Newsletter

Dear Ones,

Thank you for your interest in music and rhythm and embodiment. Thank you for bringing your hearts to the world.

In times like these, it can sometimes be tricker than usual to stay in our clear brilliance as humans. May we all choose to spend the time to cultivate the practices, relationships, and choices that help us stay centered and by default make this world a better place.

Music is a powerful ally. If you happen to feel a calling, to your inner self through music, rhythm and community – either through playing and learning music, or though experiencing healing musical vibrations as an audience member, then please scroll down and check out our calendar to see the various musical opportunities we are offering this fall and early winter. If you have a certain class or musical scenario that you’d love to see us offer, please feel free let us know.

We are learning to appreciate and embrace the technological aspects of the world around us, especially in terms of music education, so David is now offering on-line, video chat lessons and will be accepting a few new students that way. Please contact us for more information.

This Sunday, October 22nd, kicks off the new season of the Blue Sage World Music Concert Series with Jamie Stone’s Folklife ensemble, a fun, international touring act. We have to say that a big part of why we’re excited about the evening is accordion player, vocalist, and body percussionist Moira Smiley. Preview the band here: https://youtu.be/38GaKRsXwuU

Many blessings,
Arlyn & David

–UPCOMING EVENTS–

classes

• Saturdays, October 21 & 28, 10:30-noon. Marimba Classes for Adults and Teens $5-15 sliding scale. Please RSVP for location and to help me plan for the class. Open to beginners.  A great way to deepen your relationship with music. These are my last beginner classes for the season, so please jump on in if you’d like to check it out.

• Sunday, November 5, 1-4pm. Marimba Workshop with David Alderdice “It’s All About the Groove and Time-Feel” Keeping it fun and funky in 4/4. $25 (some scholarships available) Please RSVP for location and to help us plan for the workshop. for ages 10 through adult, some musical experience required. Please be in touch if you’re wondering if the workshop would be a fit for you or your youth.

• Sunday, December 10, 1-4pm. Marimba Workshop with David Alderdice “The Magic Power of Rhythms Based in 12” Polyrhythms and engaging the 6/8, 12/8,3/4, & 4/4 (with triplets) time-feels. $25 (some scholarships available) Please RSVP for location and to help us plan for the workshop. Designed for intermediate or advanced beginner marimba students but open to all musicians.

• Monday nights, 6-7:30pm. NFV Community and Parade Band Rehearsal. At the HHS band room. If you’ve been thinking community band might be fun, this is a great time to join rehearsals! It’s a fun way to learn and play music with friendly musical members of the NFV. Members are welcome from the surrounding areas of the NFV as well.   more info

Blue Sage World Music Concert Series 2017-2018 series

More information and tickets: www.bluesage.org

• World Music: Jayme Stone’s Folklife in Paonia, CO on Sunday, October 22, 2017 5:00 pm at the Paradise Theatre with Jayme Stone (banjo, voice), Moira Smiley (voice, accordion), Sumaia Jackson (fiddle, voice), & Joe Phillips (bass, voice). Sea island spirituals, Creole calypsos and stomp-down Appalachian dance tunes.

• World Music: The Silk Road with David Alderdice & Marcin Arendt in Paonia, CO on Saturday, January 27, 2018 7:30 pm with Marcin Arendt (violin), Kimberly Patterson (cello), Benjamin DeKock (double bass), David Alderdice (percussion). The living musical heritage of the Silk Road allows us to feel a link to thousands of years of trade and exchange among the peoples from the shores of the Mediterranean to the shores of the Pacific.

• World Music: Galician Folk with Uxia Senlle in Paonia, CO on Saturday, February 17, 2018 7:30 pm. Uxía Senlle (vocals), Sergio Tannus (guitar/vocals). Iconic vocalist Uxía Senlle is one of the most respected and influential musicians from Galicia, Spain and regarded as the grande dame of Galician music. Her songs have the presence of traditional folk music but with a personal flair. Uxia is joined by Brazilian multi-instrumentalist Sergio Tannus.

—

We’ve shared this poem before, but have heard the geese in the distance and it’s always a good reminder.

—

Wild Geese

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting –
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.

– Mary Oliver

Hello,

We hope that you are doing well. Life here has been full – David spent the month of September in Crested Butte M-F working with Celebrate the Beat and in Carbondale gigging on the weekends and Arlyn and the not-quite-so-little one found creative ways to keep everything running at the homestead.

Thanks to Aaron of AJ Designs, we’ve updated our website with a bit of a new look – www.embodyingrhythm.com and our newsletter will now be coming through Mail Chimp.

We’ve got a lot of great events coming up in October, please check out the list below for class and concert information including the first concert on the Blue Sage World Music Concert Series October 22nd.

many blessings,
Arlyn and David

– UPCOMING EVENTS –

Live Music in October

• Wednesday, October 4th – Marimba Project live at The Learning Council’s fundraiser feast. The Embodying Rhythm Marimba Ensemble as well as Ritmo de Madera will play while you dine. 5:30-8pm. More information and to reserve your locally sourced African inspired 5 course meal: thelearningcouncil.org/project/harvest-moon-dinner/
  

• Thursday, October 5th – David Alderdice with Celebrate the Beat in Crested Butte, CO. 6pm at the Crested Butte Community School. more info

• Saturday, October 7th – Joe Smith (aka Sticky Mulligan) with David Alderdice and Daniel B at Cohere Festival in Paonia, CO. 4pm. more info

• Sunday, October 22 – World Music: Jayme Stone’s Folklife in Paonia, CO 5:00 pm at the Paradise Theatre with Jayme Stone (banjo, voice), Moira Smiley (voice, accordion), Sumaia Jackson (fiddle, voice), & Joe Phillips (bass, voice). Sea island spirituals, Creole calypsos and stomp-down Appalachian dance tunes. Check out this video and then reserve your ticket: https://youtu.be/38GaKRsXwuU

Autumn Classes

• Marimba Classes with Arlyn Alderdice for adults and teens — 1.5 hour classes: Saturdays October 7th, 14th, and 21st from 10:30-noon. Geared for beginners as well as continuing students – a safe place to explore and learn together on incredibly lovely instruments. $5-15 sliding scale. 872-4238 to register. more info

• Intermediate Youth Marimba Classes with David Alderdice — 1.25 hour classes: Wednesday afternoons starting Oct. 18th through November 8th from 3:45pm – 5:00pm.  Geared for continuing students 6th through 12th grade. $50 for the four week series. 872-4238 to register. more info

• Beginning Youth Marimba Classes with David Alderdice — 1.25 hour classes: Thursday afternoons starting Oct. 19 through November 9th from 3:45pm – 5:00pm. Geared for youth 3rd through 8th grade. $50 for the four week series. 872-4238 to register. more info

• Rhythm Study Series for Continuing Students with David Alderdice – Thursdays: October 19, 26 & November 2, 9, 2017. 6:30 – 7:30pm class, 7:30-8:00pm music making session. This class series will focus on deepening our relationship with rhythm through the practice of solkattu, percussive shakers, & possibly some hand drums. Geared for intermediate and advanced players, or highly over-achieving beginners with patience and a large capacity for applying new material. Please RSVP 872-4238 more info

• The NFV Community and Parade Band Rehearsals resume on Monday, October 16th, 2017. If you’ve been thinking community band might be fun, this is a great time to join rehearsals! It’s a fun way to learn and play music with friendly musical members of the NFV. Members are welcome from the surrounding areas of the NFV as well.   more info

Blue Sage World Music Concert Series 2017-2018 series.

More information and tickets: www.bluesage.org

• World Music: Jayme Stone’s Folklife in Paonia, CO on Sunday, October 22, 2017 5:00 pm at the Paradise Theatre with Jayme Stone (banjo, voice), Moira Smiley (voice, accordion), Sumaia Jackson (fiddle, voice), & Joe Phillips (bass, voice). Sea island spirituals, Creole calypsos and stomp-down Appalachian dance tunes. Check out this video and then reserve your ticket: https://youtu.be/38GaKRsXwuU
  

• World Music: The Silk Road with David Alderdice & Marci n Arendt in Paonia, CO on Saturday, January 27, 2018 7:30 pm with Marcin Arendt (violin), Kimberly Patterson (cello), Benjamin DeKock (double bass), David Alderdice (percussion). The living musical heritage of the Silk Road allows us to feel a link to thousands of years of trade and exchange among the peoples from the shores of the Mediterranean to the shores of the Pacific.

• World Music: Galician Folk with Uxia Senlle in Paonia, CO on Saturday, February 17, 2018 7:30 pm. Uxía Senlle (vocals), Sergio Tannus (guitar/vocals). Iconic vocalist Uxía Senlle is one of the most respected and influential musicians from Galicia, Spain and regarded as the grande dame of Galician music. Her songs have the presence of traditional folk music but with a personal flair. Uxia is joined by Brazilian multi-instrumentalist Sergio Tannus.

—

“When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy.” ― Rumi

And a video from our June Marimba concert at the Paradise Theatre that we thought you might enjoy: youtu.be/7TtzEJcIo8E Afro Blue written by Mongo Santamaria.

Dear Ones,

We hope you are having a great summer.

We have a final marimba concert of the season this Tuesday, July 11th at the Paonia Library beginning with our summercamp students at 6:30pm followed by two sets from the Embodying Rhythm Marimba Ensemble. It’s a really fun repertoire and we’ll have some horns joining us and it will be lots of fun for the whole family!

Also, we wanted to let you know that the information for the 2017-2018 Blue Sage Concert Series artist line-up has been announced. We’re excited for the season, both the World Music concerts as well as the Classical, and now is a great time to pick out seats for the season and save some money by buying season tickets: www.bluesage.org or call 970-527-7243 or stop by the Blue Sage. See below for the World Music listings.

As far as classes go, we’re taking a bit of a break for the end of summer and will start up youth and adult marimba classes again in September, we’ll keep you posted.

See you soon.
Blessings,
Arlyn & David

–> UPCOMING EVENTS <–

• Tuesday, July 11, 2017 6:30 pm at the Paonia Library — The Embodying Rhythm Marimba Project, founded and directed by David and Arlyn Alderdice will feature both their professional Embodying Rhythm Marimba Project Ensemble as well as their Summercamp Student Marimba Ensemble. Both groups will be playing funky polyphonic marimba music from Africa and the Americas, as well some new original compositions. Our marimba ensembles consist of 1 soprano, 2 altos, 2 tenors, a baritone, and a (really big) bass marimba, providing a four and a half octave range which is often accompanied by tasty percussion, drumset, flute, melodica, brass horns, and singing voices. www.embodyingrhythm.com/marimba Great fun for the whole family!!!
• Listen to Embodying Rhythm Marimba Ensemble Talking Music interview from June 23, 2017

Blue Sage World Music Concert Series 2017-2018 series announced. More information and tickets: www.bluesage.org

• World Music: Jayme Stone’s Folklife in Paonia, CO on Sunday, October 22, 2017 5:00 pm at the Paradise Theatre
• World Music: The Silk Road with David Alderdice & Marcin Arendt in Paonia, CO on Saturday, January 27, 2018 7:30 pm
• World Music: Galician Folk with Uxia Senlle in Paonia, CO on Saturday, February 17, 2018 7:30 pm

___

“The More You Listen,” an excerpt from The Listening Book: Discovering Your Own Music by W. A. Mathieu

You can no more hear all the vibrations in a sonata than we can see all the radiation from the stars. There is an effulgence, a surfeit in the world. We will never hear it all, even if we invent a hundred new ways to listen and bring all the dark into the light. There will always be more. Waves make waves and draw our senses in beyond limit.

It was a great day when I discovered that there is more in the air than I had ever heard before, or could ever hear. I remember the amazement in realizing “the more you listen, the more you hear,” the delight in registering sounds that had always been present, the ecstasy in knowing that this is a lifelong experience, infinitely expandable, basically musical. I spoke wildly to my friends. I began inventing exercises and games to trick people into hearing more so I could experience the freshness of their wonder. I never stopped doing it. I’m doing it now.

Dear Ones,

It’s a very busy and musical June here at Embodying Rhythm. How inspiring to have Glen and Loire here in the North Fork! David was super excited to be able to take a couple of private lessons with Glen. So far this month, we also visited the 5 Delta County Libraries with our Musical Outreach Ensemble, and The NFV Community and Parade Band shared some funky sounds and puppets in the streets of Crawford as part of the Pioneer Days Parade. Up next, we are presenting marimba concerts (and workshops) June 23 in Fruita, CO and June 24th in Paonia, CO and offering a marimba summer-camp June 26-30th.

One of the exciting things about the upcoming marimba concerts is that the Embodying Rhythm Marimba Project Ensemble has been playing marimba and groove-based music together for a few years and you can hear and feel the evolution of the ensemble in this show. We’re looking forward to sharing it with the community.

The concerts are extra special and personal. Almost every piece we will be playing, we either arranged or composed. We’re thrilled to premiere several new original compositions by David Alderdice as well as continuing our explorations of music from Africa, South America, and the Caribbean. The band includes David Alderdice, Arlyn Alderdice, Jeannette Carey, Daniel B, Matt Drbohlav, Rebecca Drbohlav, Osha Foster, and Jen Sanborn with Eric Baumheier, Tony Peters, Chris Faison and other special guests on Saturday, June 24th.

Featured Marimba Concerts in June:

• Embodying Rhythm Marimba Project Ensemble live in Fruita, CO on Friday, June 23, 2017 7:30 pm. Advance: $10. Door $15. Youth $5. 970-260-5413

• Embodying Rhythm Marimba Project Ensemble live w/ opening set by Banjira in Paonia, CO at the Paradise Theatre on Saturday, June 24, 2017 8:00 pm. tickets online or at the Cirque or Paradse Theatre in Paonia or at North Fork Family Dentistry in Hotchkiss,

Marimba Workshops in June:

• Marimba Ensemble Workshop in Fruita, CO on Friday, June 23, 2017 3:00-5:00pm. $18 adults, $13 youth. Ages 9 through adult.

• Marimba Ensemble Workshop in Paonia, CO on Saturday, June 24, 2017 2:00pm-4:00pm. Ages 9 through adult. Sponsored by The Learning Council

Marimba Summercamp:

• Marimba Summer-Camp for Continuing Students in Hotchkiss, CO Monday, June 26 – Friday June 30, 2017 10am-1pm and 2:30-5:30pm. $98 for either morning or afternoon session, $172 for full day. Scholarships available. 872-4238 for more information and registration. These summer camps are geared for intermediate marimba players and any musician who would like to deepen their relationship with music by learning to play African inspired marimba ensemble music at a higher level. Participants must have at least some prior music experience. Ages 10 through adult.

“Today,
Like every other day,
we wake up empty and frightened.
Don’t open the door to the study and begin reading.
Take down a musical instrument.
Let the beauty we love be what we do.
There are hundreds of ways to
kneel and kiss the ground.”

– Rumi

Dear Ones,

My apologies for a duplicated or strange first message. Let’s try again.

Hello. we hope this email finds you well. March madness went well and it’s nice to be on the other side of so many activities. Our first local Marimba Residency went great at the Hotchkiss K-8 and we look forward to bringing the program to more schools in the future. For April, we’ll focus on marimba classes, private lessons, rehearsals, practice, playing, and preparing for summer concerts.

blessings,
Arlyn and David

ps. April 1st & 2nd, The Learning Council is sponsoring another parade puppet-making workshop, so if you missed the first one, you still have a chance to participate in large-scale puppet making. It’s great fun. In the KVNF community room, enter through the alley. 11-4 on Sat and 10-2 on Sun. The puppets will get to go on parade with the NFV Community & Parade Band this summer.

–> UPCOMING EVENTS <–

Weekly Marimba Classes this spring:

• Adult Marimba Ensemble class series with Arlyn Alderdice. Saturdays: April 1, 8, & 15 10:30-12:00pm. Sliding scale $15-45 for the series. Please pre-register 872-4238

• Marimba After-School Ensemble series for youth with David Alderdice. Mondays 3:45-5:00pm for continuing students at the Embodying Rhythm Percussion Studio 2 miles outside of Hotchkiss, location available with registration. A five week series: Mondays April 17th, 24th and May 1st, 8th, 15th. $55. All instruments provided. Scholarships available. 872-4238 for more information and registration.

Marimba Concerts in the Roaring Fork Valley in April:

• 5 Point Film Festival. Carbondale, CO with live marimba music (and puppets!) 11:30am on April 22, 2017. 5pointfilm.org
• Earth Day Celebration at the Glenwood Public Library with live marimba music 2pm-4pm on April 22, 2017. More information: 410-313-5577

Ongoing in the North Fork Valley:

• NFV Community & Parade Band rehearsals continue on Monday Nights at the Hotchkiss High School Band Room 6:30-8:00pm. Bring your instrument. Now is a great time to start coming as the band is starting to work on a new repertoire and starting to think about parade season.

World Music concerts and workshops at the Blue Sage in June:

• World Music – Mythic Rhythm with Glen Velez & Loire in Paonia, CO on Saturday, June 3, 2017 7:30 pm
• World Music – Glen Velez Ancient World of Drumming Workshop in Paonia, CO on Sunday, June 4, 2017 1:00 pm
• World Music – Rhythmic Vocal and Singing Workshop with Loire in Paonia, CO on Sunday, June 4, 2017 3:00 pm

More music in June:

• Members of the Embodying Rhythm Marimba Project Kickoff Delta County’s Summer Reading Program June 6-8, 2017. Check with your library for concert details.

• Pioneer Days Parade in Crawford June 10th, 2017 10am. Enjoy the sounds of the NFV Community & Parade Band and all the other fun entertainment.

Featured Marimba Concerts in June:

• Embodying Rhythm Marimba Project Ensemble live in Fruita, CO on Friday, June 23, 2017 7:30 pm
• Embodying Rhythm Marimba Ensemble live w/ opening set by Banjira in Paonia, CO at the Paradise Theatre on Saturday, June 24, 2017 8:00 pm

Marimba Summercamps:

• Marimba Summer-Camp for Continuing Students in Hotchkiss, CO on Monday, June 26, 2017 10am-1pm and 2:30-5:30pm. $98 for either morning or afternoon session, $172 for full day. Scholarships available. 872-4238 for more information and registration.
• Marimba Summer-Camp Campout for Continuing Students on Sunday, July 16, 2017 full details soon

The Quiet Power by Tara Mohr

I walked backwards, against time
and that’s where I caught the moon,
singing at me.

I steeped downwards, into my seat
and that’s where I caught freedom,
waiting for me, like a lilac.

I ended thought, and I ended story.
I stopped designing, and arguing, and
sculpting a happy life.

I didn’t die. I didn’t turn to dust.

Instead I chopped vegetables,
and made a calm lake in me
where the water was clear and sourced and still.

And when the ones I loved came to it,
I had something to give them, and
it offered them a soft road out of pain.

I became beloved.

And I came to know that this was it.
The quiet power.
I could give something mighty, lasting,
that stopped the wheel of chaos,

by tending to the river inside,
keeping the water rich and deep,
keeping a bench for you to visit.

Dear Ones,

Thank you for helping make the Musical Caravan concerts a success. What fun to tour around the musical globe. We are hoping to find a way to do a CD recording of some of that material at some point later this year.

We have been having a somewhat quiet February working on the unveiling of all the fun offerings we have coming up this spring and summer (and for next year’s World Music concert season). Just in March, David will be offering 5 in-school outreach concerts, 6 evening performances, 13 days of in-school residency, 3 after-school programs, and a weekend of puppet workshops, in addition to everything else he stays busy with like rehearsals, private teaching, writing new music, and being papa.

We look forward to unveiling our full summer offerings soon complete with marimba concerts, parades, summer-camps, and more. We have some dates at the bottom of the Upcoming Events list and will have full details soon.

Many blessings,
Arlyn and David

-> UPCOMING EVENTS <-