{"id":1429,"date":"2024-03-30T17:50:36","date_gmt":"2024-03-30T17:50:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/?p=1429"},"modified":"2024-03-30T17:51:13","modified_gmt":"2024-03-30T17:51:13","slug":"conversations-with-ananda-ch-62-mari-baughman-singer-conductor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/conversations-with-ananda-ch-62-mari-baughman-singer-conductor\/","title":{"rendered":"Conversations With Ananda — Ch. 62, Mari Baughman, Singer & Conductor"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Mari<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Photo: Mari Baughman leads chanting at the Ananda Portland Center, with David Eby, a cellist whose story<\/a> <\/strong>is included in this series.<\/em><\/p>\n

Mari served for many years as Music Director for Ananda in Portland, Oregon.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> Tell us about your background in music.<\/p>\n

Mari:<\/strong> My Mom said that I started singing before I started talking, so it was obviously something that I came in with. In fact, while singing is when I\u2019ve always felt closest to God.<\/p>\n

As I was growing up, singing was my church. I went to church to sing, and I sang all the way through school, and after I left school I sang with community choirs. But I always felt that something was missing, and I stopped singing for a time until I found Ananda.<\/p>\n

When Hanuman and I met, we were both coming out of relationships where our spiritual quest wasn\u2019t understood, so we were very consciously looking for a spiritual relationship. A number of our first dates were to satsangs and kirtans at the former Ananda ashram in Atherton, on the San Francisco Peninsula.<\/p>\n

At one of our dates, the Joy Singers from Ananda Village performed, and I was deeply touched and inspired. Afterward, I asked Nirmala, \u201cWhat do I have to do to get to sing this music? I\u2019ll do anything \u2013 just tell me what I have to do!\u201d<\/p>\n

She looked at me so sweetly and said, \u201cJust hang around for a few years\u2026\u201d [Laughs] It was the best answer I could have been given, because I needed time to grow and mature in my attunement with Swamiji and the music. I think that when I did get a chance to sing, I appreciated it more than if it had been given to me right away.<\/p>\n

Music had come easily to me, and I think having to wait several years was good for me spiritually. By the time I joined the music, I was stronger and more disciplined and focused in the spiritual path.<\/p>\n

Some years later, the Joy Singers were touring on the road a great deal, and there was a need for a \u201chome team\u201d to sing at Sunday services. Auditions were held, and that was when I began singing, probably in 1984.<\/p>\n

I was incredibly moved by the music \u2013 it became my closest connection to God, and it has been the place where I\u2019ve felt His presence most powerfully.<\/p>\n

I learned the music and sang with the small group for about five years, and then we moved to an Ananda Center where I was asked to direct the music ministry. I went forward step by step, because I had no formal music training. I had just picked up the tips you get from good choir directors, but I also had a lot of help from grace while I was learning to direct.<\/p>\n

After I\u2019d been directing for a few years, we were asked to return to the Village, and for several years I attached myself to Jeannie Tschantz who directed the music there. Jeannie brought me along to the lessons where she would help the singers, and in that way she taught me how to teach.<\/p>\n

It was amazing to learn to put in words what I had formerly done by intuition alone. It was the most fulfilling piece of the puzzle, to learn how to share the music with others in a deeper way, and it\u2019s been my joy to do so for the last twelve years.<\/p>\n

I still direct a little, but I\u2019m primarily teaching singers now, and for many of the new singers it\u2019s an eye-opener to begin to understand why Ananda puts so much emphasis on music.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve also enjoyed learning how to teach choir directors. By the time it becomes a person\u2019s dharma to lead a group they\u2019ve usually made a strong connection with the inspiration in the music. And then learning to bring out the inspiration through others gives them a deeper appreciation for the music and its role in people\u2019s lives as a catalyst for inner transformation.<\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> Are there any particular approaches you use when you\u2019re teaching directors?<\/p>\n

Mari:<\/strong> The most important factors aren\u2019t technical but vibrational. Ananda\u2019s directors all know this, because it\u2019s the essence of what we do \u2013 we all sooner or later discover that the details will take care of themselves if the inspiration is right.<\/p>\n

Having said that, there are tricks for helping people learn to use their voice without having to understand music theory. The thing we emphasize most is tuning into the vibrations of the music and feeling what a piece of music is trying to say.<\/p>\n

I encourage people to take the music into their meditations. I suggest that they take a song into seclusion and spend an entire week meditating with it and feeling it ever more deeply. It can be a wonderful spiritual practice.<\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> I remember a meditation where I sang \u201cBrothers\u201d mentally and it took me very deep.<\/p>\n

Mari:<\/strong> I spent a week in seclusion singing and meditating on \u201cEmerald Isle,\u201d and it was wonderful.<\/p>\n

I think I\u2019ve had the most fun helping the singers get past the forms of the music and understand that the reason we\u2019re singing this particular music is to attune our voices, minds, hearts, and souls. It usually takes a while before they begin to believe in it, but it\u2019s fun to watch what happens when the light goes on.<\/p>\n

As for helping the singers take the music deeper, I think it helps to know that the exercises we do in choir are essentially the same as our meditation practices. We\u2019re learning to use our emotional, physical, mental, and spiritual bodies to connect with the Divine, and it\u2019s inspiring people to begin to understand that it is inspiring.<\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> Ramesha said that new singers tend to make it more work than it has to be.<\/p>\n

Mari:<\/strong> That\u2019s why I stress that we\u2019re not really here to sing. Singing is lovely, but the important thing is to learn how to set ourselves aside and just become open channels to let God flow through us.<\/p>\n

People can get caught in the details. It\u2019s especially hard to let go for those who\u2019ve had lots of formal training, but it\u2019s important to stress the need to let go and just feel the music so they can experience what it\u2019s like to step out of the ego and let God flow through you instead of trying to push out energy to fill the room. I encourage the singers to practice taking their egos out of the picture, and just see what it feels like to relax in the moment and be God\u2019s instrument.<\/p>\n

I used to feel a little sad that I hadn\u2019t had more musical training before I came to Ananda, but now I can appreciate that I was able to learn to use my intuition first and fill in the details later.<\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> Is it more about singing with the heart than the mind?<\/p>\n

Mari:<\/strong> It\u2019s about getting out of the way in all respects of ourselves. People can get stuck in their hearts, too, and when it happens they\u2019ll be singing and living with lots of emotion, and it just stirs up the world around them. We focus on singing with devotion rather than emotion, and just calmly feeling the energy flow up the spine, similar to when we meditate. As it flows through each chakra, the energy and consciousness can take on the positive qualities of that chakra, and then we can offer it to God at the spiritual eye. That way, the heart\u2019s calm feelings and the feeling of devotion can flow through us as an expression of God\u2019s pure inspiration.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a trick I use. I\u2019ll ask singers to focus their energy so they\u2019re strongly centered in their spine, and then think about the song and the vibration and message that is trying to come through the words and music. Then I\u2019ll ask them to take an actual physical step to the side, and as their feet rest on the floor, feel that they\u2019re stepping out of their ego-self, the little self, and stepping into the wider dimension that the music is trying to express.<\/p>\n

The physical movement, combined with the conscious thought of leaving the little self behind, can help people understand how different it feels to sing with ego versus offering yourself to God to let Him sing through you.<\/p>\n

Directors will say, \u201cFill the room with your voice!\u201d Or \u201cSend your energy out to fill the room.\u201d And it just never made sense to me. It felt like it was reinforcing the ego\u2019s control, to think of pushing out and filling the room. But I finally realized that it means exactly the opposite \u2013 instead of filling the room with your own energy, you just need to get yourself out of the way so the divine energy can expand outward through you. It\u2019s a small difference in the words, but the feeling is very different.<\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> Are you able to describe how that feels?<\/p>\n

Mari:<\/strong> I remember a day when I had a particularly powerful experience of feeling very open and present in the moment while I sang. I could feel a flow of energy moving through me and expanding outward into the room. It was a pivotal moment, the kind that gives you goose bumps. Again, it\u2019s the difference between pushing and relaxing. If you\u2019re pushing your own energy, you can be pretty sure you\u2019re doing it with the ego, but if you can relax and visualize a flow of energy expanding through you, and let yourself be an instrument, that\u2019s letting God sing through you.<\/p>\n

People do get it over time, and it comes more easily as they get a sense that the ego isn\u2019t what we\u2019re working with, that the ego needs to be set in a corner for a time.<\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> Among the people I\u2019ve interviewed, their approach to getting rid of the ego seems to vary a lot.<\/p>\n

Mari:<\/strong> I\u2019m looking forward to hearing what others have said. The more ways you can describe something, the more likely you can touch people quickly. If people can\u2019t relate to how I\u2019m saying it, maybe another director will say it in a way that they\u2019ll get it immediately and there won\u2019t be a lag time where they\u2019re thinking \u201cWhat does she mean?\u201d<\/p>\n

Learning to use the instruments of body, heart, will, mind and soul is a lifelong task. I\u2019m constantly finding fresh depths in the music, and discovering how I can use my instrument and understand it in different ways. I think this is a really important point for new people to hear. It\u2019s not a question of taking a class or singing in the choir for a few years and suddenly \u201cgetting it.\u201d It\u2019s unfolding layer after layer of understanding.<\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> When Ramesha and Chaitanya talk about the process of getting out of the way, they\u2019re describing the same experience, but their approach is slightly different. Ramesha\u2019s focus is on helping the singers learn to relax their throat, as a step toward being able to let the Divine sing through them. He says that when you\u2019re relaxed and the throat is open, it\u2019s almost like doing Kriya. Chaitanya talks about relaxing and letting the energy rise through subtle channels into the back of the head and beyond.<\/p>\n

Mari:<\/strong> The ideal physical posture when we sing is very close to what we do when we meditate, especially when we practice Kriya. We use our spines and lungs the same way, and we form the inside of our mouths the same, and we focus our attention in the same place. Once you realize this, it becomes clear that singing isn\u2019t just something we\u2019re doing for entertainment. Singing is something we do to find God. For those of us who vibrate with singing, maybe it\u2019s a little easier to understand it in those terms.<\/p>\n

Feeling the energy rise in the spine as we sing helps us get our egos out of the way and place our voices properly. The more relaxed we are, the easier it is to sing. It\u2019s the same as when we teach people to meditate: \u201cSit upright with a relaxed posture…\u201d [Laughs]<\/p>\n

If I can help people understand how to use their instruments better when they\u2019re singing, I believe they\u2019ll be able to meditate better, too.<\/p>\n

\"Mari<\/a>
Mari Baughman with husband Hanuman in 2010.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Q:<\/strong> Do you ever suggest that Master will help them get out of the way if they pray to him?<\/p>\n

Mari:<\/strong> I use a number of visualizations. One can feel Master standing with us, inside us, surrounding us, filling us, and let him sing through us. These are other ways of getting yourself out of the way. You can\u2019t be there as your little self when you\u2019re filled with Master.<\/p>\n

We ask Master to help us get out of the way and use us as his instruments. It\u2019s good to have that thought in the front of our consciousness before we sing.<\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> Do you suggest that the singers think of the audience? That they visualize one person, or the whole audience? Or should they put their attention somewhere else?<\/p>\n

Mari:<\/strong> It depends. If we\u2019re singing as a choir, I ask them to focus on the director, and let the director be the focal point for the energy. We talk about giving up control and letting the director guide us, like Krishna driving Arjuna\u2019s chariot.<\/p>\n

We feel the vibration of the song, and the energy of the music radiating from our spiritual eye. The director acts as a focal point for the vibration that expands into the room. I don\u2019t suggest that people focus on individuals in the audience, because if a choir member\u2019s eyes wander it can be distracting for the audience.<\/p>\n

We take a different approach in small groups or solo singing where there\u2019s no director. If the singers are truly able to get themselves out of the way and share without nervousness or fear, they can offer the vibration of the song to certain individuals in the room, soul to soul, as if they\u2019re saying, \u201cNamaste\u201d \u2013 \u201cMy soul bows to your soul.\u201d<\/p>\n

If people are dealing with anxiety I\u2019ll suggest they pick a point above the audience. In our church there\u2019s a picture of Master on the back wall, and I\u2019ll say, \u201cSing to Master. Give the song to him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> You have three directors in Portland. How does that work?<\/p>\n

Mari:<\/strong> Our music program is growing, and we\u2019ve evolved into a team of five. We each have our areas of expertise, and we all work well together, so it gives us a wealth of information that we can share.<\/p>\n

One of us may lead a warmup, then the director will take over and run through the songs. We\u2019ll talk about what we can do as a choir to improve our connection to the song.<\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> Are there other areas of the music that you\u2019d like to address?<\/p>\n

Mari:<\/strong> We use a technique that Swamiji gave us. He formulated it as five steps. It\u2019s called \u201cSay-Singing.\u201d I\u2019ve found it works wonders to help the singers tune into the music very quickly. Also, it helps them learn the technical side in a very simple way.<\/p>\n

Many of our choir singers are relatively new to singing, but they\u2019ve been able to feel how special the music is. A technical rehearsal would sail over their heads; they would be deeply bored and would probably leave. [Laughs]<\/p>\n

It\u2019s wonderful to have rehearsals that are focused purely on tuning into the vibration of the music. Aside from the lovely sound that comes out, we form deep soul friendships singing together.<\/p>\n

The music seems to be touching people deeply now, in a way that it hasn\u2019t before. Our choir has doubled in size in the last three months. We had an Oratorio concert recently, conducted by David Eby. The Seattle singers joined us, along with a few singers from other Ananda communities.<\/p>\n

With our growing directing team we can share the music in more ways. One thing I\u2019d like to see is a sing-along group for people who want to start singing but might not have the inclination or time to sing in parts. A children\u2019s choir would also be great fun. The more ways we can help people discover the inspiration and soul growth of this wonderful music, the better the world will be.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Photo: Mari Baughman leads chanting at the Ananda Portland Center, with David Eby, a cellist whose story is included in this series. Mari served for many years as Music Director for Ananda in Portland, Oregon.\u00a0 Q: Tell us about your background in music. Mari: My Mom said that I started singing before I started talking, … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1429","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nConversations With Ananda — Ch. 62, Mari Baughman, Singer & Conductor - Swami Kriyananda: Lightbearer<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A long-time disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda reveals the joys of singing and performing spiritual music.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/conversations-with-ananda-ch-62-mari-baughman-singer-conductor\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" 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