The Prescription is Music: Interview with Soundworker & Sonic Activist Joshua Leeds By Darlene Koldenhoven

The Prescription is Music: Interview with Soundworker & Sonic Activist Joshua Leeds

By Darlene Koldenhoven, M.M.V., B.M.Ed., iLs-APP, NLP, GRAMMY®, Indie Music Hall of Fame

Although I’ve known Joshua Leeds since 2007 when we met at a conference for music therapists in Boulder, Colorado, I recently enjoyed interviewing Joshua this week via Zoom. We also were both individually interviewed as a part of The Shift Network’s Sound Healing Summit this past summer and after listening to his interview, where he is appropriately known as a psychoacoustician, I’d also like to add the moniker sound philosopher. Joshua asks a lot of questions and like any great philosopher, he ponders, chooses his words slowly and carefully, and finds his resolve in searching everyone, everything and every part of his brain for his answers as to how sound affects humans and animals. Joshua’s career from producing commercial music sharply changed in 1986 when he turned his attention solely to therapeutic sound, enjoying a fulfilling career making people aware of how to improve their lives with sound, including writing three books published in multiple languages: Sonic Alchemy (1997), Through a Dog’s Ear (2008) and The Power of Sound (2010/2000). He’s produced 50+ of his psychoacoustic specialized tracks for calming, relaxation, sleep, focus that are used in homes, clinics, and classrooms around the world. Mr. Leeds continues to have incredible success with several CDs and streams of his bioacoustics music for pets used in animal care facilities!

Currently, his primary focus is on writing his upcoming book: Soundwork on a Hot Rock (2021) where he’ll be discussing among other things, what he calls “social cohesion” where he states, “Everywhere, people are in multi-layered epidemics and music has always served as a primary antidote for social cohesion. As soundworkers, our music, rhythms, frequencies and heartspace are called for and needed. This is a new time for shedding old identities, learning new skillsets, seeking silver linings, being alert and of service . . .during the age of coronavirus, climate change, systemic racism, income inequity, amoral politicians and unbridled technology, seven billion sisters and brothers are looking and listening for a new wholeness.” Joshua calls us to return to the roots of music when it was a nutrient for our nervous system and says that history shows us that music has both opportunity and connection to bring us back to community. He asks us to reposition music so as not to just entertain us but to take us through a garden that grows sound food, as he so aptly put it.

A few weeks ago I participated in Joshua’s second Soundwork21 zoom meeting. (He invited me to the first, but I was preoccupied with some urgent sound healing of my own that day.) By his own words, Joshua is not a one-on-one sound healer practitioner. But those who know him find he has a very keen knack for putting great people together, not to mention he is an erudite facilitator. What I found was an enthusiastic group of about 30 soundworkers, musicians of all kinds and levels, from around the globe, all eager to contribute their music and their concepts about how sound can help the world and how we can help ourselves using sound in this covid-consumed place we now live in. Of note were vocal chanter Heather Houston from Santa Cruz, CA, who led us in a relaxing multi-part group chant; Karen Olson, Ph.D. from New York, author of Soundpath and a violist who improvised a beautiful piece she created for healing; Ruth Cunningham, formerly of the women’s a capella group Anonymous 4, who played harp and improvised a lovely vocal derived from Latin Chant that she calls Fresh Chant; and Thomas Shivanand Amilio from India & New York who led us in an awesome vedic mantra meditation chant ending with the all-powerful OM. Then Joshua continued with one of my tracks “Emmanuel,” a vocalise I recorded in one take, after opening myself to the heavenly channel. Many of my sonic therapy clients and students use it as tool for great emotional release and healing. I was followed by David Key’s improvisation on his beautiful redwood native flute using Elk energy for stamina and strength; Susan Carol with her harp ministry aligning with the Christ body-mind-spirit; Amy Canie, harpist, who talked about conscious self-care and how important the space between the notes is; Stephan Hein in London who combines elements of Hindu with rock; and many more interesting, dedicated soundworkers. Join us on Joshua’s Facebook page, Soundwork 21 to find out about his next inspiring meeting for people involved with intentional applications of music and sound. Learn more about Mr. Leeds at JoshuaLeeds.com

Darlene Koldenhoven, M.M.V, B.M.Ed, NLP, iLs-APP certifications, Grammy Winner & 3-time nominee, Indie Music Hall of Fame Inductee. Recording artist with several multi-award winning, #1 New Age albums, some played in hospitals and hospices worldwide. Author, “Tune Your Voice: Singing and Your Mind’s Musical Ear.” International speaker and workshop facilitator on music education and sonic therapy. Private practice in voice and sonic therapy; in person or remotely. More info at DarleneKoldenhoven.com, ListeningMatrix.com, TuneYourVoice.net, WellnessVoiceWorkshop.com.

©2020 Darlene Koldenhoven. All rights reserved.