To me, these words having to do with our sense of sight point to ways of thinking about the way we experience and live our lives.<\/p>\n
By seeing, I mean a quality of experiencing the current moment without labeling it, assessing it, or judging it.\u00a0 This experience is summed up by the title of a much-revisited book on my bookshelf by Jon Kabat-Zinn called Wherever You Go, There You Are.<\/em> I love that title!\u00a0 And it is a wonderful book full of ideas for incorporating being here<\/em> in daily life. \u00a0To me it feels like a \u201csinking in\u201d or \u201cawakening\u201d to the senses.\u00a0 As musicians, our \u201cseeing\u201d is settling our attention primarily what we hear, but also what we feel in our bodies.<\/p>\n So as a horn player, when I sit down to warm up and practice each morning, my first order of business is to cut through my \u201cbrain noise\u201d \u2013 all those thoughts and distractions and worries ricocheting around in there \u2013 shed some of the layers of my ego (what I think I always sound\/feel like) and self-consciousness (what I fear I might sound\/feel like!) and focus on what I DO sound and feel like.\u00a0\u00a0 My job is to say hello to the here and now.<\/p>\n One part of learning how to do this is to know when to get rid of our should<\/em>\u2019s.<\/p>\n Here is one example: as horn players, we are often very concerned with our breath and the process of breathing.\u00a0 We want to do it correctly, efficiently – we want to get the most bang for our buck.\u00a0\u00a0 One of my very favorite yoga teachers and writers is Donna Farhi.\u00a0 She has a book all about breathing called The Breathing Book. <\/em>(Go figure!)\u00a0 In one passage, she explains one way of freeing yourself up to move towards the most natural and efficient way of doing something – in this case, breathing:<\/p>\n You might be asking, \u201cWhat should<\/span> I feel?\u201d Instead ask yourself what it is that you do<\/span> feel, and you will be on the right path.\u00a0 Trust that if you let go of your preconceived ideas and expectations the vitality of the breath will emerge naturally.<\/em><\/p>\n I remember a lesson I had with Julie Landsman.\u00a0 I was particularly frustrated at the time, and my mind had been hopping all over the place. I was paralyzed by all of my \u201cshould<\/em>\u201ds.\u00a0 I was in a major battle with myself and I wanted to know concretely what to focus on.\u00a0 A checklist, please!\u00a0 So I asked her what she focused on when she picked up her horn in the morning.\u00a0 She said something to the effect of, \u201cI am just hearing and feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n Just hearing and feeling!<\/em><\/p>\n Another quality that the great souls of the world contain within themselves, I believe, is the ability, while holding this present moment, to ALSO hold an \u201cimage\u201d of the potential that is inherent in this moment and the moments to follow.\u00a0 It is something I call vision, although the word vision<\/em> only scratches the surface.\u00a0 It is something that employs our imagination, and is guided by our deepest beliefs and by what is most important to us.\u00a0 It is akin to beholding something of great power and beauty and letting that image work in us and live itself out through us.<\/p>\n When you think about the great artists of the world, the masterpieces that they produce aren\u2019t great because they show us reality (that takes skill, but it is only skill), but because they show us their vision of what lies beneath or beyond reality in their view. They show us something unseen that we might otherwise have not seen.\u00a0 So in a portrait by Rembrandt, we see not only the image of a person, but we may see something about that person\u2019s nature, their dreams, their sense of humor, or the things that haunt them or fragment them.\u00a0 In a non-realist portrait, one by Picasso for instance, we experience the same thing, only with the use of a different \u201clanguage.\u201d\u00a0 Maybe we see shadow and light, or duality, or complexity, or brightness, or joyfulness, or energy!<\/p>\n In other words, what we can experience when we contemplate a great work of art is the artist\u2019s unique perspective and a deeper perception or – vision.<\/p>\n What does this mean for a mere horn player?\u00a0 What forms our vision?\u00a0 For starters: our values.\u00a0 What are the musical values you most treasure? \u00a0Quality of sound? \u00a0The way one note moves to the next? \u00a0Trueness of phrasing? \u00a0Solidity? \u00a0Facility? \u00a0Consistency?\u00a0 All of the qualities you treasure and admire in others will form your vision for yourself.\u00a0 This is one reason it is so important as a young musician to be extraordinarily attentive, to go to concerts, listen to recordings, and experience music as much as possible.\u00a0 It is forming and informing Vision.<\/p>\n So in the practice room, our job is to see what is<\/em> and hold it up to the reflection of our Vision.\u00a0 There\u2019s nothing more satisfying than bringing the two ever more closely together, holding them there in your consciousness at the same time, letting your Vision live and breathe its way into you.<\/p>\n But it always starts daily, over and over again, with this moment.\u00a0 It is a constant renewal of commitment to seeing what is<\/em> with no judgment attached – just noticing. \u00a0It is a very gentle, but constant thing. \u00a0Then as Seeing and Vision reflect back and forth to each other over time and live and grow together for a while, we can even have the feeling of being taken by surprise by the beautiful things that arise and bloom in their own good time. \u00a0I was recently reading the blog of Linda Grace (www.rolfinggrace.com), a fantastic Rolfer here in Philadelphia – she is insightful and full of ideas! \u00a0She quoted T.S. Eliot\u2019s “Burnt Norton” in her most recent post:<\/p>\n The unheard music hidden in the shrubbery,<\/em><\/p>\n And the unseen eyebeam crossed, for the roses<\/em><\/p>\n <\/em>Had the look of flowers that are looked at.<\/em><\/p>\n Just as we feel nurtured and whole and full of possibility in the presence of certain people who, with their vibrant, aware, and gentle presence enable us to feel the fullness of our own lives – we can do the same for ourselves and for others around us on a daily basis just by being here <\/em>and reflecting our Vision\u00a0both in and out of the practice room. \u00a0So give it a try!\u00a0 See if you can \u201csink in\u201d and give of your attention and presence.\u00a0 The important people in your life, qualities you are nurturing, and your horn playing might just might end up having the look of flowers that are looked at.\u00a0 Listen for the unheard music in your life. \u00a0See what arises!<\/p>\n Resources:<\/strong><\/p>\n Jon Kabat-Zinn,\u00a0Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life<\/em><\/p>\n Donna Farhi, The Breathing Book: Good Health and Vitality Through Essential Breathwork<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Throughout our lifetime, if we are fortunate, we come across a few rare souls who, when we are with them, we are brought right into this present moment.\u00a0 They allow us to experience life in a deeper way than we … Continue reading ![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.angelashornstudio.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/04\/Vision-239x300.jpg\" "\\"Vision\\"")
Seeing<\/em> is our awareness of what is – <\/em>the depth with which we experience this moment.\u00a0 Vision<\/em> (in my definition today) has to do with the images that we hold in our mind and that flow through us. \u00a0They shape how we string our moments together.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.angelashornstudio.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/04\/j10-199x300.jpg\" "\\"Roses")
And the bird called, in response to<\/em><\/p>\n