Yoga + Music Series: Dharma and Duty for Musicians
The first installment of my Yoga + Music blog posts. This one is all about Dharma, a topic I’ve been pondering often these days. What is our duty? As musicians, in life, and beyond.
Read MoreNew Blog Series Announcement! - Yoga + Music
Hi Readers! I’m excited to announce a new blog series on Active Violinist. Once per month I will be exploring the intersection of music and yoga, in my life and beyond. I’ll be talking about asana, pranayama, history, philosophy, teachers, and so much more. You’ll definitely want to subscribe to stay up to date as we journey forward together.
Read MoreHi! My name is Hannah and I'm a Vanya.
I finally finished season 1 of The Umbrella Academy. I’m a Vanya. The symbolism of her character hit my like a ton of violin cases. Also tied to this musings on TV shows, super powers, and violin playing is the notion of authenticity. Read on to find out about MY Vanya evolution.
Read MoreHow Does Your Garden Grow?
I’ve been thinking about community recently. Who is in it? How do we interact? What do we need? The best analogy I could come up with - and I’ve committed a lot of thought to this - is a garden. Think about all the most beautiful gardens you’ve ever seen in the world. What do they have in common? How can you translate that to your community?
Read MoreThoughts on Jupiter
While doing a little research recently, I took a walk down memory lane to Maltmans Green, the primary school I attended while living in England as a child. It was a very proper place. This post is about the Hymn from Jupiter by Gustav Holst, the poetry by Cecil Spring Rice, my own memory of the piece, and a few thoughts on applying the message to life at large.
Read MoreThe Silver Lining of Coronavirus
I’ve been reading about people reflecting on the good and bad in their lives right now. Globally, it is a mess but I think beautiful new beginnings can blossom out of difficult times. I know that sounds flippant, but I started thinking about what is good in my life right now, and underneath all of the stress and uncertainty, and all of the things I do to fill my time, I found a constant flow of passion and enthusiasm for music, and also a shift in my priorities and trajectory. I’m not trying to belittle anyone else’s experience or "brag'“ (please don’t read this as bragging) in any way, but taking some time to reflect on the change did me good, so I thought I would share in the hopes that you share your story too.
Read MoreThe "Brené Brown Made Me Feel Things" Post
I made the Brené Brown plunge last week with The Power of Vulnerability and have been watching and listening to everything I can get my hands on since. I realized that I harbor so much shame around my professional life and in order to find the success I truly want, I need to get to the bottom of it, and unpack it. This is step one in that direction. It is personal and vulnerable in a way that I don’t often share.
Read MoreA Decade in Review
Do you ever take a few moments to take stock on where you’ve been and what you’ve accomplished? I took a little time this month to reflect on the last decade and all of the crazy things that changed. It put so much in perspective for me and I can’t wait to see what happens in the next ten years.
Read MoreHave I always been a professional violinist?
Sometimes my students make me think, and I like it! This is just a not-so-fancy no pictures included post on all of the jobs I’ve had, have, and want to have in the future. My professional journey, so to speak. But I’m really just using this as a conversation starter to find out what you do and how you see yourself. I want to know where you are on your journey and if it is the same one you set out on however many years ago.
Read MoreMy Yoga Journey
Recently, I was reflecting on my Yoga Journey (kind of because it was a phrase jokingly thrown around at Intermission) but also to try to understand how I ended up where I am in my practice, and in my body. From yoga in Hawaii to Bikram to Vinyasa Flow to Iyengar and back again. I've been practicing yoga for over 10 years and in a variety of traditions for a variety of reasons. This is a broad overview of my relationship with the practice. What is your yoga journey? I’m curious, what is your Yoga Journey? Do you have one? Do you want one?
Read MoreThe Cellist of Sarajevo
A brief overview of The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway. The music, the context, and the things that really grabbed my heart and twisted it around. I couldn’t shake this book easily, so I thought I would share it with you just in case you’re in need of a compelling read that happens to include the power of music.
Read MoreYOLA camp (mostly)
Flying like a crow through June. A brief summary of things I did last month, but mostly about YOLA camp and working with students in the woods of Idyllwild for two weeks. Oh yeah, and tea at the Huntington and a little jaunt to the Getty Villa. Not a bad month!
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