Marin Independent Journal Article
Friday, September 14, 2001
Music Therapy
by Paul Liberatore
In light of the horrifying events of the past week, it could easily seem
trivial for me to be writing a column about music. But in the midst of all
the angry talk of retaliation and revenge, there are those of us who believe
that an effective way of disarming hatred is through acts of compassion and kindness.
That's the reason I wanted to interview guitarist Stanley Jordan, who will perform at
7:30 tomorrow night at Herbst Theatre in San Francisco with percussionist Mickey Hart,
Nubian oud master Hamza El-Din and the respected bassist Kai Eckhardt.
The show is a benefit for a music therapy program for children sponsored by Music in Schools Today
(MUST), an organization Marin-based Grateful Dead Productions has actively supported.
Jordan is the extraordinary talent who developed the "touch" or "tapping" style of guitar
playing, creating a piano-like sound that is considered the most significant and
innovative technique of our time on the instrument.
He caused a sensation when he exploded on the national scene in the mid '80s with
the phenomenal album "Magic Touch," which rose to No. 1 on Billboard's jazz chart
and stayed there for 51 weeks, earning two Grammy nominations.
But rather than capitalize on his success, trying to duplicate it with more best-selling
records, he decided to follow a different path.
"The music industry only wanted certain things from me," he explained.
But I wanted to use music for other purposes. I was tapping into the idea
of music therapy, that music had this healing power to open people in the body,
mind and spirit. I thought I might be able to reach people in a more profound way."
So Jordan, who already holds a bachelor's degree in music theory and composition from Princeton,
drastically cut back his touring and returned to college, enrolling at Arizona State University,
where his is studying for a master's degree in music therapy.
I asked him if he would give me an example of how music therapy works, and he told me a story
about visiting Beth Israel Hospital in New York City with another music therapist and playing
acoustic guitars for a crack-cocaine-addicted infant writhing in the arms of a nurse.
"We played a simple line on guitar and we started singing these harmonic, loving tones directed
at this baby," he said. "The baby got perfectly still. Her eyes opened wide and her mouth fell open.
She had a look on her face that said, 'I don't know what's going on here, but it's cool.' Before that
she had been locked in her own anguish and discomfort, and now she had people around her giving her
attention and love and affection, showering her with love for the first time in her young life.
"That was one of those life-changing moments for her and me. It gave me butterflies and made my whole
body tingle. Every time I've done music therapy work, something like that happened that felt miraculous
to me. It's wonderful."
Reprinted with permission from Paul
Liberatore, the Marin
Independent Journal.
