WEBVTT - Transcending through Music

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<v Speaker 1>Stay Calm as a production of I Heart Radio. Welcome

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<v Speaker 1>to Stay Calm, your daily dose of calmness. I'm Bob Roth,

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<v Speaker 1>and I've been teaching people to meditate for fifty years,

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<v Speaker 1>helping them to stay calm under pressure, reboot and re

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<v Speaker 1>energize their lives, and basically be a happier, healthier version

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<v Speaker 1>of themselves. And now I want to help you do

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<v Speaker 1>the same. Ready, sit comfortably, take a few deep breaths,

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<v Speaker 1>and let's begin today's journey. The day was September eleven,

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<v Speaker 1>two thousand and two, which was the date of the

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<v Speaker 1>first annual nine eleven Memorial. Sharon Issman, one of the

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<v Speaker 1>greatest classical guitarists in the world, was nearly overcome by emotion.

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<v Speaker 1>She was standing by the stage at Ground zero in

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<v Speaker 1>New York City, waiting to perform with Yo Yo Ma

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<v Speaker 1>and the Juilliard String Quartet in front of forty family

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<v Speaker 1>members and survivors. Someone was going to read the three

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<v Speaker 1>thousand names of those who had been lost the year before.

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<v Speaker 1>As the musicians performed I'm a New Yorker, Sharon recalled,

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<v Speaker 1>I experienced the trauma of nine eleven firsthand. I wondered

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<v Speaker 1>if I could do it. I wondered if I would

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<v Speaker 1>break down, But the moment she walked across the stage,

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<v Speaker 1>the stress lifted and her fears dissipated. This is why

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<v Speaker 1>I'm a musician. I want to be part of this healing,

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<v Speaker 1>she thought to herself. As she settled into her chair.

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<v Speaker 1>The audience was standing right in front of her. She

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<v Speaker 1>could see the posters they were holding with pictures of

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<v Speaker 1>their lost loved ones. She could look right into their eyes.

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<v Speaker 1>It was so moving. I can't put it into words.

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<v Speaker 1>I found myself almost in a zone like when I meditate.

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<v Speaker 1>I felt every emotion. I was fully present, fully alert,

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<v Speaker 1>but also somehow deeply peaceful and silent inside. I will

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<v Speaker 1>never forget that moment. Sharon has been as a good

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<v Speaker 1>friend and a force of nature. Among her long list

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<v Speaker 1>of accolades, she is a two time Grammy Award winning

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<v Speaker 1>classical guitarist, director of the Guitar Department at the Juilliard School,

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<v Speaker 1>and most recently winner of the Instrumentalist of the Year

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<v Speaker 1>from Musical America. Sharon became a classical guitarist almost by

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<v Speaker 1>default at the age of nine. Her family moved to

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<v Speaker 1>Italy because her father, a chemical engineer, took a consulting

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<v Speaker 1>job near Milan. While in Italy, Sharon's older brother, Ira,

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<v Speaker 1>asked to take guitar lessons. He secretly wanted to be

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<v Speaker 1>the next Elvis Presley. With the best of intentions, his

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<v Speaker 1>parents found him an excellent classical guitar teacher who had

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<v Speaker 1>studied with Segovia. IRA's response, classical guitar no way. Aaron

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<v Speaker 1>volunteered to take his place, but just for fun, certainly

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<v Speaker 1>not as a future career path. A year later, Sharon's

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<v Speaker 1>family moved back to Minneapolis, which is where she set

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<v Speaker 1>her sights on her future profession. She wanted to become

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<v Speaker 1>a rocket scientist. In fact, Sharon's new favorite hobby was

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<v Speaker 1>launching model rockets into the air, but she continued to

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<v Speaker 1>practice guitar faithfully, and at age fourteen, she won a

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<v Speaker 1>statewide competition, the award to perform solo with the Minnesota

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<v Speaker 1>Orchestra before ten thousand people. That experience changed everything. It

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<v Speaker 1>was like a light bulb went off in my head.

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<v Speaker 1>I realized that performing in front of an audience was

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<v Speaker 1>a lot more fun than sending worms and grasshoppers into

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<v Speaker 1>space in my model rocket. She realized then she wanted

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<v Speaker 1>to be a classical guitarist. Sharon has been meditating for

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<v Speaker 1>more than forty years. Without exaggeration, she says her twice

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<v Speaker 1>daily practice has doubled, which is able to accomplish in

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<v Speaker 1>any given day. At about four or five o'clock in

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<v Speaker 1>the afternoon, after I've had a long day, I'm ready

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<v Speaker 1>to collapse from exhaustion. Instead, I take twenty minutes to meditate,

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<v Speaker 1>and afterwards I feel completely rejuvenated, ready for the second

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<v Speaker 1>half of my day. For Sharon, who has performed solo

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<v Speaker 1>and two hundred of the world's finest recital halls, music

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<v Speaker 1>can provide an experience of transcendence. Even if a song

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<v Speaker 1>has lyrics you don't understand. There's something so powerful about

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<v Speaker 1>music that allows anyone to transcend sadness or pain, or

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<v Speaker 1>loss or any emotion. It can bring an audience to

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<v Speaker 1>a place of joy, to a place of peace. Just

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<v Speaker 1>this past week, Sharon released two new albums, Strings for

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<v Speaker 1>Peace and Affinity. I would like to conclude this podcast

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<v Speaker 1>with an excerpt from a joyous Venezuelan waltz from Affinity.

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<v Speaker 1>The music for this album was writ especially for Sharon

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<v Speaker 1>by composers from Three Continents. Boohoo all right, thank you

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<v Speaker 1>for joining me today. I hope you heard something that inspires,

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<v Speaker 1>that uplifts you and that you can incorporate into your

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<v Speaker 1>own life. This is Bob Roth. Stay calm, hey, all

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<v Speaker 1>of you out there, I'd love to hear from you.

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<v Speaker 1>You can send me your stories, your questions, or anything

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<v Speaker 1>else on your mind. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook,

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<v Speaker 1>or Instagram at meditation Bob. You can also send me

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<v Speaker 1>an email at meditation Bob Roth at gmail dot com.

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<v Speaker 1>I look forward to hearing from you