I Am a Wind Instrument

My first lesson with a new singing teacher rocked my world. You are a wind instrument, she said, and I couldn’t imagine how I’d missed this blatant truth. Without air, we cannot make sound. We give shape and form to the wind itself.

Now, meet a remarkable woman who explores this connection in an astonishing way. Snow Raven is an indigenous singer from the Arctic Circle who learned to mimic nature sounds. Hear how she embodies the principle of being an instrument:

Snow Raven amplifies our kinship with the natural world while expanding our view of the human voice. [Her 8-minute TED Talk “How I Imitate Nature’s Voices,” includes several examples. If you’re a loon lover, just wait!]

What is it about this instrument we carry that’s so intriguing? Most of us barely recognize the gift of making sound. We’re often locked into narrow communication confines needed to navigate daily life.

Not that we all want to sound like the wind or a coqui frog. But, honestly, how much do we limit our expression? Would we like to be more vocally creative or daring? To give voice to some essential part of ourselves that wants to be shared?

Here’s an experiment. Try saying to yourself, I am a wind instrument, and see how it feels. Because as much as we can’t make sound without air, air can’t make sound without us.

Discover what your voice can do, if only in the privacy of your own car or shower stall. Risk singing out when no one’s around or speaking up when you know it’s your turn. 

Let’s play with sound—natural, tribal, truth-telling, or non-sensical—and see what we learn about ourselves, our wind instrument, and our connection to all life.

That is living as music.