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After visiting Senegal, West Africa to learn traditional drumming, my friend Yari Bundy and I had the idea to go to India to collaborate with musicians who lived there. The two of us were a band which played in the U.S., and through the Internet we were able to make many friends and contacts before even leaving home. We brought in two of our close friends to help with video, photography, and planning of the project, and left for two months in 2009.Performance and collaboration was important for our journey, but the real meat of the project was interviewing as many musicians, doctors, gurus, and kids as possible, recording all sounds and visuals, and then sharing them with people through the Internet (http://www.humanmirrorproject.org) and live performance exhibitions.
India is a place where the healing benefits of music are no secret. Any student of Indian music must learn principles about the sacredness and healing power of music. The word "om" and the phrase "Nada Brahma" suggest the belief that sound is creation, and that we are all closely connected through its vibrations. Yet music therapy is only in its infancy as an organized profession in the country.
We met with a team of doctors, musicians, and technology experts in Pune, who meet regularly to discuss and research the benefits of music therapy. The meeting gave both sides the opportunity to discuss various approaches of music therapy. We visited a center in Mysore where children with developmental disabilities learn life skills, art, and academics. We met with the director, and the children, and discussed some of the issues for people with disabilities in India.
Many of the people we met in India were sincerely interested in who we were, and the idea of being friends and learning from each other. I think people are incredibly kind all over the world. There is so much to learn from other cultures including music, art, language, customs, cuisine, spirituality, etc. These things enrich our own living, and the understanding of how others feel and live their lives.
Planning this project was an intense learning process in itself. We are looking forward to applying these experiences into our future projects in South Korea, Mexico, and I'm sure we'll make it back to Mother India sometime.shanti, shanti (peace),Richard Bogen, Music Therapy Intern at Wildwood School Schenectady, N.Y., USA
