A community sound leader today is Jacob Collier. By creating beautiful, improvised harmonic experiences, Collier brings his audiences together in music.
Take a moment to notice how you feel right now, then listen to this extraordinary sound (2 min):
Do you feel differently after hearing this music? How so?
Harmony is heart opening, and it’s also mathematics. A surprising fact about this technique is that it’s quite simple. The sonic result is layered, so it may appear complex to create. But more than anything, harmony requires simple listening.
You can bring harmony to your family, friend group, classroom, office headquarters, courtroom, restaurant, Zoom call — anywhere you are, whenever you’d like — by listening differently.
You don’t even need to conduct the music. All you need to do is be the one who’s tuning into the overview, paying attention to where harmony already rings, where notes meet in the space between.
Two practical examples.
You manage a corporate team. You notice the common ground of disparate factions at a group meeting and speak up to say, “One thing we all agree on here is…” A single commonality serves as the strength of unison and the necessary first tone upon which to build harmony.
You’re a waitress at a restaurant. You begin to pay attention to the rhythm of co-working where timing is key — chefs to servers to patrons. Just by noticing the dance and your part in it, you begin to create a level of community harmony in your workplace.
Naming and noticing. Seems so simple. It is.
That is living as music.
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Looking for a creative way to navigate a transition in your life? I’m here to help.
💛Emma
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Find Your Rhythm. Navigate in harmony with your heart.
Comments:
Emma, thank you for your kind response and your question. There have been fragments of harmony within a deeply discordant time, stretching over the past two weeks. The punctuations of harmony came in as text messages, voice notes or short emails. They all carried a joyful vibration, which I received as an uplifting harmony, creating a unique chord progression as the days roled on. This ultimately empowered me to detach from the discord.
Wow. That is beautiful, Cléone! You write so clearly about this sound element in life — how harmony comes to us and can be a "chord progression" if we recognize it. I'm sorry you've had a deeply discordant time, AND I honor you for keeping your ears and heart open to receiving a balancing vibration. I believe it's our ability to receive that makes all the difference. Gratitude goes a long way to being able to do that. Thanks so much for posting!💛
Emma, what a truly insightful presentation of “Living as Music”. Firstly the Jacob Collier harmonisation which is transformative in itself; then the everyday examples you provide, which bring it to within one’s reach.
Thank you so much, Cléone! Always delightful to hear your perspective as a musician and enlightened soul. I agree that the harmonization is transformative. How have you seen this play out in your life? Do you find the harmonies?
What a treat! Jacob Collier’s harmonic demonstration is impactful. My heart IS more open! Love your examples of ways to establish harmony and the benefit of doing so. A key element, harmony, to make life sweet. Thanks for sharing, Emma! 💕
So glad to hear, Mary Ann! Yes, harmony does make life sweet; that's a great way to say it. And it all starts with one sound to build on. Thank you for chiming in. 🎶