Soulforce
28 essays on soulforce.
- May 5, 2022Guided meditation for when you're tired - 33/100 Days of Soulforce
Listen to this guided meditation when you're tired, but you still need to get up and do more. The "secret" is to really allow yourself to be tired and not to fight…
- May 2, 2022The most powerful spiritual practice I've ever encountered - 32/100 Days of Soulforce
The most powerful spiritual practice I've ever encountered is what I call, "Asking the Mystery for Help." It's based on the ancient principles of gift, offering, and sacrifice (although you don't need…
- April 28, 2022How to teach the "Knowledge of the Soul" in music lessons - 100 Days of Soulforce #31
The "Knowledge of the Soul" is all about feeling, vitality, and those qualities that make each of us unique as artists. Teaching technique and repertoire - while it has its challenges -…
- April 26, 2022How the "Spirit of the Gift" makes being an artist more meaningful - 100 Days of Soulforce #30
Why does a gig feel fulfilling or soulless? Why do are we proud of some students, but resent others? And what's up with high-level artists so often being a**holes? It all has…
- April 19, 2022What I learned in the Amazon Rainforest - 100 Days of Soulforce #29
I'm back from my two-week immersion in the Amazon Rainforest! It was a life-changing experience being in such remote place, getting to know the indigenous peoples of the forest. In this video,…
- March 15, 2022I'm going to the Amazon Rainforest! - 100 Days of Soulforce 28
I'll be going to the Amazon headwaters in Ecuador for the next 16 days. I'm traveling with the Pachamama Alliance (pachamama.org), which is a climate change advocacy organization that also helps the…
- March 14, 2022"Deep Dive into the Receiving Mode" - 100 Days of Soulforce #26
In order to achieve effortless mastery, we need more "effortlessness" skills. Learning how to operate in the "receiving mode" is one of the most powerful effortlessness skill that I know. In this…
- March 14, 2022"Time Management" vs "Following Your Heart" - Real-Life Story - 100 Days of Soulforce #27
I have a student in grad school, getting a degree in music therapy. He was feeling overwhelmed with work and asked me about ways to improve his time management. Instead, we ended…
- March 10, 20224 Methods for Playing Fast, Effortlessly! - 100 Days of Soulforce #25
How do you play something really fast, but without getting tense? After all, tension and effort actually interfere with your ability to play fast - just think of how fluidly a hummingbird…
- March 9, 2022Improvisation from the Heart - 100 Days of Soulforce #24
It's a cold, rainy day in Philadelphia and I didn't really feel like talking, so I decided to play violin for you, instead! Day 24 of 100 Days of Soulforce: - Improvisation…
- March 7, 2022"How Our Extractive Money System Pits Our Love Against Our Survival" - 100 Days of Soulforce Day 23
"Hollywood is a place where they'll pay you a thousand dollars for a kiss and fifty cents for your soul." "• Marilyn Monroe There is a direct analogy between the struggle many…
- March 7, 2022"Open Focus: Relieve Tension Even When Doing Difficult Things" - 100 Days of Soulforce #22
When you're doing something difficult like playing music and you're getting tighter than you'd like to, what's happening to your "sense of space" in that moment? Are you getting tunnel vision? Or…
- March 5, 2022"The Super Slump - Quickly Relieve Tension & Tiredness" - 100 Days of Soulforce #21
Does your back get tired or even painful when you stand or sit for long periods? Sometimes it can feel impossible to find a comfortable way of sitting and standing, no matter…
- March 3, 2022"How the Spirit of the Gift Transforms How You Perform, Practice, & Teach" - 100 Days of Soulforce #
The Spirit of the Gift rests on a deeper truth than the belief that we are all separate beings in a world of other. When we live and make art from this…
- March 2, 2022"The Spirit of the Gift in the Arts" - 100 Days of Soulforce #19
The Spirit of the Gift helps us understand: - How to feel more at home in the world - How to make a living while doing something meaningful - How to make…
- February 28, 2022"Do You 'Toil' Music or 'Play' Music?" - 100 Days of Soulforce #18
When you practice music (or dance, or other creative arts), does it feel more like you're "toiling" at music, rather than actually "playing" music? Why does this happen, despite our intuitions that…
- February 27, 2022"Why 'Good' Posture Hurts Sometimes - Learn How to Slump Up!" - 100 Days of Soulforce #17
You try to have good posture, but then why do your shoulders or back still hurt? You try to fix your slump by sitting up straight, but then you find yourself back…
- February 26, 2022"Flow States, Resilience, & The Fallacy of Productivity" - 100 Days of Soulforce #16
Watch a live Soulforce Arts lesson with Joseph Arnold, violinist, Alexander Technique teacher and founder of the Soulforce Arts Academy, and Alyssa Lahoda, violinist. Day 16 of 100 Days of Soulforce: -…
- February 25, 2022"Your Body Is a Web - Tensegrity Explained" - 100 Days of Soulforce #15
What do you do when your shoulder pain just *keeps* coming back? How do you stop your back from hurting when you play? Have you tried *everything* to release the tension in…
- February 24, 2022"The Doing Mode vs. The Receiving Mode" - 100 Days of Soulforce #14
One of the keys to understanding how to release excess tension in performance and practice is the difference between the "Doing Mode" vs. the "Receiving Mode." In the "Doing Mode," it feels…
- February 23, 2022"The 6 Principles of Playing from the Heart" - 100 Days of Soulforce #13
You want to play more deeply from the heart. You want to teach this to your students. However, this longing can be frustrated by common misconceptions about what it means to play…
- February 22, 2022Your "Inner Audience Member": The Key to Playing from the Heart - 100 Days of Soulforce #12
"Playing from the heart" is what happens when you listen to your "Inner Audience Member" as you play. Your Inner Audience Member is the part of you that generates feelings about what…
- February 21, 2022“Can Artists Make a Meaningful Difference in the Climate Crisis?" Part 1 - 100 Days of Soulforce #11
"Code Red for Humanity" On August 9th, 2021, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a report which raised grave and urgent concern about human-induced climate change. The report states that world-wide…
- February 20, 2022How I discovered what it *really* means to play from the heart - 100 Days of Soulforce #10
Playing from the heart is universally desired as performers and as audience members. It's what brings our performances *alive*, as opposed to being robotic or overly effortful. But how to you actually…
- February 18, 2022"Can you even play *scales* from the heart? Live Demo" -- 100 Days of Soulforce #9
We all love to play from the heart while on stage, but what about in the practice room? Are you just going through the motions as you do your scales and exercises?…
- February 17, 2022"How Good Self-Care Leads to Soulforce" -- 100 Days of Soulforce #8
Excellent self-care is on the of the Six Pillars of Soulforce Artistry because when you're doing really well, your art will shine and you'll be an inspiration to those around you. If…
- February 16, 2022"Releasing Excess Tension Lets Your Soulforce Shine Through" - 100 Days of Soulforce #7
You probably notice excess tension during or after your practice time or performances. Whether it's a minor annoyance or a full-blown injury, this tension makes your body uncomfortable, can limit your playing…
- February 14, 2022Playing From the Heart: The Key to Soulforce - 100 Days of Soulforce #5
What does "playing from the heart" really mean? Is it something that only some people have, or happens only sometimes? Or can it be learned and mastered like any other skill? It's…