Join this mindfulness gathering with other artists and practitioners and learn to incorporate music and reflection practices into your daily routine.
Themes for the sessions include:
- Cultivating self-compassion during challenging times
- Establishing and using the concept of the ‘Island of self’
- Caring for ourselves as a foundation, ‘Peace in yourself, peace in the world’
Most importantly, this is an opportunity to practice coming home to ourselves during difficult times, cultivating self-compassion and care.
Mindful Music is a charity established for all children to receive the emotional and social development support they need for their greater well-being. They work in school and community environments to provide children with the resources and opportunities to develop emotional literacy and maturity through music, reflection and connection with nature. A fundamental part of the process is to provide wellbeing support for our facilitators who engage with children. Since the impact of COVID-19, Mindful Music have delivered online resources for children and adults affected (with a focus on addressing anxiety), and founder Martha Wright is now testing and measuring the impact of mindfulness based connection support for creative facilitators.
These sessions will be led by Martha Wright, Joe Holtaway and Susanne Olbrich, inspired by their time practicing in Plum Village, a global community of mindfulness practice centres, offering teachings on engaged Buddhism and the art of mindful living, founded by Zen Master, Thich Nhat Hanh.
Martha Wright is the founder of Mindful Music and a primary school teacher. She had become aware of the emotional needs pupils were struggling with and the patterns of behaviour negatively affecting their wellbeing, and so started to pilot music projects to support children in their development of emotional literacy. This began the ongoing process of contextual observations supported by her mindfulness practice in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh. Martha has a masters in Transformational Leadership through Teach First and Canterbury Christ Church, and a degree in Music from Durham University. She is grateful to be part of the global Plum Village sangha (mindfulness practice community) and spent three months coordinating retreats for The Barn Retreat Centre in Totnes. Martha’s practice also draws from teachers Kristin Neff, Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield.
Joe Holtaway is a singer, songwriter and workshop leader. Joe’s songs are inspired by a folk music upbringing and his involvement in peace and social justice movements. Following a year’s residency in Thich Nhat Hanh’s Plum Village, Joe spent two years travelling, journaling, song writing and singing with community groups at retreats, protest camps and demonstrations, with organisations including Friends of the Earth and The Quakers. Joe has also been involved with education for many years as a group singing facilitator. Joe’s online journal and album, More The Love That’s Given (2020) share many of these experiences.
Susanne Olbrich is a pianist, music educator and mindfulness teacher. She discovered mindfulness practice in 1996 in Plum Village, and it became a deeply nourishing, sustaining and transformative part of her daily life. Susanne has an ongoing fascination with exploring mindfulness, music and creativity alongside one another other, and she enjoys offering workshops and retreats to that effect. She completed teacher training with Plum Village as well as in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness-Based Living (MBLC). Susanne has led days of mindfulness and retreats for Plum Village UK and for the Mindful Artists Network, which she co-founded. She has a Master’s in Music from Oldenburg University (Germany) and an MSc in Mindfulness from the University of Aberdeen. With her band Marama Trio, she has recorded the album Continuations, original music inspired by classical, jazz, folk and world music.
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We are hugely grateful for The Cultural Recovery Fund to help cover the costs of these courses.
