
As we learn more about the organic nature of our intelligence, our creative process and our collaborative creative process, we actually shift where our expectations lie. Instead of imagining it comes from just us, by looking into our relationship to the web of energy and intelligence that is Life, we start to realize that we are on a pretty exciting ride. By working together we can create surprises that relate to natural sustainability, unexpected innovations and a deepening sense of home. Insight, adaptation, deliberation, contemplation and emergence.
Follow a series of exercises, practices and explorations to uncover the totally of what is possible in you, from you – an ongoing path of discovery.
Suitable for the non-artistic, the artistic, the curious, intellectuals and, conversely, people who have never opened a book in their life! In other words, you can have a creative life whether you lift a pen, a shovel, a paintbrush or a microphone. The approach is experiential, interactive, questioning and self-reflective. Come and discover more about the phenomenon of you!
Voice Presentation:- Expressing yourself clearly – getting people interested!
There are three tiers of communication; Spoken (public), Sung (musical) and Shared (personal conversations). The only gap between you and your audience is your voice; the strength of it, the truth of it, your confidence at the base of it. Do you have a message you need to get across? This voice, your voice, is an expression of you. It is you revealed. And that can be intimidating – and it can be ‘intimacy-making’… the opportunity you’ve been waiting for to transform your relationship to people, to presentation, to communication. There are both obstacles to overcome and discoveries to be enjoyed.
Your Situation
Perhaps you are preparing to give workshops, presentations or performances, perhaps you wish to address issues of improving communication, increasing your confidence? Maybe you are a pastor, interfaith minister or healthcare worker/healer, wanting to bring sound into your daily practice – personal or professional. Perhaps you simply want to sing!
How?
I listen to your voice, to you, in a different way. This enables me to put voice to the less apparent web of patterns that I can see you working with. And, through tried and tested, as well as intuited approaches, I help you find ways to express what is truly in you to express. This is an experiential process.
Results
You will become clearer about who you are. You will become more confident in expressing yourself. You may even start enjoying unexpected confrontations as you discover how to slow things down and take your time within them, to see exactly what your truth is. You will find yourself delighting in how your voice sounds and feels in your body. People will start to pay attention to you and, best of all, you will begin to feel in right relationship to both yourself and to life in general… the magic will return.
I have years of successful experience in this and my approach is intuitive..using practiced methods, creativity and exploration. I help you better engage with yourself, your material, your audience and your life. This is an experiential process…YOU are an experiential process. See my testimonials for inspiration!
Testimonial: Diane Miles
Sound, Nature & Consciousness:- Loving the Nature of Sound!
Thoughtful, explorative & experiential. We go deeper into sound & self in various ways: recording, listening, reflecting.
This class focuses on the sounds of Nature and the nature of sound, from a philosophical, mythological and creative perspective. Asking such questions as ‘What is sound?’ ‘What is Sound’s story?’ and ‘What is sound telling us?’ and, most important, ‘How do we learn to listen?’ (e.g. spiritually, physically, emotionally). Also, ‘What are we doing, when we contemplate sound?’ (i.e. what effect are we having on our environment, on our relationship to life)?
We will learn how to listen, from a multi-dimensional perspective, and how to relate our experience of listening into creative projects of sounds and forms that we wish to generate, explicate and collage. We will explore and re-define what we mean by sound and by Nature, i.e. What is Nature? What is the boundary line between the natural and the synthetic? Which has more value? More effect? Why?
Through a series of creative and practical exercises, we will participate in these philosophical questions, environmental questions, creating sonic soundscapes, and sonic storytelling. We will learn how to make our own statements about life through sound, and how to relate to our sonic environment. Where (in our bodies, our selves) are we hearing and feeling the sounds? What are their frequencies – how do we figure that out? How do we listen?
Resource Texts:
The Soundscape: Our Sonic Environment and the Tuning of the World, Murray Schafer
The Music of Life, Hazrat Inayat Khan
Elf Rock, Paul Russell
Meetings with remarkable Trees, Thomas Pakenham
World as Lover, World as Self, Joanna Macy
God as Nature sees God, Rev. John R. Mabry
Sacred Plant Medicine, Stephen Buhner
The World is Sound, Nada Brahma
The Music of the Spheres, Jamie James
Navigating the Tides of Change, David La Chapelle
Listening to Whales, Alexandra Morton
Silent Thunder, Katy Payne
On the track of Water’s Secret, Kronberger/Lattacher
The Universe Story, Swimme/Berry
The Tao of Physics, Fritjof Capra
The Web of Life, Fritjof Capra
Plant Spirit Medicine, Cowan
Dwellings, Linda Hogan
The Hidden Heart of the Cosmos, Brian Swimme
The Sacred Depths of Nature, Ursula Goodenough
The Secret Life of Plants, Tompkins/Bird
On Dialogue, David Bohm
Wolf Songs, Busch
Tree Wisdom, Jacqueline Paterson
Global Brain, Howard Bloom
Vibrational Medicine, Richard Gerber
Wild Soundscapes, Bernie Krause
Sudden Music, David Rothenberg
Format and Cost: 6 x 2hr. sessions; £120.
Testimonials
“Clare was a fantastic vocal teacher! She was sincere and came to each class prepared to work with each student’s abilities. All her classes were creative and invited me to reach beyond my limits as a singer and access the essence of spirit doing the singing. I was challenged for sure and looked forward to each class. I strongly recommend her classes to any beginners or advance students looking to improve vocal technique, vocal intention, or simply want to sing with others.”
– Sandra Conde, Oakland, CA
“Dedicated singer and song writer, Very Heart Centered, and willing to support your musical dreams…..She’s fun to sing with too!!!!!”
– Rev. J. V.
“Having planned workshops and events with Clare, I trust her to speak with dignity and with clarity, and to inspire this in any group with whom she works. Being a teacher myself, I admire this quality in others.”
– Lizzy Hull, Curriculum Coach & Teacher, San Francisco public schools.
“I feel she truly demonstrates personal initiative and motivation. She will do supportive research and reading to widen her knowledge of specific music topics and use that new information to enliven classroom discussions…Clare has an open mind and is willing to listen to every students point of view…she has my complete recommendation”
– Jay Lehman, Laney College Music Dept. Chair.
“Clare has always conducted herself in a professional, open and friendly manner…her creative work is of a notably superior quality…her thinking processes and cognitive powers are clearly evident in the work she is producing…placing her work in and against the historical paradigm”
– John Dobson, Instructor, AAC, SF
“Clare is a good problem solver and a kind spirit…a loyal and valued friend…I appreciate her courage and her honesty and her ability to focus on the task at hand”
– Jim Reinhart, friend
