I wanna play like this

www.youtube.com/watch

Dreams are just Goals without Plans...

Life list:
Go to College and get a 4 year degree - check
Marry the Man of my Dreams - check (prayed every night from 13-18 years of age and found him at 23 years of age)
Encourage others to follow and attain their dreams - check
Travel to the birthplace of my ancestors - check (well almost Ireland and England check and check - still more to see for future trips, still gunning for Wales)
Go to Pennsic (working on it - 14 years ago our stuff went up for 5 years in a row without us - just want to see what it saw before I'm too old to enjoy the experiences.)
Gain Mastery at something... (life long pursuit seems to be music)(double edged sword - as soon as you think you have mastery of something, there is more to learn ;)
Become comfortable in my own skin - working on it
Being proud of my accomplishments by looking back with a forgiving eye (from 8 years old and on I've lived a blessed, interesting life centered around overachieving everyone's expectations in search of their approval, now I'm doing it for me.)
Travel the world seeking more information about things that pique my curiosity (Japanese culture and arts, Calligraphy and Illumination, world music and dance)
Learning to trust in self and the intangible gifts of knowledge and skill (if these hands could talk, oh wait...)
Becoming a healer with the gift of music and dance (Raki and Drum Healing are catching my thoughts currently)
Going back to school for a Masters in healing through music, sound and movement.
Becoming a healer of Veterans of War and those that have encountered trauma
Traveling with my Goddesskids to a place of their choosing, after they graduate high school or college, their choice. ( We have 8 goddesskids from 2 years to 20 years old.)
Learning the art of the manipulation of money without attachment to it. (Coming from a family where there was never enough of it, to a family of my own where we always seem to have what we need when we need it, wanting to get to a place of peace with it, learning to use it to make this list come true.)
Become worldly wise without being worldly cynical and distrusting of the human nature and condition. (Some have called this naive or have labeled me a "rube", think that says more about them than me.)
Never lose the fascination for life, love and others.
Constantly be inspired by the world around me, its beauty, its wonderment and its lessons.

His Mastery will Live on in our Rhythms and Hearts

Daihachi Oguchi

TOKYO -- Master Japanese drummer Daihachi Oguchi, who led the spread of the art of "taiko" drumming to the U.S. and throughout Japan, has died. He was 84.

Oguchi was crossing the street when he was struck by a car Thursday. He was rushed to the hospital but died of excessive bleeding early Friday, said an official at Osuwa Daiko, the ensemble in Nagano prefecture in northern Japan that he had led.

Oguchi helped found top U.S. taiko groups, including San Francisco Taiko Dojo (www.sftaiko.com), which has performed in Hollywood movies and on international tours since its founding 40 years ago. A former jazz musician, Oguchi was one of the first to elevate the traditional folk sounds of taiko to modern music played in concert halls, not just festivals and shrines.

He led and starred in the performance of drumming and dance at the closing ceremony of the 1998 Nagano Olympics.

"Kumi-daiko" literally means a taiko ensemble that consists of various taikos. Surprisingly, the Kumi-daiko style was invented in 1950's by single person although taiko itself has a long history. Daihachi Oguchi, the founder of Osuwa Daiko, created the Kumi-Daiko style in 1951. He was actually a jazz drummer. One day, he was asked to interpret an old sheet of taiko music for the Osuwa Shrine, which was found in an old warehouse. The sheet music was written in an old Japanese notation and he couldn't understand it at first. He, fortunately, found an old man who had performed the tune, and then he succeeded in interpreting it at last. However, as a jazz player, the rhythm pattern of the tune was too simple for him to play. He wondered why nobody played taiko together. A marvelous idea came across his mind and made him decide to break through the tradition. Inspired by a western drum set, he formed a group in which each player beats a different taiko; in short, he gave the group a function as a drum set. A high-pitched Shime-daiko established a basic rhythm like a snare drum does. A growling Nagado-daiko added accents like a bass drum. His intention was right to the point, and this epoch-making invention changed the taiko music forever.

His presence on the world stage will be missed.

Looking Back, Releasing, Moving On - Drum Circle Facilitation was already there, go figure...

Well it was awesome; the power the drum has to help heal and the way it can be slowed down to speak to the wave of energy that is the Universal Consciousness. But this power has to be wielded carefully, with correct intent through an ethical practitioner that also has physiological awareness of the implications of the work being done without ties to the outcome as long as it is for the highest good.

In the process, realization that all your experiences have compounded to create the person you are today and that you have the power to release the pain that shaped the stories of your past and re-write them in a less painful way and moving forward as the beat goes ever onward, learning the lessons and accepting the new parts of you from those experiences.

The most valuable lessons of the day:
There is a spark of light in everyone, appeal to it, if not the person.
Less is more.
The Universal energy does not judge, it just is and keeps going.
Your belief system is your past, it can be changed. In the process you can evolve.
Slowing down goes against our ingrained fight or flight instinct, but is the best way to create new patterns.
Don't stop drumming, there are no mistakes within the beat.
Suggest the first phrase for the client, then let them suggest the rest.
The psychic laundromat is important and even more so in groups (think raki or cranio-sacral energy cleansing and balancing)
It all started with the heartbeat and to that essence is where we return time and time again.
Finally, through it all the beat goes on...

It will be a while before I use this new healing certification because I need to dig a little deeper into the psychological studies of the drum on brain patterns and build my inventory of resources from which to answer and refer other professionals, since this deals on such a level of consciousness that changes people immediately and with long term affects.

My intentions and actions will have an affect on this process so I need to make sure they can be self monitored in order to become a conduit for the highest good, not manipulation of the Universe just to see if it works. You see it does work and my belief system says to respect that and not use it for pure manipulation.

I think my next step is going to be raki and learning to become a vessel for the healing energy that is out there for the use of everyone. That and self learning more about the healing modalities of the East (India and China) so that there is a deeper understanding of this power so that eventually I'll become a servant to others through the drum with a deeper understanding and more awareness of its affects on others.

This is not something to be approached lightly, but it does work.

Woot! Yip! Let's Go!

Through encouragement and nest expelling I'm headed toward the vision of drummers improving for Tribal dancers!

Certification happens this weekend in drum circle facilitation (don't have to be the best drummer to facilite, just aware of the circle and the energy and create a space where all feel welcome at any level).

A weekly jam session turned into a core group of drummers and dancers that are learning the concepts of down beat to leading hip, building trust with both dancers and drummers and learning basic rhythms and musicallity as well as proper technique, stretches, counting and drilling.

(An explicit thank you to all my previous drum instructors and future ones I have yet to meet.)

This journey is amazing and has turned into a passion. Inside me is a little voice saying you can do it, research, learn, dig deep as opposed to the pervassive voice that plays the old unproductive tapes.

Could I give in and follow this path to... well why define where it goes, let's just head down the road together.