There are marathons and bike-a-thons and walk-a-thons, but on Sunday, June 22, Riverbrook Residence in Stockbridge, MA hosted what may be the world’s first Piano Improv-a-thon!

Riverbrook, the oldest facility for women for developmental disabilities in New England, is where I teach music. In collaboration with Riverbrook director Joan Burkhard and the many wonderful people on the staff, this event helped fulfill my aspiration to show that, no matter who we are, beauty is inherent to us all by virtue of being human.

Over the course of the afternoon, people of all ages, backgrounds and levels of musical experience—including many of the Riverbrook women—improvised with me on the beautiful Samick grand piano that graces the Riverbrook living room.

The Piano Improv-a-thon was a fundraiser for the Riverbrook music program, which is giving women with developmental disabilities a powerful and transformative means of self-expression. We raised almost $4500—far more than anticipated.

The Improv-a-thon performers collected pledges for their participation from family, friends, and colleagues. (For example, many of my husband’s fellow teachers at Taconic High School supported his participation in the event.) Contributions also came from dozens of individuals and businesses throughout the Berkshires, the Hilltown area and beyond. The Red Lion Inn, The Taggart House, Bardwell, Bowlby and Karam Insurance, Consolati Insurance, Boston Seafoods, Zabian’s Jewelers, Guido’s Marketplace, Once-Upon-a-Table restaurant, were among the many who donated.

Children as young as four years old participated, as did some the Riverbrook women and many of my older students. As you’ll hear in the audio clips below, each improvisation was completely individual. Yet, a seamless connection arose among all those present. We were experiencing what was occurring from that deeper level where beauty arises.

Riverbrook is a rare and special place for women with disabilities. It is an environment where beauty and interconnectivity can flourish among everyone who walks through its doors. As improvisation released the creative impulse in each participant, an unusual alchemy of music, ease and freedom emerged that afternoon. I actually think this was a world’s first!

Here is a sample of the twenty-four Riverbrook Improv-a-thon performers. Click on “audio recording” to hear their performances. More photos and audios are coming—stay tuned!

Nancy Babcock, Worthington, MA

Nancy studied piano for a short time when she was a girl, but was told that she had “no musical talent.”

Click here for audio recording

 

 

 

Carol Ray, Riverbrook Residence

Carol has lived at Riverbrook for many years and is beloved by residents and staff alike. Carol expresses her exuberant relationship to life through playing music and dancing. She participated in our performance, “Flying Free: Music without Limits.”

Click here for audio recording

 

 

 

Isabella DeFelice, Richmond, MA

Isabella is four years old. Her two sisters and brother—Gabriella, Daniella and Dominic—study piano with me. Isabella is just beginning. Our occasional forays into music are entirely improvisational.

Click here for audio recording

 

 

 

Tracy Salvadore, Riverbrook Residence

Tracy loves singing and playing the piano. Occasionally, when we’re improvising something upbeat, a staff member or resident will start dancing to our music. This gives Tracy great joy and amusement!

Click here for audio recording

 

 

 

 

Frieda Pilson, Chappaqua, NY and Richmond, MA

Frieda has played piano for much of her life. Classically trained, she longed to free her creative musical voice. She began studying with me a number of years ago and now improvises freely, as well as composing her own strikingly original piano pieces.

Click here for audio recording

 

 

 

 

Tom Weeks, Southfield, MA

Tom works for the New York Life Insurance Company. He sings with the Berkshire Choral Festival and has a beautiful tenor voice. Tom began studying piano with me in 2008. His improvisations have a distinctly “vocal” quality: beautiful melodies are always emerging from him!

Click here for audio recording

 

 

 

 

Bram Fisher, Richmond, MA

Bram and his brother, Satchel, both study piano with me and play in the school band. They clearly love music! Each boy has a distinctly individual sensibility, as expresed in their performances of jazz and blues pieces and familiar songs, improvisations, and their Garageband compositions.

Click here for audio recording

 

 

 

 

Tanny Labshere, Riverbrook Residence

Tanny and I played a semi-improvised interpretation of “We Shall Overcome” and “America the Beautiful.” Two weeks prior, we had played this duet for Governor Deval Patrick.

Click here for audio recording

 

 

 

More photos and recordings from the Riverbrook Piano Improv-a-thon are coming soon—stay tuned!

It’s not every day that the Vice President of the United States stands less than a foot away from you, gives you a disarmingly warm hello and a very firm handshake!  Thanks to a dear friend, Bernard L. Jones, that’s exactly what I experienced a few days ago.

Bernard, a Democratic State delegate from Colrain and Vietnam combat veteran, had invited me to a special reception in Boston for Vice President Joe Biden. Together with several hundred other people on the roof deck of Fenway Park, I listened to the Vice President speak about the issues confronting this new administration. He described his visits to hard-hit industrial communities throughout the United States and the economic necessity for health care reform. His speech was sober, personal, and finally…uplifting. Not in an impractical or hyperbolic way. His optimism was authentic, real.

I was hoping to hand him a DVD of my piano duets with the women of Riverbrook Residence. Through the medium of music, women with disabilities are exemplifying—emotionally, cognitively and socially—the spirit of change he and the new administration stand for. I knew that the Vice President would find this work meaningful and inspiring—just as Governor Deval Patrick had the week before!

As I learned from a Secret Service agent, however, no one is permitted to hand the Vice President anything, except perhaps a business card. So I gave my packet of materials to another friend, Michael Wilcox, through whose connections we hope to deliver it to the Vice President.

My aspiration is for the Riverbrook women to be recognized at a national level. Specifically, I imagine them performing in the First Lady’s new White House Music Series. They will help make the White House the “People’s House”—as First Lady Michelle Obama is seeking to do.

Through their music, these women, who in other circumstances may have been relegated to the fringes of society, are inspiring people throughout Massachusetts. They demonstrate why the optimism Vice President Biden expressed the other night is justified—they prove that beauty, creativity and freedom are our nature, inherent to us all and unfettered by any limitation!

It’s so great to hear from Jessica on her work with the women of Riverbrook Residence. What is possible is so much more than we think, and it’s wonderful that she and her students were able to share this in such a real sense with Governor Patrick. Thanks, Jessica! -ed.

What an amazing night! A few nights ago, my blind student Tanny Labshere and I had the opportunity to play a piano duet for the Governor of Massachusetts, Deval Patrick. For the occasion—a small fundraising party at a private home—we created a special medley of “We Shall Overcome” and “America the Beautiful.” At the last chord, there was a palpable absorption in the room - everyone was completely focused on our playing. People were deeply moved.

Tanny’s adoptive mother, Paula Labshere, was there and she was thrilled. We both had an opportunity to express to the Governor the ways in which the State had made it possible for Tanny to grow and thrive. It had given her life-changing opportunities: through the foster program she was placed with a loving family who eventually adopted her; Tanny attended the Perkins Institute for the Blind; and now she was at Riverbrook Residence in Stockbridge, MA, which is a model of care for women with disabilities. That’s where I teach her music.

Like anyone in government these days, the Governor is grappling with extraordinary challenges. At the event, he spoke about the multi-billion dollar cut in the state budget and, as a result, the hard decisions he’s having to make. I thought, it’s important for him to see what’s working, and how significant it is. State programs and facilities in Massachusetts had made it possible for a young woman like Tanny—who was born into great difficulty—to ultimately express the freedom and beauty Governor Patrick had just witnessed. His response was wonderful. He was clearly moved by what he had just heard. It was a very special moment!

I recently discovered through a musician friend, Judy Gerratt, this amazing Venezuelan man, named Jose Abreu. He has developed a system of teaching music to young children and created youth orchestras throughout his country. In this video on the TED site, he describes why and how music is having a transformational effect on Venezuelan children.

Here is a quote from near the end of his speech:

“The huge spiritual world that music produces, which also lies within itself, is the end of overcoming material poverty. The minute a child plays, he is no longer poor. The historian, Arnold Toynbee, said that the world is suffering a huge spiritual crisis…I believe that to confront such crisis, only art and religion can give proper answers to humanity, to mankind’s deepest aspirations and the historic demands of our time.”

It is precisely because he goes to the heart of music—to its spiritual essence—that he is able to catalyze individual and social change. His reflections on the transformational power of music mirror what I’m observing in my work with women with developmental disabilities. (see video) I would state in this way the part of his quote I italicized: ”The minute a person plays, she/he is no longer disabled.”

This video is taken from a performance called, “Flying Free: Music without Limits.” It features improvised and semi-improvised piano duets with the women I teach at Riverbrook Residence in Stockbridge, MA. Riverbrook is home to twenty-three women.

Under the direction of Joan Burkhard, a committed staff is creating the optimum conditions for women with developmental disabilities to be supported in every dimension of life. This is the environment I entered as a piano teacher in Fall, 2007. In my work with the women, I became disarmed by the result. As you’ll see, these women confirm that beauty arises from the deepest level of being, unfettered by any limitation. They demonstrate why music is, arguably, our most powerful and universal means of human expression and is present in us all!

A friend, John Steiner, recently sent an email that included a quote from the philosopher, physician, theologian, and musician, Dr. Albert Schweitzer. “…Just as the rivers we see are minor compared to underground streams,” Schweitzer said, “So, too, the idealism that is visible is minor compared to what people carry in their hearts unreleased or scarcely released.”
I’ve taught music for almost three decades to students of all ages, cultures, levels of experience and most recently to women with developmental disabilities who are blind, autistic or have Down’s syndrome. (A video of a recent performance will be posted soon.) What I am witnessing confirms that the beauty we carry in our hearts, often unreleased, is far greater than what is apparent.
 
Schweitzer, who won the 1953 Nobel Peace Prize, went on to say that, “Humankind is waiting and longing for those who can accomplish the task of untying what is knotted, and bringing these underground waters to the surface.”  At this holiday season, I believe that if we look closely, if we have faith in the beauty that’s there, hidden below the surface, we will help bring it to light.
For inspiration, here’s a track from my first CD, Pachelbel’s Canon in D

Happy Holidays!

What is activism? It’s going deeper than we’ve ever gone before. I can’t wait to see the video of this concert! -ed.

A multi-media/musical event called “Flying Free: Music without Limits,” which I created and directed, was staged last Sunday at a small concert hall in Pittsfield, MA. I performed on a wonderful Steinway grand piano with women I teach from the Riverbrook Residence in Stockbridge. These women have disabilities that range from blindness to autism and Down’s syndrome (I’ve written about this in previous posts.) As they played, their words—in which they describe their experience of music—were projected on a screen for the audience.

The women and I performed improvised and semi-improvised duets. Some of them are only just beginning to play the piano; one woman who is blind is quite adept.  Regardless of the level of experience, each woman played with disarming authenticity, creativity and naturalness. The 60-70 people who attended witnessed something of revelatory beauty that went far beyond my own expectations and theirs.  What occurred, I believe, had the hallmarks of a new kind of art and aesthetics.

My father traveled four hours in winter weather to attend the performance.  A college professor, he has taught the philosophy of education for over fifty years and is no stranger to the realm of students with learning difficulties. Nonetheless, he said, “This event completely deconstructed my notion of what it meant to be developmentally disabled. It was staggering. It proved to me that we can transcend our biology.”  Another member of the audience wrote to me later that day: “We were in tears. My wife and I have gone to hear various concert artists. There was more music at your event than in the performances we have seen. You and the women from Riverbrook gave us music to move the spirit.”

A truly new expression of art and aesthetics is not a linear extension of how we currently see things. It is not combinatory or re-combinatory in nature; nor is it a “renaissance” of earlier cultural or artistic movements—as great as they may have been. It is a wholly new way of perceiving that upends our most fundamental and often unconsciously held beliefs.  My father experienced that reorientation and so did I. This event was not about “handicapped” people doing something that they had learned by rote. These women were creating music of profound beauty and authenticity, by any measure. They proved that they could, indeed, transcend their biology. The implications are far-reaching.

And that’s where beauty comes in.  What occurred would not have been possible without a highly attuned musical sensibility. In working with the women, I was listening solely for beauty and for what was unique and natural to each of them.  For as long as I can remember my mother has instilled in me that kind of appreciation. She herself is a pianist who studied with an extraordinary teacher in NYC during the ‘40’s and ‘50’s. His name was Leopold Mittman and he was accompanist to violinists Isaac Stern and Mischa Ellman. Just over a year ago, in a book my mother found on piano pedagogy, she read that her teacher’s teacher studied with Franz Liszt and Liszt studied with Beethoven. This astounding discovery confirmed everything she’d been given by Mr. Mittman and had passed on to me. She taught me what makes music sing.

I’m bringing that musical sensibility to bear in an entirely new context with a new, evolutionary goal. In my work with these women, I have absolute confidence that they are fully capable of expressing beauty. Last Sunday, they proved to me and the audience in that small recital hall that it’s true.  Even in the realm of professional concert-making, real beauty is extraordinarily rare.The audience member who later wrote to me about his experience was right, and his unsolicited observations confirmed what I’d suspected: Beauty is not merely a function of talent, as we generally define it—it’s deeper than that. Beauty is a dimension of the human soul unfettered by any limitation.  On Sunday, I saw it emerge before my eyes and witnessed the effect it had on the audience.  People were so impacted. There was hardly a dry eye in the house. At that depth, beauty becomes what Steve McIntosh calls an evolutionary “attractor of perfection.” Only that kind of beauty can catalyze a new, integral art and music—-one that can have an evolutionary impact on culture and consciousness.

In recognition of the event’s significance, “Flying Free” was jointly sponsored by the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s Community Education Program, the internationally acclaimed theater company, Shakespeare and Co. and Miss Hall’s School, a private girls’ high school.  It was also supported by a grant from Caroline and James Taylor, which was of special significance for me, as James Taylor was one of my earliest musical influences.  (I can remember the moment in 1971 when I first heard “Fire and Rain” playing on a small, transistor radio.)

A video of the event will be completed next week and posted on YouTube and on this blog site. It will give you an experience of what occurred. We will be disseminating the video to organizations and individuals throughout the country, including the Obama team. As solicited on his website, this is certainly an “American Story” that generates ideas and insights that can “change the future of this country.”

Thirty years ago—in 1978—the concert pianist, Vladimir Horowitz was invited by Jimmy Carter to perform at the White House. The videos of that concert are the most sublime I have ever seen.

The evolution of that performance, three decades later, would make evident that everyone, including the women I work with, can express the same kind of undeniable beauty. That’s what happened on Sunday and that’s what needs to be heard at the White House and throughout culture, to inspire every man, woman and child in this country to realize that beauty is inside of them!!

Nearly every Sunday, I play the piano for services at a small, rural church in the hill town of Worthington, MA.  The minister, Reverend Doug Small, is a great advocate for God and for the beauty of music, two reasons why I love to accompany his services.  Prior to the service this past Sunday, Rev. Small described to me what he was going to say so I could choose an appropriate piece for the piano solo.  Sunday’s theme would be Thanksgiving, for which he’d offer this counsel: “As we approach the holiday, if you cannot find something to be grateful for, just look more deeply.”

I thought, we need a song that celebrates our re-awakened appreciation for life. So that’s what I played—my piano rendition of Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World.”

Happy Thanksgiving!

What are you grateful for? Let us know in the comments.

I can safely say that I’m a pianist by birth. My mother played beautifully and during her pregnancy with me, as she practiced Brahms and Schumann, their melodies no doubt penetrated the walls of her womb and entered my developing consciousness. I have no idea when it was that I first tried to plunk out notes on the piano.  I was that young.

In 2006, after working for a few years as a senior editor for What is Enlightenment? Magazine (now EnlightenNext), I returned to teaching and performing music.  In so doing, it became apparent that music is still with me. It’s in my blood. When I’m at the piano, I give every ounce of my attention to each note, each span of silence, the arc of each musical phrase. I shape sound and silence like a potter shapes clay. In return, music gives me doubtless confidence—in beauty.

I recently read a short statement from integral thinker Steve McIntosh, and the penny dropped. McIntosh placed my experiences in a far-reaching context. He said that the advancement of human culture is pulled forward by beauty. He called beauty—and truth and goodness—evolutionary “attractors of perfection.” As we awaken to these primary values, they “draw us forward into increasingly more evolved states and stages.”

These days, I perform regularly: in rural churches, at stylish cafés and elegant country inns, at weddings, at funerals, at fundraisers, even at bowling alleys. The people who hear my music come from diverse social and economic backgrounds. Some who wholeheartedly respond to my playing are life-long republicans (one is close to George W. Bush), others are dyed-in-the-wool Democrats. Music touches something in us that’s more essential than these distinctions. That gives me hope.

In my last posting, a pre-election interview with global activist Dr. Don Beck, he spoke about the need for a new kind of leadership—one that transcends partisan politics. His emphasis was an apt one. As it turned out, 58 million people in the US voted for John McCain and 67 million chose Obama. We are still a divided nation and our problems are enormous.  I am inspired, however, by what this country represents and by what it can become. I remember the Pledge of Allegiance: “…One nation under God, indivisible.” That motto instills in me a powerful and disarming sense of patriotism.

Barack Obama, an African American, was just elected to the highest office in the United States. I was amazed, as many were, to see him walk across that long platform in Chicago to declare his victory on the evening of November 4th. I have a dream that America, under President-elect Obama’s leadership, will become the nation whose lofty credos are inscribed on so many of our government buildings in Washington. I am optimistic that this country can regain its standing as a beacon of possibility for millions around the world. Hopefully, this is a new beginning.

I believe that the power of beauty can and should be called upon to help catalyze this transformation. Beauty awakens that place in us where we are far more alike than dissimilar.  Beauty emanates from our deepest selves. In light of the immense challenges we face, that dimension of us should be activated consciously and intentionally, awakened by evolutionary attractors of perfection such as transcendent music, to move us towards a wholly new future.

Two years ago I was asked to perform at a campaign fundraiser for Deval Patrick, who subsequently became the Governor of the State of Massachusetts. He was making an appearance here in Berkshire County. For the occasion, I created this interpretation of America the Beautiful.

This is the second of 2 parts of Jessica Roemischer’s interview with Spiral Dynamics wizard Don Beck. Read part one.

Jessica Roemischer: Which candidate do you think is best suited to institute this new trans-partisan approach to governance—Obama or McCain?

Don Beck: I think both candidates have strengths in this regard. But after eight years, the “out party”—the Democrats—are in a much better position to do this because the “in party” is exhausted. When you look at the people Bush has had in important roles, you can see that a party that maintains power for eight years runs out of steam. I think there’s a freshness in the Obama camp and a lot of popular support for him with high levels of energy. I think he’s more equipped to do something like what I’m describing. Certainly Obama’s background also suggests that to us.

Yet, much can be said for McCain—his courage, strength and resolve. He probably has the ability to deal with foreign affairs much better than Obama does. But there are elements to his right which concern me—for example, the element behind so much of the warfare. Similarly, to Obama’s left, that hard liberal system is destructive for us because it won’t institute the kind of policies that are necessary for most of the population. I’m worried about extremity on both sides of them.

JR: What are some of the policies from the left that won’t work?

DB: We’re still a very traditional, conservative country in so many ways. The more liberal viewpoint has got to accept traditionalism, discipline and accountability, and insist that everyone play their role rather than simply seeing them as victims. That’s always part of the problem of the “Hard Left.” They will not insist that people own up to their responsibilities. It’s still play “the blame and be blamed” game, rather than promoting what I call “thrive and help thrive.” If the federal policy is to simply throw money at problems and not insist on accountability, then it will produce these “sink holes.” In other words, these programs will not result in real economic or social development.

JR: In his recent endorsement of Barack Obama, Colin Powell called him a “transformational figure,” someone who can take us beyond polarization. Do you agree?

DB: If what Obama is saying in this campaign is what he truly thinks, he may be that transformational figure. Creative thinking often comes from outside the system, suddenly appearing unpredicted by anyone. I think that Obama fits that description pretty well. So, I’m not alarmed at his background, although I’m a bit concerned about the kinds of people he’s dealt with in the past in South Chicago. I’d like to see him with a different assortment of friends, which are probably there.

At the same time, he’s formed various support groups. There’s one in foreign affairs, for example. He does seek advice from elsewhere. But I don’t know if that’s a sign that he himself doesn’t know what to do. I really don’t know who Obama is, and that makes me edgy at times. But I like what he says; I love this new voice. And I think the Democratic Party, which has been outside of power, has more momentum, with people anxious to do things. If Obama does not personally favor the extreme partisan behavior in the House and Senate, he can certainly set the stage, and control, the parameters for new strategies. But I sure would like to see his list of candidates for the various secretarial positions.

JR: Do you think that Obama, as an African-American, can unite a country in which so much racism continues to exist?

DB: My point of view is that the issues about race are not about race, they are about value systems. As long as we define what’s happening in terms of race, we trap ourselves in a cul-de-sac. So, voting for someone because they are black is no different from voting against someone because they’re black. It’s an expression of the same stereotyping. I hope that Obama in his style, his way of speaking, and his approach can lead us beyond that polarization, but he needs a new model to integrate our systems. Obama talks about real change, profound change. His strong statements on the matters of race are very reassuring to me. I hope that we actually see it, and he is not simply playing a political marketing game. Then it will be a good thing.

JR: What is your view on Sarah Palin?

DB: Oh, I think she’s a breath of fresh air. I’m not sure I would have nominated her to be vice president, but I think she has engaged a lot of people in the election process who wouldn’t have otherwise been involved. And like I said before, every element of our population needs to be engaged in the political process for there to be transformation. So I’m glad to see her and the more rugged lifestyle she represents. I’m glad that there other models of femininity that can be widely accepted, as opposed to the typically progressive, feminist view of it. I understand that when she appeared on Saturday Night Live, the show got its highest rating in years. I like her style. She is a tough little bugger. She’s broken through a lot of the corruption and nonsense, and the political games.

What we’re seeing is this: social and political conditions often generate fresh, innovative voices. Sarah Palin is one, as is Obama. I see them as similar in that regard. They both come out of unexpected sources, all of a sudden appearing on the scene. She’s added a lot of charm and class, and color and fun to the whole campaign, and that’s probably a good thing. I also think she’s been an inspiration to a lot of younger women. Yes, she speaks in plain “good ol’ boy, good ol’ girl” language, but she’s not the first politician to do that, for God’s sake. Our political history is littered with this kind of thing, back to the days of Abe Lincoln and Stephen Douglas. If something happened to McCain, however, I’m not sure that she’s the person I’d like to see as president.

JR: I’ve had difficulty with many of the opinion pieces about Palin coming from the progressive, liberal side. I often found the rhetoric unnecessarily acerbic and divisive.

DB: I’ve been disappointed at the extreme left attacks on her, which have sometimes been very personal and have often come from women in this country. No one’s perfect, for goodness sake. I don’t know if they’re jealous because she’s pretty, or because she has a husband who’s loyal. Even her phone was bugged. And there was a guy from Tennessee who broke into her email system and put a lot of it up on the internet. I’ve seen more of that kind of behavior from the progressive, left-wing side during this campaign than I’ve seen in the past. That’s really disappointed me. Some of the attacks on Obama—the accusations and racial remarks—fit the same category. Extremism is what it is, whether it’s left wing or right wing. It’s closed, it’s fear-driven, and it’s angry, often vicious. Campaigns like this can make it worse and that’s what we’re seeing. There’s guilt enough to go around.

JR: Are you disturbed by Palin’s accusations that Obama was “palling around with terrorists?” Do you feel, as did many people, that she crossed a line?

DB: Oh, I think she did. There was too much “red meat” in that—it was too provocative. Of course, he’s not a terrorist. More broadly, these statements and her entire approach demonstrate that the Republicans don’t have a model for the future. It’s still too polarized—Red State/Blue State. That’s troubling me about McCain, as well. He’s a more short term, one-term candidate, I think. If we decide that we only want to elect someone for the next four years, then he isn’t a bad choice. But if we are serious about a major transformation in our system—and I think we’re poised for that—Obama talks like he’s the man. I certainly hope that’s the case, because it looks like he’s going to win.

JR: How will the president-elect move in a trans-partisan direction given that the country is so divided, and the American political system itself is based upon a partisan, bi-cameral arrangement—Republicans and Democrats, the House and the Senate, etc.?

DB: If Obama is elected president, I’d like to see leadership from him in a truly, truly new dimension, as opposed to the partisanship that many in his own party will try to foist on him. If there’s landslide support for him, the question is: will he be strong enough to handle all the different entities that have been shut out for eight years and are now rising to power with no checks and balance. An overwhelming victory will mean that the Democrats own the White House as well as the House and Senate, and that’s always a dangerous situation.

I’m seeing some early signs that he may have that kind of independence. For example, when he spoke of his faith-based initiatives, it gave me some assurance that he won’t be drawn in by the left extremists. That was hopeful to me because if he succumbs to these same centrifugal forces of political polarization, the whole thing will fall into the political cleavages that have been deepened by this campaign. It that happens I see all kinds of bad things happening to us.

I worked in South Africa between 1981 and 1999, helping to transition that country out of apartheid, and I studied Nelson Mandela very carefully. One of the first things he did when he became president was to have tea with the widows of the former apartheid prime ministers. He wanted to be non-political and non-racial in his approach, and so he purposefully began to work across that divide. And when the South African rugby team won the 1995 World Cup, there he was on the field after the victory wearing the Springbok jersey. It was an extraordinary demonstration in which he was identifying with the Afrikaner. It softened many of their attitudes toward him.

Likewise, if Obama really is a “transformational figure,” as Colin Powell says, he will be creative and launch out in a whole new direction. But if he isn’t and he’s played a political game, then we’ve been duped.

JR: Do you think that’s possible?

DB: Oh, I just don’t know. I tend be an optimistic and trusting kind of guy. I tend to believe that Obama means what he is saying in his speeches. But I don’t know who’s around him at this stage. I’m holding out the hope that he is real.

I’ve been around a long time, Jessica. From my perspective, we are in an almost war-time type emergency. The 1860 presidential campaign study I did many years ago opened my eyes to things. I saw what could have been done following that election and wasn’t, and the terrible situation that ensued. This is a momentous election, and one that has had so much ugliness in it. That’s why I’m thinking about a government of national unity. We need cooperation and collaboration and faith in our system and the courage to do something about it. So, it’s going to be interesting to see what happens after November 4th. It’s not going to be smooth as we go forward, but maybe our financial problems are severe enough that we’ll awaken to the reality that we have to think and act in very different ways.

Dr. Don E. Beck is one of the world’s foremost authorities on culture and politics. He is founding director of The Institute for Values & Culture, Co-founder of The National Values Centre in Denton, Texas, and President & CEO of The Spiral Dynamics Group, Inc. For more information on Dr. Beck’s work in the Middle East, please visit the Center for Human Emergence, Middle East.

 

Jessica’s interview with Spiral Dynamics wizard Don Beck continues the conversation on integral views of sticky subjects that Uli started yesterday. Understanding and including all points of view can be difficult when the air is charged with so many polarized views as it is in this election season. My own feelings lead me toward the far-left viewpoints I’ve always espoused, while my intention leads me toward a more integral view, so I’m grateful for Dr. Beck’s perspective as it gives me a framework to understand and choose my reactions.

Jessica is doing wonderful work to awaken through music the transformative power of beauty in each of us and to bring integral perspectives into view. I’m grateful for the opportunity to include her voice on The Sunny Way, as her work embodies exactly what we are trying to create—a new way of living and relating with each other that reaches into and elicits the best parts of what it means to be human. -ed.

As I’ve watched the presidential campaign unfold in my living room, I’ve become increasingly unsettled by the cultural schism it’s revealing. Robo-calls from John McCain, caustic opinion pieces on Sarah Palin (often by women), FOX news, MSNBC, negative campaigning—Left and Right. In this highly charged atmosphere, it’s been difficult to make sense of things. I’ve even questioned my longstanding allegiance to the Democratic Party, which has made it challenging to find common ground with friends I’ve known for years. In search of a different perspective on the election, I was compelled to seek out global activist, Dr. Don E. Beck, whom I interviewed in 2002 for What is Enlightenment? Magazine (now EnlightenNext magazine).

For over forty years, Don Beck has worked to facilitate social change in some of the world’s most polarized environments—notably apartheid South Africa during the 1980’s and ‘90’s, and currently in Israel/Palestine. Don Beck really gets human beings and our widely varying habitats and worldviews. With striking clarity and a disarming optimism, he illuminates the rich and complex mosaic of cultures, as he presents practical solutions to seemingly intractable problems—terrorism, the Iraq War, the AIDS epidemic. Beck’s unique perspective—the basis of the evolutionary theory called Spiral Dynamics—allows him to craft effective protocols where others fail.

Don Beck is a social scientist of a different order. For that reason he has advised world leaders such as Nelson Mandela and F.W. deKlerk; he has met with Tony Blair’s cabinet and with the Mexican government, among many others. I knew we needed his view in America at this critical juncture. In response to my request, Don graciously granted the following interview. True to form, he goes to the heart of the matter—and our divided nation—as he reveals how our next president can emerge as the truly new kind of leader we so urgently need.

Jessica Roemischer: The 2008 United States presidential campaign is turning out to be among the most polarized in recent memory. Could you please begin by speaking about the cultural schism we’re seeing in this country?

Don Beck: I began my study of political campaigns many years ago. My doctoral dissertation was on the United States presidential campaign of 1860. That election, which also occurred during a time of tremendous dividedness in this country, put Lincoln in office and subsequently led to the Civil War. So I’m very suspect of the polarity that occurs during the election process. Today, the fragmentation in America is equally as extreme. It’s reflected in the “hot issues” that polarize people, such as abortion or the Iraq War, issues that are looked upon by the two political parties in ways that are seemingly irreconcilable. And with our 24/7 news cycle and talk radio and so forth, I believe the schism is even deeper and wider than it was in 1860.

JR: Can you speak further about this election and the societal rift that’s being revealed?

DB: Campaigns of this nature confirm the cultural change that’s already happened beneath the surface, but which we haven’t been able to perceive clearly. The analogy I like to use is this: imagine it’s a dark, rainy night and a sudden bolt of lightning illuminates for a nanosecond the structural forms of the landscape. Then the darkness creeps in again. This election is illuminating the cultural landscape of this country, giving us insight into who we have become.

What we’re seeing is that we’re not the same country we once were. Today, there are multiple sub-cultures in the United States. We’ve become sort of a “Rubik’s Cube” society. Accumulated wealth and the increasing economic disparities have augmented differences in worldviews, orientations and political/religious experiences. Immigration patterns are also having an effect. There’s a book called The Big Sort by Bill Bishop. His basic thesis is that we have re-organized ourselves into think-alike, look-alike enclaves within which people can move freely. This has fragmented our society into little pockets of interest, sometimes living side-by-side. As a result, it’s becoming harder and harder to identify a core of Americanism. I’m not sure there’s a clear definition of what binds us together.

In contrast, when I’m in Europe I feel a much greater sense of national identity. For example, I still get a strong sense of “Germany” when I’m in that country. And the Danish value systems are clearly coming to the surface again. But here in the United States, even the Republican/Democrat, conservative/liberal categories are being challenged. The Blue State/Red State categories are not holding up anymore. That’s the kind of fragmentation that is going to be displayed in the results of the election.

When the vote is analyzed precinct by precinct, we’re going to get a much better image of this country than we would have had otherwise. I think the social complexities we’re about to see in the results of the campaign will force us to seriously look at the way we resolve our difficult issues.

JR: I come from a long line of democrats and never questioned my affiliation with the left wing. However, because of the highly polarized nature of this election, I’ve found it difficult to side wholeheartedly with Obama. I am far more hesitant to put myself on one side of a deeply divided situation.

DB: The behavior from both the extreme left and right wings is very troublesome. The rumor mongering and personal attacks—and both wings have done it—are very dangerous because they can lead to serious polarization following the election.

JR: How can we address this extreme cultural divide?

DB: I hope we maintain some good sense after the election regardless of who becomes president, because if the election turns out to be very close, it could produce tremendous tension. For example, if McCain wins, there will be serious disturbances in many of the African American communities, with charges that the election was stolen. And if the right wing senses that it has been disenfranchised in some way, it may begin to show isolationist tendencies.

I don’t think there’s been serious talk about what’s next, about what kind of government we need to move us beyond the adversarial situation that’s become such a problem. All the conversations about what McCain’s going to do to the existing government, or what Obama is going to do, miss the point. We need a whole new style of thinking about government itself.

In order to accomplish this, the president elect should invite various elements in our society to meet in conventions to redesign the American system. Rather than assume a partisan position, I hope he’ll hold a series of trans-partisan, not just bi-partisan, events—meetings and summits—on how to heal America and rebuild our confidence, and our financial and political structures. That’s critical for us.

So I hope that whoever wins will start a major conversation on many of these matters. Instead of each party shouting at the other, we need a calm kind of inquiry—more than just dialogue—to look at problems in a whole different way so that we restore the essence of Americanism. I imagine a series of White House conferences, where experts are brought in to discuss a variety of topics under the kind of leadership that will look for integral solutions. To accomplish that, we have to learn how to manage the spectrum from extreme left to extreme right. All the positions or viewpoints must be exercised and publicized for us to experience any kind of transformation. It’s important for everybody to be at the table. In that sense, Sarah Palin’s contribution has been positive. She has helped bring elements to the vote who heretofore wouldn’t have participated in it.

JR: Can you please elaborate on what you mean by “trans-partisan” politics?

DB: Trans-partisan politics represents a whole new approach to governance. After eight years of so much right wing, if we get eight years of left wing counterbalance, we’re no better off. We’ll have to learn how to craft solutions in the mid-range that draw equally from both wings—that’s the so-called “Third Way.” That prototype is in our cultural fabric. For example, the way wagon trains were organized in the 1800’s as they headed west had a collective spirit about them, as opposed to the elite systems we’re using today. So rather than providing for the needs of communities as part of a top-down mandate from either left or right, the government needs to facilitate resources which already exist and bring them to bear on problems. We have to look seriously at the design of our systems and find ways to mobilize all of our resources at the local level and in community programs, as well as at the state and federal levels.

JR: Can you give an example of this new approach to governance?

DB: Let’s look at education. If we’re going to compete with the Chinese and the Indians, we have to do something different with our educational system, especially in the public schools. Simply pouring money into “the little red school building” is not going to do it. You have to look at the broader issue of what it means for a child to develop in this society, and how the whole community can be mobilized to address that. I would have “Annual Summits on the Child,” where we bring together the knowledge from health care organizations, our school counselors and psychotherapists, and our churches and spiritual communities. We ask: How are our children doing in physical health? How are our children doing emotionally? How are they doing in their spiritual development? You can then overlay this information on GIS maps to see what’s happening neighborhood by neighborhood.

In a sense, this is the model we had many years ago when grandmothers would sit on their porches and watch the kids after school. But we’ve lost that kind of control mechanism. So we have to mobilize the intent of the whole society through these kinds of local summits. Businesses and others will get involved as well because everyone has a stake in our children’s progress. This is something that should be done, and be done quickly. There’s no question that an initiative of this kind will transcend partisan politics.

This interview will conclude tomorrow.

(As Jessica encourages her students to trust and open up to new possibilities within themselves, so we at The Sunny Way hope to inspire you to think about the future in new ways, and act in new ways to create it. Enjoy this beautiful video! -ed)

Last fall, I began teaching piano at the Riverbrook Residence for women with developmental disabilities in Stockbridge, MA. Riverbrook is a rare and special place—the women there are supported in every dimension of life. I often remind myself of how new this phenomenon is.  It has been only a few decades since ABC news reporter, Geraldo Rivera exposed the shockingly inhuman conditions at Willowbrook—an institution for those with mental retardation on Staten Island, NY.  In doing so he helped bring this issue into our collective conscience. The care for those with developmental disabilities is, I believe, central to the evolution of humanity as a whole.

While things have generally improved since Rivera’s report in the early 1970’s, Riverbrook stands out as a remarkable place. Because of its uniquely supportive environment, the women trust me, and work closely with me. I, in turn, am discovering a new dimension in my own teaching as I witness them express, through our piano improvisations and group music activities, strikingly individual aesthetic sensibilities.  This experience is proving to me that the Authentic Self—that part of us that is beautiful, natural and free—is, indeed, universal and unfettered by any limitation.

In this video, Tanny Labshere, whom I wrote about in my previous post, is playing an improvised duet with me. It will give you a first-hand experience of what I am describing.

Do you have any thoughts on this video, or the unleashed freedom it depicts? Let us know in the comments.

Jessica’s work is a beautiful example of what we can do when we let go of what we think and trust ourselves and each other. The wider implications are worth thinking about—how can we each access that free, infinitely creative place inside ourselves to build a world that works? -ed

When I began teaching piano over twenty five years ago, I instinctively used improvisation to help my students develop their musical sensibility. The piano is a perfectly suited instrument for this kind of endeavor. Sitting side by side, I play a melodic accompaniment in the bass, creating a rhythmic field of sound, while encouraging the student to explore and experiment on the keyboard.

No music books are needed. Regardless of age or level of experience—it could be a 6 year-old having her first lesson—I have observed that almost everyone discovers an unexpected and unfamiliar freedom. This is the revelatory wonder of finding a new “voice”—a means of expression that is natural, and even beautiful.

Last fall, I began teaching piano at the Riverbrook Residence for developmentally disabled women in Stockbridge, MA. Located amidst the pastoral Berkshire Hills, Riverbrook is home to twenty-three women. Under the direction of Joan Burkhard, a committed staff is creating the optimum conditions for women with developmental disabilities to be supported in every dimension of life.

Prior to working at Riverbrook, I had no experience teaching music to people with developmental disabilities, such as autism, Down’s syndrome, blindness, and cerebral palsy.  Because Riverbrook is a rare and special place where women can trust and let go, I began to let go. The women’s unselfconscious faith in me was striking. I began to open my ears, eyes and heart, accessing a freer place in myself while simultaneously bringing it forth in them. I started to listen more closely to the music emerging from each woman, unhindered by any preconceived notion of what I thought it should sound like.

I find myself disarmed by the result. Each woman’s musical expressiveness is highly individual and, at the same time, transmits exactly the same qualities—freedom, naturalness, and authenticity. These qualities are more rare than we may realize, even in the music of accomplished performers. And yet, my experience at Riverbrook is confirming that beauty arises from the deepest level of being—it is a universal dimension of the human soul unfettered by any limitation.

One of my students is named Tanny Marie Labshere. She has been blind since birth and learned to play piano at the Perkins Institute for the Blind. Tanny has an extraordinary ear for music, but when I first began to work with her she played mechanically, dispassionately. I have spent a good part of our lessons improvising with her. I encourage her to connect to her hands on the keyboard, to lean into the piano as she plays, to hear the nuance of tone from soft to loud, to listen to my playing as I accompany her and listen to hers.

I recently recorded a performance in which Tanny and I are playing a piece we developed through improvisation. When I played the audio back to her a few days later, she seemed unable to connect to what she was hearing. “I can’t believe that I’m able to create something beautiful,” she said. “Why not?” I asked her. She didn’t know.  I didn’t, either. I sensed, though, that the difficulties she experienced in her early life and the dark world she inhabits have kept her separate from that part of herself that is inherently free and expressive.  “Whenever you have any doubt that you can create beauty,” I told her. “Then listen to this recording.”

I am exploring the wider implications of what I’ve described here. The next post, coming soon, is tentatively titled, “Music in an Age of Global Warming.” Videos of my piano improvisations with Tanny will be posted on YouTube in the coming weeks.

I am a pianist, music teacher, photographer, and writer. But of all the mediums of communication, music for me is the most authentic and natural.  Music at its best is arguably humankind’s most potent conveyor of transcendent beauty. When you hear truly beautiful music, it dissolves all boundaries between self and other, self and world It is ephemeral and yet utterly real. I recently found a quote from the great Russian writer, Feodor Dostoevsky. He said, “Beauty will save the world.”  I humbly submit that as the context for this blog post and others to come.

I was born into a musical family and grew up in Westchester County, New York during the 1960’s and ‘70’s. For as long as I can remember music was a source of joy and inspiration. I studied piano from the time I was 7 and continued playing off and on for the better part of the next two decades. More recently, after a number of years working with spiritual visionary Andrew Cohen and writing for his acclaimed magazine, What is Enlightenment?, I am now playing and teaching music full-time in the Berkshire region of Western Massachusetts.

My mother had a profound and enduring influence on me—she forged my relationship to music by helping me understand what makes music “sing.”  During the 1940’s and ‘50’s, she studied with the Polish pianist, Leopold Mittman, who was accompanist to violinists Isaac Stern and Mischa Ellman.

My mother remained an “amateur” pianist – she never had a concert career. Regardless, she succeeded in transmitting to me a discerning ear for truly beautiful music, and what is required of a musician to bring that beauty forth. When my mother recounted her lessons with Mr. Mittman, she communicated the awe he evoked as he played the great repertoire of the Western world—Chopin, Brahms, Beethoven. Music came to life for her in his Upper West-side Manhattan apartment.

Now in her late ‘70’s my mother continues to play piano and has even returned to piano teaching —something she gave up for many years.  She continues to share with me recordings by some of her favorite pianists (like Vladimir Horowitz).

My mother has also become a tag-sale enthusiast. One day last fall, she found an old book on piano pedagogy at a local garage sale. It traced the lineage of the great piano teaching traditions through the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. The one fact she knew about her teacher’s background was that he studied with the Scottish-born composer and pianist, Eugen D’Albert. What she discovered last fall in the yellowed pages of that book, was that D’Albert studied for a period with composer and pianist, Franz Liszt, and Liszt studied with Beethoven. I was astounded. We both were.

I will continue to post my thoughts and reflections on music, illustrated with audios, videos and an assortment of other links.  I look forward to sharing these with you and hearing your responses.

Jessica Roemischer graduated from Princeton University in 1982 and has, for the past two decades, taught and performed music internationally. She is also a writer and photographer, and has been a Senior Editor of the award-winning, international quarterly What is Enlightenment? Magazine under the direction of spiritual visionary Andrew Cohen. Jessica interviewed for WIE some of the world’s most influential spiritual leaders and cultural luminaries such as Archbishop Desmond Tutu, theologian Karen Armstrong, and guitarist Carlos Santana. 

Jessica is now engaged full-time in teaching and performing music and has developed a unique musical style that draws from the great pianistic tradition of the past two centuries while combining jazz, classical and rock idioms.  She teaches privately and at the Riverbrook Residence for Developmentally Disabled Women in Stockbridge, MA.  Every day she sees proof that every human being, regardless of age, level of experience, or limitation, can access the source of beauty within themselves. Visit her site at Piano Beautiful for videos, audio clips and more…