The Power of the Playlist
One of the great gifts, and responsibilities, of being a Nia teacher is being able to bring music into people’s lives, in a powerful way. Music touches the whole being, directly mapped upon the brain. It’s a tool we use to bring physicality, emotional tone, mental fascination, and the mystical quality of the spirit into a Nia class.
The playlists for classic Nia routines are carefully curated from a large library of music. The songs are drawn together to create a movement experience that travels through 7 cycles, each with it’s own intent and affect on the body and being. We call it a soundscape. It should be cohesive, blending from song to song, as the routine develops in intensity and ultimately returns to calm. Some soundscapes are works of art in themselves, heightened by the arrangement and proximity of one song to the next, held together by a single thread of the focus of the routine. Others are more surprising in their combinations of genres and sounds. The possibilities are endless and always growing as more and more music gets released.
Now and then, particular music comes into my life and just takes over. It has to be listened to, endlessly, ceaselessly. Modern technology makes it easy to feed that need with music in every corner of my house, my car, my place of work and on my body. My daily work requires that I listen regularly and intimately. There’s no way of knowing the effect that has had on my life. Music is rich with inspiration and healing. Where would I be without it?!
Here are some listening suggestions.
State of Grace by Paul Schwartz
Songs of Sanctuary by Adiemus
Purple Passage by Uman