Deep Listening is a composer’s sound practice devised by the legendary composer and thought leader, Pauline Oliveros (1932-2016). It is open to everyone and devised to serve and expand our well-being, especially for those drawn to music and sound. DL meetings provide a safe space for musicians and composers to reframe their experience of sound, music, and performance as a group. The music we create together does not employ reading written music or require playing any instrument. It only requires listening to the sounds and silences of outer nature, our inner nature, others, our environment, technology, and machinery. Deep Listening is a secular spiritual endeavor because it fosters deeper levels of connection to others, nature, and ourselves.

Find out more about this practice here.  

I am grateful to be leading our group as its primary organizer and teacher. Our meetings are free to join, and donations are optional. There is no official membership or requirement to join a list. Meetings last 120 minutes and follow this structure:

• Warm-up : we get the blood flowing and re-orient our awareness with a little TaiChi and QiGong. No experience is necessary.
• Listening: this time includes Deep Listening guidance. It may take place outdoors and may include walking.  
• Sounding: we perform Deep Listening pieces, sometimes called “Sonic Meditations”, by Pauline Oliveros and the global DL community, including those of our own. These scores, using only text, give instructions on how the group is to create the music. Traditional music reading is not used, so creating music together is open to everyone. 
• Dream Sharing: we talk about and optionally, share, our dreams with the goal of learning how to listen to them and within them. 

Our Deep Listening group is a part of a network of DL groups across the globe.