We Play Well Together is proud to have been presented in a virtual booth at the NAMM Show 2021 "Believe in Music" Week in January!
We've been attending NAMM in Los Angeles every year for the past few conferences. Due to the ongoing pandemic, The 2021 NAMM Show was all online. Our team got to work building a virtual exhibitor booth and we put together a ton of great video content highlighting our instrument makers and latest products! We'll be highlighting these videos in blog posts and newsletters to our We Play Well Together community in the weeks and months ahead.
Stillpoint for the Solstice: A Gathering for Sound, Movement & Meditation
We invite you to join us in community as we pause to go deep, deep within: journeying to the stillpoint at our center. This is the resting place of the soul.
You'll be guided through a series of participatory invitations utilizing movement, voice, breath, and deep listening. These will include: gentle yoga poses, guided breathwork, vocal sounding, and listening to live performances of inspired poetry, song, and therapeutic sound instruments.
It doesn't matter to us if you've only 3 followers or are a major social influencer...At We Play Well Together,we're all about the potency of musical micro-moments. Recently, we started using our social media accounts to feature members of our community and have received lots of great feedback. So this is our call-in: share with us your content so we can celebrate you! If you're creating sounds with feeltone, Hokema, Metal Sounds, Zenko Drums, Koshi or Zaphir Chimes, we can play well and grow together. When you post content featuring instruments we distribute (whether you purchased them through us or not) let us know in the following ways:
Tag @weplaywelltogetheron Instragram - we'll DM to ask your permission to reshare, then we'll post, tag you back + copy your text using the "repost" app.
Tag@weplaywelltogetheron Facebook - we'll reach out using Messenger to ask your permission to reshare, then we'll post +tag you back with a shout-out.
Email us links to your YouTube videos. We'll add you to one of the playlists for "instruments in action" on ourWe Play Well TogetherYouTube channel.
Our relationship with vibration, sound, and music is intrinsically connected to who we are as humans. Join award-winning musician Todd Boston in a weekly experiential class on the power of sound, music and meditation. We will be joined by special guests.
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Learn practical tools to deepen your connection and relationship to sound as a tool for transformation, healing, and growth. Explore how music and meditation can expand your abilities of deep listening, intuition, and how to integrate it into your healing practice and day to day life...
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By tuning our voices, instruments, and hearts we can go deeper into the subtleties of listening. This state of focus and deeper listening can open us to hear our intuition and inner voice in more clear and profound ways. Bring your voice, percussion, and/or instrument.
Brandon Blake, a multifaceted individual juggling roles as a preschool teacher, brain injury support group leader, musician, animal rights activist, and volunteer, shares his daily life and his profound connection with the Kalimba Sansula in an interview with Annalena Horl for Hokema, Germany. His routine begins with caring for his cats, followed by preparing breakfast and spending eight hours at school focusing on the social and emotional development of young children. Post-work, he finds solace and creativity in playing the Sansula or bass, highlighting his commitment to self-care and artistic expression.
Brandon’s job satisfaction stems from nurturing positive behaviors like kindness, empathy, and respect among preschool children, aiming to cultivate a future generation free of xenophobia, racism, and aggression. He was drawn to the Sansula as a means to disconnect from the digital world and engage in a more tactile, musical form of expression. Since discovering the Sansula in 2015, it has become an integral part of his life, offering him solace, therapeutic benefits, and a medium for musical creativity.
He utilizes the Sansula across various aspects of his life, from calming preschool children and entertaining nursing home residents to providing healing in brain injury communities. Brandon praises the Sansula for its ease of use, therapeutic potential, and adaptability, including his innovative use of magnets to alter its notes for performance flexibility. He regards the Sansula as a serious musical instrument, validated by his performances with renowned musicians like Victor Wooten, where his unique playing techniques were celebrated.
Brandon’s favorite Hokema instrument is the Sansula Renaissance for its durability and sound quality, making it suitable for both young children and therapeutic applications. His journey with the Sansula began after a life-altering accident that left him with severe injuries and a traumatic brain injury, from which he has been recovering with resilience and positivity. Now leading a group for young patients with brain injuries, Brandon views every moment as "bonus time," a second chance at life enriched by his experiences, relationships, and music.
Koshi Chimes, handcrafted in the French Pyrenees, offer enchanting tones from bamboo chambers and metal rods, transcending typical chime uses as intuitive musical instruments for anyone. Inspired by Feng Shui, they embody the four elements—earth (Terra), water (Aqua), air (Aria), and fire (Ignis)—each with unique tone sequences for therapeutic uses like meditation and sound therapy, enhancing positive energy flow.
These chimes, when combined with Hokema Kalimbas, create immersive soundscapes. Hokema Kalimbas, made from sustainable American Cherry wood, come in various models, including acoustic, electric, and a twin version for duo play. Together, Koshi Chimes and Hokema Kalimbas facilitate a serene, creative environment, bridging traditional sounds with modern wellness practices.
Christine Stevens, renowned music therapist, author, and speaker, shares her journey from believing she had no rhythm to embracing drumming as a transformative medium. Introduced to drum circles, Stevens found her calling, blending magic, fun, and healing through rhythmic expression. She encountered the Hokema Sansula at a music therapy conference, immediately recognizing its calming and mystical qualities. Stevens utilizes the Sansula in diverse healing drum groups, ranging from seniors to cancer patients, highlighting its serene impact.
Holding master's degrees in social work and music therapy, Stevens has facilitated drum circles globally, appearing on major TV networks and contributing to significant projects and publications. She emphasizes the drum's healing power, extending her expertise to include the flute as a medium for peace and personal transformation in her latest course on the Shift Network. Through her work, Stevens demonstrates the profound effect of rhythmic and musical expression on healing and mindfulness.
The power of overtones & natural acoustic vibration for Sound Meditation, Sound Baths, Sound Massage, and Vocal Toning
with USA Feeltone Trainer Joule L’Adara, MFA in Music
This hands-on intimate intensive workshop will give you the opportunity to play, experience, and learn more about the feeltone Monochords including the Monolini and Monolina Body Therapy Monochords plus the larger Concert and Meditation Monochords.
• learn Monochord playing techniques
• create rich overtones
• open your ear to the harmonic spectrum
• differentiate recreate different sound qualities
Some say that D minor is the saddest key. I beg to differ. D minor is is a beautiful key and the Aqua collection is a delight. I feel fortunate to obtain the blue "baby turtle" now that they are no longer being manufactured. It's a perfect addition to my D minor collection, including several We Play Well Together offerings. It has a sweet, lovely sound and you really can't go wrong playing it.
I am really enjoying this beautifully crafted instrument. It is the perfect accompaniment to my softly spoken meditation and journey work prompts. Just wish I had purchased a case when I ordered.
Absolutely stunning craftsmanship in every way!- sounds almost angelic, and so mesmerizing ... feels wonderful on my body. Delightful playing experience. Everything was packaged with the upmost care. Came with tuner as well as spare strings, mallet, and accessories!
Exceeded all my expectations, which were already high. This Monolina is so meticulously crafted and well made. I wish I could purchase one for every tuning. A lovely instrument that is clearly built to endure generations.
