According to the Yuanyuan’s feedback from last intervention workshop, I got some new idea about third workshop, she mentioned that she always listen some music, explore the story and background behind each song, which is kind of like music therapy.
I remember that at the beginning of Covid-19 in China this spring, wuhan, as the worst-hit area, faced high mental and physical pressure every day. The music Therapy Experimental Center of Wuhan Conservatory of Music and Central Academy of Music set up a music therapy radio to provide music therapy online for patients and medical staff to relieve pressure. The primary means of healing are musical appreciation and interaction, so I contacted Ms Zhang, a PhD student in music psychology from Goldsmith, to host this workshop with me. The form is still online.
step 1: Meditation, the sound of nature, the sound of rain,
Find a quiet space, sit down, let go of everything, and take in the air around you, the temperature. Then gently close your eyes, adjust to a comfortable position, sit or lie down, put your body in a relaxed state, with soothing music, and start taking deep breaths.
step 2: Lead the musical imagination.
With the first stage of meditation, then follow the music and the language of the experts into the imagination, imagine the mountains and the sea, let yourself in. Let the mood really relax…
step 3 : Song discussions and musical memories.
Back to Yuanyuan’s feedback in the last workshop, we first discussed the song “An arbitrary door” by the Chinese Taiwan band Mayday.
Take some of the lyrics,
all the way covered with sweat and tears”
Life is full of cries of children, daily necessities.”
This song is their memories of the group from unknown, poor life, no opportunity to perform, but still adhere to the music dream, to the present burst of fame, concert ticket sales 20 years of experience. The members of the group gave up their original career for the dream and helped each other along the way. together through 20 years, from the age of 20 to now married and some of them have children, everyone will eventually return to the ordinary.
First of all, this group is very popular in China. Their songs are all about their own experiences and youth. Many of our peers grew up listening to their songs after following them for more than ten years, and now many of them have reached the turning point in their lives, so they will have a lot of feelings when they hear it. So we shared our experience of going from confused to orientated.
Other participants then Shared songs and experiences.
About feedback:
Flavia: This workshop is related to music, and it is also one of the popular ways to reduce stress in our daily life. Firstly, it is very enjoyable and interesting to discuss the stories behind the songs. Usually, listening to the songs is just listening to the tunes, and we seldom pay attention to the stories behind the songs or the meaning of the lyrics.
Yuanyuan: This is my favorite way to reduce stress. I am happy to share it with you and discuss it with you. I hope this way can help others.
In addition to this kind of encouragement, it can give us some courage when we are in trouble. Of course, there are others, such as listening to vent, listening to confusion, etc, hahaha….we can share it with each other next time.
Zhou: I am an athlete. The way to relieve stress is more exercise and sweating. The first time I encounter this kind of pressure reduction method, I feel very new. I usually listen to music and don’t think too much about it. It just relieves the boring effect during exercise. Discuss music like this it’s a little bit boring… I still prefer physical fatigue to relieve stress. After exercise, I fall asleep and forget all my worries.
Expert Ms.Zhang: The workshop is my first time to participate in this time, was a in familiar stage, the beginning of the intervention is also slowly from people familiar with the types of music (like Mayday), it will let you keep a enthusiasm of participation, and discuss the song is the story of others to share their experiences, but this experience by mass communication in the form of music, and complained of experience is a more successful people, successful people have confused stage, there will be pressure. This way is also to guide everyone to release their own internal pressure, in order to relieve the pressure.
Conclusion: First of all, this is the theme of the music heal, with music on, some participants concentration may be not enough, also because of the way they have a way to relieve stress, it is not music, music can give them more pressure, so the workshop feedback can give me more thinking, such as the participants are appropriate to the topic, the purpose of the trend of the workshop is in line with the intervention and so on. However, it also gives some participants who have no experience of music discussion and music recollection some new ways of thinking and relieving stress, which enables them to think about the story behind music in a new way, and also provides them with another possibility to relieve stress.