Quick story: I was young and momentarily humorless, when I got into it with my little sister. Our conflict, now ash in my memory bank, spooked my heart. Like an ominous cloud above my head, the threat of not making music together loomed large. This, I remember in my bones.

The moment provided a pivot. It was the first time I thought to use music as a channel for communication. First on home turf, writing the song helped me communicate with myself, to witness the full bag of emotions I was feeling; the sadness, the nervousness, the joy and anticipation. As a result, a super-headed perspective was born.

The sounds helped me to soften my inflated ego and appreciate my sister’s feelings. It became clear my happiness

was dependent on her happiness. With the song as a resource, we were energized to collaborate, this time, with a broader perspective. Fun fact: my sister, Cristi Jo and I, still trade songs and make music to this day.

Over the years, I’ve used music repeatedly as a way to communicate and activate inclusive awareness; a quality of presence that is accepting and open to surprise. Everyone deserves to have an active relationship with their body+mind. I believe it’s this relationship that lays the foundation of all relationships.

My hope in this work is that people begin to use sound+music as a way to ignite their inner wisdom so they can support themselves and the things that matter most to them day to day. ✺

In those very early days of my life, my mother would sing her thoughts, the address, the activities, the sorrows and the joys. In her expression, she gave me awesome access to sound and song that helped me understand the complexity of being a person being alive.

In my practice, I seek to honor the often forgotten wisdom and fierce intuition of my Sicilian and Italian, Western Asian, and North African ancestors. I thank them for the known and unknown songs and stories, music, art and traditions passed through my family tree.

To the ancestors not of my bloodline who used music and the Buddhadharma for healing, celebration and connection, I pay my respects and strive to honor their wisdom.