HAVE you been listening to the BBC Radio 3 ‘Music & Meditation Podcast’?
Lucy Walker, our Graduate Musician in Residence, composed a piece of music for Episode 8 of the podcast, which was launched this week to honour Mental Health Awareness Week.
Lucy said: “I was asked by the BBC Radio 3 producers to compose a piece of music to accompany a guided meditation, so it had to be relaxing and gentle. To create these effects, I used a repeating piano motif with a steady rhythm which almost emulated a heartbeat or deep breathing, with changing vocal harmonies floating above. The music builds gradually in waves of repeating patterns, leading to an uplifting focal point with the voices in their highest registers, then fades away in a symmetrical shape.”
When asked what sort of impact listening to and making music can have on people’s mental health, Lucy said: “In many cultures, music is believed to have a calming and restorative power, allowing us to feel emotionally present as we experience it in real time. This can be extremely beneficial for mental wellbeing, as well as the sense of community that comes from making music.”
You can listen to Lucy’s piece and the entire podcast here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0c59x4k