I met a friend at the local public library today. We sat outside on a bench and talked. I noticed a "Summer Sunday Concerts" sign in the window and began to hear cello wafting through the air every time someone opened the library doors...

     A woman was playing and talking about the cello; her experience and use for healing. She was a Music Therapist and spoke of how the vibrations of instruments heal our body/mind/spirit. She said the cello was particularly good for the bones as the deep vibration travels further into the body. She played songs that emphasized the progression of moving downward, others upbeat, others familiar...and her experience of playing for the terminally ill and the like. She mentioned how live music can be especially healing as the therapist can intuitvely sense what is needed in the person or people she is playing for and the sensation of the vibration being more optimal than recorded music.  

I found an impulse to sketch her:

     And near the end she "struck a chord" with me...she played a song that I used to hear as a child in one of the music boxes we had. Tears came to my eyes and I felt an impulse to write a poem as well. I gave them to her as a gift afterward. She commented on the expression of her face in the sketch I drew, noting that people often ask her why she doesn't make more eye contact with the audience. She explained that sometimes in order to "see" the music it is better to have her eyes closed.

      The musician explained that it was difficult for her to learn new music by listening, that it was easier to read notes or see notes by closing her eyes. She said that for the cello she found traditional Irish/Celtic songs to be most suitable and enjoyable for learning.

     Music has so much power to heal, especially live music. My choice of music nowadays comes from being so much more aware of the affect it has on me...when I can, I try to choose wisely, as I do food, what I might want in my surroundings, my body, consciousness.