event briefs

Open Center’s Sound and Music Healing Program Goes Virtual The Open Center’s Sound and Music Institute (SMI) certificate program will be held online this year for the first time in its 13-year history, beginning October 17. This new virtual format provides the opportunity for The Open Center to create new relationships and networks outside the immediate New York City area and extend its courses to a global audience.

The integrative SMI certificate program is a comprehensive multi-cultural, multi-disciplinary and highly experiential approach to the study of sound, music and voice and their effect on the mind, body and spirit. This training offers students firsthand experience with sound-healing practices and applications, with the intent of developing and maintaining a sound practice of their own. This nine-month, 130-hour hands-on learning experience covers techniques from indigenous cultural practices to modern scientific approaches. A certificate of completion is offered to those who meet the program requirements. No previous experience in music and sound work is required. Topics covered in this program include the therapeutic and esoteric properties of sound from western scientific, eastern philosophical and shamanic belief systems; sound-, voice-, rhythm- and music-healing modalities; the principles of modern sound healing; how sound makes positive changes to the Natural Awakenings Hosts Empowerment Webinar exclusive webinar, Empowerment Through Movement: How to Change Your Attitude in a Split Second, at 6:30 p.m. on October 14. This hour-long interactive presentation will be offered free to the first 15 readers who enroll. The presenter, Celeste DeCamps, says we all have more power over our thoughts and feelings than we realize. She will explain the importance of how we hold our bodies when we sit, stand and walk, and demonstrate her philosophy that if the body believes, the mind will follow. body; psychoacoustic science (tuning forks, singing bowls and gongs); sacred sound and cross-cultural music-healing practices and vocal cultures; and professional applications (a sound-healing practicum and practitioner toolkit). According to The Open Center, the SMI certification can be applied to a number of healing and therapeutic occupations. In general, the program is designed to better equip students to serve as practitioners and specialists, as well as in a private healing or counseling practice or in creative performance.

Among the many clinical and wellness settings where there is a growing need for people with a background in sound and music healing are psychiatric hospitals, rehabilitation facilities, mental health clinics, outpatient facilities, substance abuse programs, facilities for people with developmental disabilities, bodywork clinics, yoga studios, geriatric centers, correctional institutions, hospice programs, children’s health centers, and acupuncture and alternative medicine centers. The SMI program faculty features renowned experts in their fields, including Grammy-nominated composer Silvia Nakkach; four-time Grammy-winning master drummer Glen Velez; sound-healing pioneer John Beaulieu, Ph.D.; and composer and choral clinician Ysaye M. Barnwell, Ph.D.

For more information or to register, visit OpenCenter.org/

Natural Awakeningswill host an

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“Body language is the first impression we give to people, but it’s also a reflection of what we’re thinking about ourselves,” DeCamps says. “My webinar provides valuable tools to use when you need a boost in your self-esteem, especially when you feel anxious.” The ultimate goal is to use the body to build the confidence to succeed, she says. “We all need motivation and encouragement to help us attain our goals. If you’re waiting for your mind to tell you that you’re strong and confident, waiting to check off all the boxes before going after your dream job, waiting to lose 10 pounds before you ask for a promotion, waiting for someone to acknowledge your expertise and skills before you can believe in yourself—if you’re tired of waiting—this webinar is for you.”

To enroll, email publisher@na-newyorkcity.com. Zoom details will be sent to confirmed attendees. For more information on DeCamp’s work, visit CelesteDeCamps.com and see ad, page 41.

‘Awakening Your True Voice’ Online at Open Center This fall Jean Mc- Clelland will teach her signa- ture sixsession course, Awaken- ing Your True Voice: Health and Vi- tality through Better Breathing, as a virtual series through the New York Open Center. The first session is set for November 2, from 6 to 7:30 p.m., at OpenCenter.org. She will also offer a free virtual intro to the course October 26 at 6 p.m. McClelland is on faculty of the Open Center as well as the Columbia Uni- versity School of the Arts. In Awaken- ing Your True Voice: Health and Vitality through Better Breathing, she teaches ways to gain freedom and strength in your body, breathing and voice. “Singing, and all vocal production, relies on an alignment of the inner muscles of the body and a clear and focused mind. Both work in harmony to connect us to our breathing, which is the essence of vocal production,” she says. “So often we work on the wrong end of the spectrum. We try to fix our posture, fix our voices or even psy- choanalyze what we feel is holding us back from fully expressing ourselves. But there is nothing we need to fix—we just need to uncover what already ex- ists in us.”

For more information or to register, visit OpenCenter.org or JeanMcClelland- Voice.com. See ad, page 35.