Christine Stevens – Awakening Through Sound
Learn the depth and breadth of improvisational flute playing — technically and soulfully — to rediscover playfulness and freedom, build confidence, release inhibitions, and access your soul wisdom.
What You’ll Learn In Awakening Through Sound
In Awakening Through Sound, Christine Stevens will guide you through the fundamental skills you’ll need to release self-criticism, access the playfulness of your soul, and offer healing to yourself and others through improvisational flute playing.
Awakening Through Sound will feature teachings, training sessions, and experiential practices with Christine Stevens. Each session will build harmoniously upon the previous ones, so you’ll develop a complete holistic understanding of the practices, tools, and principles you’ll need to rediscover playfulness and freedom, build confidence, release inhibitions, and help heal yourself and others.
Module 1: Heal Your Inner Critic Through Flute Improvisation
We are all artists. And the flute is a tool for accessing your soul’s deepest expression.
In this opening session, Christine will share how you can carry the Native American flute as an ally in challenging times — and as a tool of expression beyond words.
Although it may be scary to trust the unknown — The Mystery — as Christine will explain, “jamming” is actually your birthright!
Often, we’re so hard on ourselves, and expect perfection instead of practice and play. Christine will share how improvisation changes your brain — switching off the critical, judgmental, and self-monitoring areas… while igniting the medial prefrontal cortex, the seat of self-expression and being in the moment.
Module 2: Enjoy Musical Freedom Through Rhythmic Structure
In this class, Christine welcomes featured guest instructor Mary Youngblood, First Lady of the Native American flute.
Having worked for over 14 years with inmates in California prisons, two-time Grammy-winning flute artist Mary has helped players of every experience level learn to improvise.
For over a decade, she has introduced playing the flute to complete beginners.
With Mary and Christine as your guides, you’ll discover, through improvisation, how the unique polarity of structure leads to freedom in both melody and rhythm.
As you’ll discover, improvisation describes all aspects of sacred playing — meditation, prayer, sound healing, and song creation.
Module 3: Cultivate Playfulness & Healing — Improvisation in the Key of Joy
When you embrace curiosity and adventure, the gift of transformation often emerges without effort.
During this session, you’ll experience firsthand why we say we “play” music.
As Christine will share, synergy lies at the intersection of playfulness and healing. You’ll see how your allies of curiosity and wonder emerge — in the enjoyment of simply making music.
Module 4: Journey With the Roots of Rhythm — Shamanic Improvisation
As a child, you may have climbed trees or found solitude hanging out on a favorite branch…
In this class, Christine will share how the flute represents the branches, while the drum represents the roots.
The flute uplifts — honoring a birdsong, while the drum grounds you in an earthy heartbeat.
Christine will guide you to access a union with nature, journeying with the roots of rhythm.
Module 5: Flute Prayer — Stay in the Present to Improvise With the Motion of Your Emotions
True musical emotional expression must be captured in the now moment, through improvisation. As Christine says, there’s no other way.
Dancers know this, and as you’ll discover, you can use their movements to inspire your songs.
As Christine will share, a flute melody can be said to “dance.” The ascending and descending phrases are what “move” us.
And when you embody the experience of playing the flute through improvisation — the music will dance you into the present.
Module 6: Transform Challenge Into Song — Playing the Blues
The hook is a repeated phrase — a lyric that speaks the soul’s longing.
During this class, Christine will explain how there’s a pulsing rhythm that underscores hundreds of years of expression — in the art form known as the blues.
When you learn just one magical note, “the blues scale,” you’ll be able to jam with the groove…. turning pain, struggles, and sadness into song.
Module 7: Enhance Your Improv Toolkit — Hooks, Embellishments & Progressions
In this final module, you’ll celebrate with Christine and your new global community, as you reflect on your journey…
Christine will explain how to move from open-ended jamming to playing structured songs.
She’ll share how to remember a song or phrase — and how to memorize music without it being written down.
You’ll also discover how the energy of another person informs your flute playing for the purpose of healing.
