The Musical Duet and the Art of Aikido

By Jessica Roemischer and Brian Levy Sensei
 

Can you imagine attending a concert expecting to enjoy an evening of piano music and, instead, finding yourself walking up to the stage, sitting down at the piano and performing for the entire audience, even though you have little or no musical training?!
 

Can you imagine coming to a martial arts demonstration, ready to be wowed by daring quick moves of the master only to find yourself up on stage feeling safe in the connection with the teacher, able to trust your body's own innate ability to move freely whether you've ever taken a karate, yoga, tai chi, or aikido class, or not?! 
 

On Sunday, November 7^th in New Orleans, we made these extraordinary possibilities real for people. Titled, “The Musical Duet and the Art of Aikido,” our collaborative performance was hosted by Trinity Episcopal Church as part of their well-known Artist’s Series.
 

Seeds were sown for our collaboration almost a year earlier at the Integral Spiritual Experience conference 2009-10. In a musical improvisation session with Jessica, Brian had the opportunity to sit in spontaneous duet at the piano. Together we discovered the uncanny similarities between Jessica’s approach to piano improvisation and the principles Brian uses as a master teacher of Aikido, a martial art of peace. Indeed, both modalities are based upon two individuals “in duet.” (See Integral Life article illustrating Jessica’s work.)
 

Brian describes his experience at ISE: “When I sat with Jessica at the piano I felt immediately at ease, safe, supported, and free. From that space, I was able to let go and just allow the music to emerge.  As I did so, I could feel Jessica meeting me in the music.  I associated this immediately with what we do in Aikido, the work of listening, connecting, and giving yourself fully to the moment and the interaction with another person. We call this deep blending musubi in Japanese. Jessica is an absolute master of musubi using the medium of the piano duet.  After a good Aikido practice, I feel freer and more at peace, more alive as well, which is exactly how I felt after our duet session together.”
 

Jessica’s approach to duet improvisation and Brian’s teaching of Aikido make these traditional arts truly democratic, whereby great realization, beauty, economy of movement, and grace are available not only to the "master" who has studied for decades, but also to any of us, from the get-go, from day one.  These two modalities are about being exactly as you are right now, released in and through the presence of another human being.
 

The one who has practiced longer invites another to enter into a dynamic field of trust and exploration. In relatedness, you are able to find your own natural state of relaxed bodily incarnation and movement. You realize that you can't do it wrong. You can't get it wrong.  You start where you are, no matter what you’re feeling.  The only guide is the duet itself.  As it unfolds, you experience yourself as already whole; the world is perfect as it is. It doesn't matter how young or old, in-shape or not, how much or little musical or martial arts background you have, what gender you are, or life you've lived.  Any and all who engage in duet are capable of creating unique movement-music together.
 

The true measure of this state of grace was evident in the eyes and smiles and words of those who came up on stage to improvise musically with Jessica and in movement with Brian at Trinity Episcopal Church in New Orleans that Sunday. 
 

Special thanks go to Manon Prizgintas and her husband Albinas, director of Trinity’s music department, who warmly welcomed us. It was Manon, in fact, who first encouraged us to do this event at Trinity.

Jessica Roemischer

Since graduating magna cum laude from Princeton University in 1982, Jessica Roemischer has brought the catalytic power of music to individuals and groups throughout the United States and internationally. Her pedagogical lineage through her mother, trained in the finest Western tradition, links directly to Frederic Chopin and Ludwig van Beethoven. In Jessica's workshops, retreats, lessons and consulting sessions, she utilizes the universal language of music to address the unique challenges of our time. Her acclaimed music program at Riverbrook Residence for Women has been supported by the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Caroline and James Taylor, and led to performances for Governor Deval Patrick. Jessica's eclectic background includes writing, journalism and photography. Her major article, "The Never-Ending Upward Quest," is widely recognized as the most comprehensive and accessible introduction to the evolutionary framework of Spiral Dynamics. Jessica is married to life coach and teacher, Lawrence Carroll. They live in Stockbridge, MA.

Jessica is also part of our extraordinary Integral Spiritual Experience: The Three Stations of Love Media Collection. Click here for more information!

Contact Jessica at pianobeautiful.com

Contact Brian of NOLA Aikido at nolaaikido.com

New video dialogue with Jessica for AwakenedRelationship: pianobeautiful.com/interviews.htm