{"id":1883,"date":"2019-03-15T02:35:11","date_gmt":"2019-03-15T06:35:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/the6rightest.com\/?p=1883"},"modified":"2020-07-13T19:55:55","modified_gmt":"2020-07-13T23:55:55","slug":"the-gift-of-music","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/the6rightest.com\/fr\/the-gift-of-music\/","title":{"rendered":"The Gift of Music"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

T<\/span>hink of your favourite piece of music. Hear its melody, feel its rhythm and call to mind its lyrics. Like a good friend, it speaks to you and makes you feel understood, and less lonely when real friends are in short supply. Music can take you on a nostalgic journey of what once was, and fuel your heart with hope for what is to come. It\u2019s elevating, thought-provoking, motivating. It changes moods, changes minds, changes lives; in the words of the great Louis Armstrong, \u201cMusic is life.\u2019\u2019 <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Joanna Grace\u2019s interest in music sparked when she was only two years old. Her older sister, who was four at the time, was adamant about getting a piano. She had threatened to run away from home and live at her babysitter\u2019s place where she had been leering to play. Shortly thereafter Joanna\u2019s parents gave into their daughter\u2019s demands, and once her sister started lessons, Joanna\u2019s favourite activity quickly became listening to her sister play and counting her mistakes. \u201cBefore I could really speak in complete sentences, I was noticing the little blips and the stops in her playing,\u201d she shares. Joanna was fascinated by the piano, and a natural understanding of music motivated her to learn more. When she was seven she started learning piano and after seeing her first opera at age nine, she also picked up the (French) horn. She never wanted to choose between the two instruments, so she continued to play both. Today Joanna shares her talent with the community by teaching others<\/a> to play piano and horn, organizing performances and healing others with the power of music. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo by Alex Banman\ufeff<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Joanna has always marched to the beat of her own drum. Gifted with an entrepreneurial spirit, she started her first side hustle when she was only eight. Joanna\u2018s neighbour and peer had wanted to learn how to play the piano and since Joanna was taking lessons she was happy to share her new talent, but not necessarily for free. Meeting demand with supply, she decided to give her friend lessons for a very reasonable price: $1 per month. \u201cIf you think about it, it\u2019s a really amazing deal!\u201d Joanna exclaims. \u201cThat\u2019s the kind of deal I can\u2019t offer to anyone!\u201d However, her friend\u2019s mom didn’t quite agree, and she quickly put a stop to the lessons. \u201cThe entrepreneurial side of me, wanting to make a buck\u2026was somehow horrifying to this mom. \u2026[She asserted that] \u2018My daughter\u2019s allowance, is not going to pay your <\/em>daughter to teach her piano lessons.\u2019 \u201d But Joanna knew her value, and although she lost her neighbour friend as a pupil, she gained a few more clients. She took what she was learning during her lessons and created her own course work to teach her family members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI just find so much value in sharing space for performers to connect with audience members, and audience members to learn about the performers. That wouldn\u2019t happen in a big concert hall.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Today Joanna sparks a love of music in students young and not so young. Inspired by some great teachers that she had while growing up, she understands that students have to feel empowered in order to develop a real love for the instrument and an intrinsic desire to practice. \u201cThe idea is that when students want to play, and they love being here, and they feel respected and valued, and they feel empowered, then they\u2019re gonna wanna play, and practice, and they\u2019re gonna get better. And they\u2019re gonna wanna keep getting better because they feel successful.\u201d When teaching a longer or more complicated piece, Joanna breaks it down to smaller challenges. As students learn each short section, they experience small achievements along the way and they want to continue to learn. She also makes the lessons more interesting by offering her students choices. Instead of telling students what to play, Joanna says \u201c \u2018Here\u2019s a piece that I think is good for you, here\u2019s why\u2026 Or here\u2019s a choice between these pieces \u2013 you pick.\u2019 And each of them have a certain instructional value, [but] they get to choose which one they like.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo by Alex Banman\ufeff<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Joanna balances teaching, freelance performing, and running a concert series called Clearly Musical Home Concerts<\/a>. Since 2016, Joanna has been hosting intimate concerts in her home studio in Richmond Hill, which seats between 15 and 20 people. Her goal is to showcase the work of artists in the community. She first invited freelance orchestral musicians she knew personally to perform, then expanded to new connections with local artists, and is now inviting full scholarship prize-winning performers from the Glenn Gould School in Toronto. The concerts are opportunities for people to come together and enjoy music in a unique way and start a dialogue. \u201cI like that people can be close to the music,\u201d says Joanna. \u201cI just find so much value in sharing space for performers to connect with audience members, and audience members to learn about the performers. That wouldn\u2019t happen in a big concert hall.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo by Alex Banman\ufeff<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Joanna believes that the connection between musicians and the audience has changed over the past twenty years. Something has been lost in audience engagement and behaviour, and technology is partly to blame. People are not fully present during performances as they are often distracted by notifications on their phones or are busy taking photos. An intimate performance brings engagement back by providing \u201ca great atmosphere for connection, and beyond just enjoying a concert, but enjoying friendship and recognizing someone\u2019s passion and how they\u2019re sharing it,\u201d Joanna smiles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPeople are gravitating towards music and sound to assist with so many different emotional experiences in life. Then what is it about sound that’s reaching people in such a special way?\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Besides sharing the gift of music through her concert series, Joanna also uses the power of music to heal others. \u201cI was inspired to\u2026figure out the connection between sound and music, and how it can help us feel better. \u2018Cuz my belief is that most people like music \u2013 they just don’t necessarily like the same music. So, people gravitate towards music as a way to feel better, when they\u2019re stressed, or when they\u2019re working out, or when they [want to be] uplifted or happy\u2026 People are gravitating towards music and sound to assist with so many different emotional experiences in life. Then what is it about sound that’s reaching people in such a special way?\u201d Her curiosity inspired her to study sound healing under the internationally renowned Sound Healer Jonathan Goldman and Sound Reiki Master teachers Catherine Varga and Heather Hannan. Joanna uses her voice with Sound Reiki toning, vocal toning and harmonics, tuning forks, crystal bowls and other instruments to create energetic sound vibrations that help relieve stress and physical and emotional pain. Since 2015 she has been offering Sound Healing Energy workshops<\/a> to individuals and groups, including long-term care residents with Alzheimer\u2019s and dementia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTry something different because you might find that you like it, and you can have an appreciation for the type of art that’s been shared. Or, you might find that you don\u2019t like it. [But] you\u2019re gonna find something out!\u201d <\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Joanna says having a head full of ideas is both a saving grace and a weakness. Her biggest challenge over the years has been cultivating patience. With new ideas constantly swirling around in her head she finds it hard to slow her entrepreneurial spirit down and wait before taking action. \u201cWhen I have an idea I want to make it happen, I want it to happen yesterday!\u201d<\/em>she admits. Waiting is really hard for her, but she has gotten better at it \u2013 experience has taught her that it takes time to develop connections, get known and get recognized. Yet, Joanna\u2019s creativity is also her strong point. \u201cI have a lot of ideas that [will probably never be realized] but just knowing that there are so many possibilities and I\u2019ve come up with so many possibilities of how things can work\u2026helps me survive the day to day…I don\u2019t worry about running out of ideas!\u201d she laughs.Even when ideas flop or plans don\u2019t materialize immediately, Joanna is comforted by the fact that she can always find other ways to achieve her goals. Her creativity counterbalances her impatience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Music inspires you to think differently. When you hear something unfamiliar, you learn something new about music, life and yourself. \u201cI would encourage people to go to an experience\u2026where the music is presented in a different way. \u2026[Check] out something that\u2019s kind of like off the beaten path, whether it\u2019s music, or even a theatre production, or a dance performance\u2026try something different because you might find that you like it, and you can have an appreciation for the type of art that’s been shared. Or, you might find that you don\u2019t like it. [But] you\u2019re gonna find something out!\u201d she smiles. When you embrace new experiences you open your mind to welcome new ideas into your life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo by Alex Banman\ufeff<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Music has the power to put a smile on your face, cure your broken heart, reduce your pain, heal your soul or empower you to take action. Through music, artists share the gifts of hope and love, which bring about change in the world. So listen and get inspired. You could just find your next big idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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