Music As a Bridge

MUSIC AS A BRIDGE

Synopsis for the Television series:

"Music as a bridge" is designed to transmit the idea that music has the power to cross any border. It crosses language and cultural barriers, it crosses political borders and it can cross the boundaries between time and space, even between life and death. Music is a bridge between Heaven and Earth as expressed in many Religions and Cultures. Music has the power to heal. "Music as a bridge" is designed to bring all children and all people on this planet closer together in peace and harmony!

"Music as a bridge" will be filmed as a 13 part TV documentary series aimed at children and adults. The pilot episode will include Guido Hoogenboom's own story and his experiences while working with children using music to induce creative imagination in the Netherlands in 1979.

It will also include interviews with scientists, artists and educational experts and it will open up into the various main themes for the 12 other episodes of the series. Children (ages 6 to 14) from all over the World will participate in the PILOT and in all other parts of the documentary series. The follow up projects will take place in 12 countries including 3rd world or underdeveloped nations.

Every musical project in each country will last several days. The children will participate in various artistic events such as dancing, singing, playing with traditional instruments, creating musical plays, painting with music, and a "sleep/dream experience" with music. The music which will be used for this experience is based on scientific research on sleep and dreams which is according to the time- intervals and the frequency content found during sleep and the Rapid Eye Movement periods, R.E.M.

This music, "Musical Dreamtime" has five parts and will contain musical and cultural elements from each country that will be visited.

For example: "Dreamtime India", "Dreamtime Africa" etc. The soundtrack of each part of the series will be released on CD and cassettes. The children participating in each part of the series will express their experience after their "musical dreams" in words and visuals. This will be filmed and recorded and the materials will be presented in different art forms and translated and combined in Film and Video formats. This way the production will be a co-operative effort between children and grown ups. Interviews, paintings, musical events, and commentaries will be woven into an informative and entertaining TV Magazine.

Each part of the series will focus on one main aspect of "Music as a Bridge":

1. Culture: Music as a bridge to another culture . 2. Language: Music, universal language. 3. Arts: Music as a bridge to all Arts. 4. Science: Music the Mother of Science. 5. Politics: Music - a tool for peace. 6. Healing: Music heals. 7. Time: Time-travel with Music. 8. Space: Music transcending Space. 9. Dreamtime: Music as a bridge to another reality. 10. Life & Death: Music as a bridge between Life and Death. 11. Heaven: Music as a bridge to Heaven. 12. Religion: Music as a bridge to God.

The financial benefits derived from the broadcasting of this proposed TV-series will be returned to the "3rd World" countries involved.

UNICEF could be an appropriate organisation to determine the use and manner of distribution of available funds.

The "Idea" of a TV-series.

An overall description for the series can be found in its title "Music as a Bridge".

Through many musical experiments, which I have done in and outside Europe, since 1979, it became clear that music experienced, while being in a state of complete physical and spiritual release can bring about observations which do not take place with the normal senses (Appendix - B).

In India people discovered already a thousand years ago that a human being does not merely listen with his ears but with his whole body.

One needs a more relaxed situation to involve the body in its totality while listening. Consequently, hidden dimensions can open up a new thus unknown world, rich of fantasies and imagination (appendix - B).

"Listening with certain parts of the body can lead to extra-sensory perception, through which one can have experiences on a higher level.

This might be of certain importance for one's creative development or cause a breakthrough of one's fixed pattern of imagination" (according to Prof. dr. Van Praag [1]). Suzanne Langer[2] (1951) thought that the experience of music in general is a visual expression of a combination of activities that arise in the nervous-system.

The nervous-system is the physiological source of emotions, and this shows clearly a connection between music and emotions.

The ideas of Suzanne Langer, a German biologist who has done a lot of research on this subject, link up with the idea above.

There is also an important relation between listening to music while completely relaxed, and the world of the dream; in both an expression takes place of suppressed and unconscious stimuli.

It appeared that just like the dream, music can take us to the past, the future or to a world with different dimensions.

Therefore the musical composition for the series will be created on the basis of my "Sleep and Dream Soundscape Pattern" (Appendix C).

A statement once made by Ludwig von Beethoven, "Music is the mediator between the life of the senses and the life of the spirit", focuses and expresses the heart of the series.

Our sense of music, our attraction to music, shows that there is music in the depth of our being.

Music is behind the working of the whole universe. Music is not only life's greatest object, but it is life itself.

The beginning was music.

Hafiz, the great wonderful Sufi-poet of Persia, says "Many say that life entered the human body by the help of music, but the truth is that life itself is music".

What made him say this ? He referred to a legend which exists in the East and which tells how God made a statue of clay in his own image, and asked the soul to enter into it; but the soul refused to be imprisoned, for its nature is to fly about freely and not to be limited and bound to any sort of capacity.

The soul did not wish in the least to enter this prison. Then God asked the Angels to play music, and as the angels played the soul was moved to ecstasy, in order to make the music more clear to itself, it entered this clay body.

And it is told that Hafiz said, "People say that the soul on hearing that song entered the body; but in reality the soul itself was song !".

It is a beautiful legend, and much more so its mystery.

It may be that in the underlying secret of its mystery, we will find the explanation of the fact that music can function "As a Bridge to Another Reality" (Appendix B). Music as a Bridge.

The following story by Guido Hoogenboom is important for more than one reason. The significant role of music, concerning creative impulses is clearly indicated, and it also illustrates the narrow point of view which we can find among some of our fellowmen.

The 23rd of October 1979 is a day which will be forever engraved in my memory.

It was on that day that I accidentally hit on the track of hitherto unknown possibilities contained within music namely travel through space and time.

At half past eight in the morning I started my workday as a music-teacher at the school for domestic sciences Zuilenburg in Utrecht The Netherlands, not suspecting what social consequences the hours ahead would hold for me. For several months I had been engaged in developing a method through which music would serve as a means to open up the creative faculties. That listening to music could trigger off the coming into action of creative processes in other disciplinary areas, was something I had experienced several years.

This manifested itself mainly during class sessions in which children while listening to music would give shape to musical experiences in the form of a poem, drawing, story or idea for a play or dance. After reading the book "Early Talks of Gurdjieff” [4] the thought came to me that music, when listened to in state of complete physical and spiritual release could convey other, even stronger creative and associative impulses than music listened to in a state of normal day to day consciousness. During the preceding class sessions I had taught the children how to bring themselves to a state of complete relaxation, using Schultz's "The Autogenic Training". Also I let them associate, being in a state of normal consciousness, to music recorded by the American popgroup "The Eagles".

The intention was that they would compose their own title to the music which read on the album as the "Journey of the Sorcerer".

Next during that session of the 23rd of October, I helped them to achieve a state of release by means of "Autogenic training" and following this, let them listen for two minutes to the same music they had been acquainted with earlier. Afterwards I took interviews, recording them on tape in order that their own experiences, at a later stage could acquire form, in a discipline of their own choosing whether individually or as a group. While interviewing, it became clear to me that the children had experienced the music much more intensely and in an entirely different way from the common listening experience.

What precisely had taken place occurred to me later, namely that the children had entered another world or dimension, very real, though very far from the daily experience.

In terms of science fiction (movie "Back to the Future") or the occult, they had travelled in space and time, and to give an impression of their incredible experiences, a few interviews are reproduced in full.

What sort of thoughts, feelings or fantasies did you have while listening to the music? Who will step up to the microphone to tell us something about it?" -1 HANNEKE

Well it seemed almost as if I was gliding over the mountains, a very strange feeling came over me.

How do you think this came about ?

I became completely limp in my seat .

So you had the feeling you were flying?

Yes

Has the music aided in this ?

Yes the music caused it.

-23 ANNEKE

I was dancing with all of China.

With whom were you dancing?

With all people in China.

Can you tell us more about this ? What did it look like?

All very cute villages. I went through the air and felt very cold.

Do you want to tell more?

-3 YVONNE

I was on a journey, I was going some place and then I slept somewhere and then I dreamed a very scary dream.

I was escaping from something and when the music stopped, I was afraid of what I had dreamed about.

Do you still remember about what you were dreaming?

Yes, I was escaping out of a sort of camp and then they came after me and then I met this monster.

What did he resemble?

A very terrible something, very scary. When you opened your eyes what happened then with you?

It seemed just as if I hadn't been here at all, very scary. It seemed just as if I didn't at all belong in this country.

-4 ANDREA

First I got a very strange feeling, then I saw the ground tear open, and a very scary fellow came out who went after me . Then I tripped over something and I fell and he beat me.

Then he went into a cave.

Next, I ran away and I came into a kind of cavern. There I saw all kind of monsters.

I killed them with a rope, and I hanged them.

-5 MIRANDA

I was gliding over the sea.

Did you see the waves?

Yes.

Was it stormy?

No, it was very calm and it was dark.

What did you feel when you were hanging over that water?

It was very scary, I was shuddering and I felt cold.

-6 LINDA

I was gliding over the trees and men came chasing me.

What did these men look like?

They were dressed in black, they sat on a hobby horse.

Did they wear cowboy hats?

No they wore a kind of mask and they were also gliding over those trees after me. Then I fell into the water, and those men on the hobby horses went over the water .

-7 WILLEKE I was walking along the beach, wearing a beautiful long white dress with flutters on it. I was walking very gracefully. My hair was very long, and was waving in the breeze. I kept on walking. My face was wet with tears, I was crying, continually looking behind me. Then my eyes began to open, and I looked at the ceiling. There I saw men with white horses near a castle in a forest. Then my eyes closed again. I fell, then I was gone.

-8 JOLANDA

I flew out of the sea.

What sort of feeling did you have with that?

I felt very cold

-9 CORRIE

I was dancing with Vera in the classroom.

We were whirling in circles, very fast. Then we wound up in the ocean.

Vera drowned. I saw a log floating.

I caught hold of it just in time. Then I washed ashore on a very strange island. Then came some very queer men who took me for their queen.

Next we went to build very odd huts.

I walked around the entire island.

I met Vera again and we were back in the classroom.

-10 GERRIE

I was sitting on a small carpet, and I was flying to everywhere.

Then I saw shops and a bunch of rowdies breaking a window.

Were you in Holland?

No, I was in New York.

What else did you see there?

Very tall buildings and large shops. Lights that flashed on and off. ---- Besides this, other children reported the following experiences:

· I was walking in Hawaii in "slow motion".

· I had won a match and the first prize was a trip to the USA, where I met the JACKSONS.

· I was in Spain, when the music finished I felt completely free.

· I floated to Memphis and met ELVIS PRESLEY.

So much for the experiences of these girls between the ages of 12 and 14, in the first and second year of a home economics school. Psychic Springtide

The reactions of most of the children to these class sessions expressed themselves in their wish to work with music in the same manner the following week.

Also the children who had gone through a more or less frightening experience, wanted again to experience music in this manner.

My own reactions after the lessons of that day, were one of great surprise and excitement. I never could have suspected that music was capable of releasing this sort of creative energy and imagination, and bring about occurrences such as noted above.

Two days later at a meeting, where the directors of the school were also present, I was accused by five parents of "table raising", hypnosis and spiritism. In the same breath it was added to me that I was not allowed to defend myself against the charges brought against me.

My denial of the charges brought against me was of no avail. I felt very clearly that these people held unreasonable and unreasoned fear of my method of working. Their demand was also that I should resign immediately, in spite of the fact that Lex van Naerssen, psychologist at “The Institute for Clinical Psychology” in Utrecht some weeks after this meeting tried to ease the minds of the parents involved, three of them stood by their demand that I would be discharged.

The result was that I was not permitted to enter the school any longer, and that I was suspended from my duties for an unspecified length of time.

At the end of March 1980, on the verge of a nervous breakdown on account of this, unjust suspension I called in the aid of Professor H. van Praag (of the Institute for Parapsychology in Utrecht [1]).

In response he examined the whole history of events relating to this, and prepared an affidavit, stating that he did NOT consider me guilty of the charges against me, and that certain things could have occurred because I am, unknown to myself, gifted with mediumship whereby - in his own words owing to a combination of circumstances a psychic springtide came into being. Because the affair degenerated in the end into a struggle of opposing interests, and in a matter of prestige; what in fact had happened on that fatal schoolday completely fell into disregard.

I was discharged as of August 1st 1980. The reason for my discharge was, that I had taught a wrong lesson.

Because of this, a new development I had thought to bring into education, namely to develop creative imagination and creativity through means of music was torpedoed (at least temporarily).

That music is capable of evoking phenomena as described by the children, was something unknown to me at that time.

Otherwise I feel I would certainly have asked the parents’ permission, so that all of these troubles could have been avoided.

Making the invisible visible

To go further into the meaning of the children's experiences I should like to discuss here some of the interviews and look for a possible explanation.

Anneke from interview two who travelled astraly to China, related among other things, that she felt very cold as she was travelling through the air.

This feeling of coldness seems to occur frequently during astral journeys, as J.H. Brennan related in his book “Astral doorway". This is also confirmed in interview five and eight. At any rate I find the fact that Anneke was dancing with all of China a typical New Age experience and should also be a New Age goal. If all the nations in the world, would dance with each other, conflicts would be more quickly resolved, and in a more pleasant manner than through the steadily piling up of arms.

"It seemed just as if I didn't at all belong in this country", says Yvonne in interview three.

This remark brought the thought into my mind, that she very likely had landed in a reincarnation experience. Also her escape from a sort of camp could point to that.

In interview four says Andrea,

"Next I ran away and I came at a kind of cavern. There I saw all sorts of monsters, I killed them with a rope".

It is remarkable that in Greek Mythology appears a tale in which a God kills monsters in a cavern. The weapon he employs is a rope.

In a number of experiences we see archetypal images, such as trees, the sea and all sorts of animals.

In interview six the recollection comes to my mind of representations with a dreamlike atmosphere out of modern artwork. Such as are to be found by Frans Marc, Kandinsky and Paul Klee.

When Paul Klee is asked about the hidden sources and deeper meaning of his art, he answers concisely. "The Idea Is To Make the Invisible Visible”. The German painter Max Beckmann who during the last years of his life was teaching in New York where he died in 1950, made a similar reply: “I Look For The Bridge That Leads From The Invisible To The Visible".

In the meantime it became apparent to me, that music is an excellent means of providing a bridge to the "far side of reality", revealing hidden sources, so to tap them, and in our dimension let them take shape in artistic expression.

Several months ago I received a copy of an article in the British bi-monthly journal “New Humanity entitled “Sound Education". This article had such effect on me that I left soon afterwards for London, to meet its author Rod Treseder, an educational psychologist and teacher at a Junior school in London's East End.

This is a part of London with great economic and social problems, and consequently many children having learning difficulties.

Rod Treseder told me that after having studied Educational Psychology for a year he had returned in September 1979 to Junior Education.

Through ideas stemming from esoteric tradition, he came to feel an even stronger urge to turn his back on the esoteric approach of education, and to attempt to make direct contact with the deepest essence and being of the child. Through his own experience with the music of diverse cultures he arrived at the conclusion, that music could well be a good means of approaching the inner world of the child . Although the results with music such as Sufi Zikr and Armenian Church music had been encouraging, the reactions of the children to music by the American composer Steven Halpern were of an entirely different nature . "This showed me a possible way of transforming conventional education by making use of sound and music", said Rod Treseder.

At his school I saw the drawings and poems of children, aged between 8 and 11 which they had produced in response to their musical experiences. Never before had I read poems by children with such content and beauty (Appendix - A).

The world these children described in their poetry is indeed the world of the invisible. Levitation was a theme which frequently appeared, many felt themselves rising to the heavens, where they beheld God and the angels, flying was often mentioned .

Some felt they had changed into birds. Many scenes of a natural beauty were described emanating from an especially uncommon and lively imagination.

One child described how she felt as if she were "Breathing In Everything".

It is remarkable that Rod Treseder got onto the track of these hitherto unknown possibilities with music in the same period: Sept. and Oct. 79.

In particular Steven Halpern’s music was used in different ways, also by his colleagues at school. It has a calming influence on the atmosphere in the classroom. It can serve as background, as different subjects are being treated because the music does not compete for the children's attention.

Thus far my first experiences in England have supplied me with considerable evidence that in the development of my ideas concerning the enhancement of creative imagination and creativity, I am on the right track.

This has been a pathway which I could never have dreamed of when I left the Utrecht Conservatoire of music in 1964 after having studied Opera Singing for seven years.

My one and only ideal was to sing, which I did at the City Theatre of Lünenburg in Germany.

Later I left Europe, in 1969, returning in 1973 after much wandering through Canada and Australia. During these four years oversees I worked as docker, welder, woodcutter, receptionist, singer etc.

Upon my return to Holland I was advised by someone to go into music education at secondary level which I have done with much enthusiasm and pleasure.

This led me into developing the method which I have named M.A.F., this stands for "Music -> Association -> Form".

In other words, to call forth associations via music which could then be translated into a disciplinary form.

As a matter of fact this means in essence nothing less than the development of the creative powers of the individual so that hidden potentialities can be released which otherwise could only be revealed by artists, creative scientists or technicians in the form of works of art, new theories and applications.

Before long I am going to work with M.A.F. on a project in a Technical Highschool in Holland.

I also have invitations to come to England to do something involving M.A.F. at a secondary school.

Comments, advise or help with the further development of M.A.F. will be gratefully received.

Appendix A: The Experience.

The 10 Th. of January 1980, time: 9 o'clock in the morning, location: Junior school, East End, London, England. After children in the ages from 6-11 had listened to music (Spectrum suite by Steven Halpern) while being in a state of total physical and spiritual release, they expressed their experiences in the following poems or stories.

A Dead Bird.

Bell ringing, bubbling snow. Reindeer, pitter pattering in the lovely snow. Being carried up, up into the sky. A dead bird flies past feeling sorry. Tears drop onto the snow. Someone coming through the wall of peaceful love, feeling them touch me. Turning round. Seeing a wonderful woman. Me, walking in the city of love. Getting the feeling. My body starts tingling, Getting smaller. Soon I will be reborn and start into a person.

Dave Michael

Calmful Peace.

Drifting away, like cool, calm water-colours in my head. Beautiful, the sound seems to get darker, like going through a dark coloured forest. Free as a bird Nowhere to go Just calm and gentle. Feeling as if I'm flying off to a far off dreamland. Music taking my heart away. Birds falling to the ground No one cares for them, just alone, dying for help. God's coming down from heaven Healing, healing their wings Flying swiftly again, angels calling. My eyes turning around like diamonds Just totally alone.

Jasset Ingram

In the rain.

Drops of rain Drip drip on the pavement. Someone singing in the rain. Angels flying softly in the air Their wings getting wet.

Caterpillar A caterpillar moving slowly across the ground Dragging itself into nowhere Killing itself to get under a leaf Just about made it Eating peacefully Not thinking where it's going next. When going on the next journey Under the ground.

Roger Edwards

Bubbles in the country, Snow falling quietly, Bells ringing, Calmness, Wind blowing softly, Angels singing. Floating Floating Flowers in the wind Heaven

Tijan

Me, ... a bird

Me, .. a bird flying over the moonlit sky. A happy feeling, Wonderful High above the sky. Wings beating very quietly. The wind in my soft feathers. Fly higher and higher. As if I was in heaven. Fly swiftly and quietly through the open air.

Breathing in all the goodness. Running through the sunshine. My friend a star Keeping watch over me every minute of the day.

Laughing as I've never laughed before. The soft grass under my feet. Loving the world. Especially Mother Nature. Hair flying, Like the mane of a horse Walking, just walking, up to heaven. Breeze blowing my hair. Ladder, ladder reaching to heaven. Step by step, Feeling lonely. Disappearing every time. Wind seems to be calling me.

Maybe warning me of danger, The air thick around me, Breathing in the moonlight scent. Feeling free, away from the people of the world

Free like a horse galloping, Or only a bird gliding through the sky.

Dolores Shortridge

The sun rising as the grass wakes up, The wind gives a yawn and awakes the tree leaves. A gentle breeze goes through the sky. Water, swish, swish, bring ashore a damp piece of wood.

A new life begins as the last ray ends.

Jasset Ingram

Snow from the sky Bells ring in the sky Just sitting in cotton wool Feeling free like a butterfly When the music stops I fall from the sky

Updesh Kaur

Snail out of his home Sliding into the bushes Looking out for birds Hiding Hunting for food

No food at all Sadly stretching his eyes.

Udesh

Piano playing different tunes Flute whistling sadly Guitar playing softly All different sounds about Seems like snowflakes Falling gently on the ground Wind blowing without making a noise. Xylophone Gently

Birds fly so high So beautiful Sliding along without a whisper Wind growing stronger

Soothing down again On my journey once more Flying over fields, hills, even the rainbow Feel in paradise So lovely Everything is so right. I feel like crying. anonymous

The third of April 1987, time: 11 o'clock in the morning, location School "De Sluis". Lelystad Haven, The Netherlands.

After children in the ages from 7-12 had listened to music (Sky of mind, by Ray Lynch) while being in a state of total physical and spiritual release, I interviewed them about their experiences, and this is what they told me:

Angelique:

At first I liked it; then I had the feeling that I was falling, I lost touch with the earth, I floated, then suddenly I heard a loud noise. This took me to a very strange territory, I don't know what the name was; there I met very strange little men, with peculiar clothes.

These little men came after me four times, then suddenly a very tall man stood in front of me. Then these little men captured me. That's all I can remember.

Frans: I dreamed that I flew through the air, then I arrived in a very strange country, there I saw strange little men. They had Mr. Spock ears, they looked very peculiar, some of them had 18 legs and some had only one hand. They didn't have food, they ate sand and water. Then a lot of these strange little men came after me, then I drowned in watery mud.

After this I was back in the classroom.

Walter:

I flew winding through the air, somewhat like a snake.

Then all of a sudden with a dull fall, I was in a country, later I had to go a wide road. It looked like it went to everywhere and nowhere. I followed this road for a while. Then I arrived at the ocean, the water was beautiful blue.

After walking some time along the calm sea, I saw a bottle on the white sandy beach. It was still closed. I opened the bottle, then somebody came out of the bottle.

It looked somehow like a ghost. The ghost allowed me to do a wish. I wished Magical Power. The ghost became my friend. Together we went through this country.

We came in a big forest, I became more and more frightened.

There was a shadow moving above us. When I looked up I saw a huge bird. The bird picked up my friend with his claws, and disappeared above the trees, clapping his wings. I was very sad that I lost my friend. I decided to go further on my trip in this country in an effort to find my friend back. Trying to find my way through the forest, I finally arrived at a wild river. There was no boat and no bridge. So I used my magical power. All of a sudden a bridge appeared, I crossed the river. At the other side I found the road back. Alongside the road was a field with beautiful flowers. I saw someone standing in between the flowers. Then all at once I saw it was a girl, I had a warm feeling and wanted to ask her something. But before I could do that, she dived into the river with a big jump. Then I found myself back in the classroom.

Tony:

At the moment that the music started, I became very warm. Then I felt that I sank in a vulcano. I lost my body, there was only my voice which sounded in the direction of the sky. I floated with the clouds to a country where everybody was happy, but one girl cried. I don't know anymore why she cried, but then we helped her. There was a man who asked the girl, "What is the matter ?". Then she said something, which I have forgotten. I said something to the man, then a little later, the girl became happy. I drifted again with the clouds, they took me back to the classroom. All of a sudden I was back in my body.

Karen:

I flew above Eindhoven, while flying I saw our house. My mother was in the garden putting the laundry on the rack. My mother saw me and asked me to come down. I wanted to do that, but then in no time, it became dark and I fell. Just before I would hit the earth I flew up again to the sky. A bird was flying next to me, being so high I could still see the sun going down. The clouds below me looked like incredible beautiful flowerfields.

Then I found myself back in the classroom.

Wasja:

I was sitting on a flying horse. He took me to a paradise or something. There they ate yellow and purple fruits. After that I was in a big forest which had no end.

I couldn't get out, then I found a tree with a door. I entered the tree, went down a stair and couldn't get out anymore.

Bart:

I was sailing on a very old ship. Then there came another ship. They fired on us with their canons. Our ship sank, we went in the lifeboats. After some time we arrived at an island, we had no food and nothing to drink, we perished.

Later I was in China and then I died there again. Then I came back to my own country, where I died completely.

Twan:

I was laying in my bed. Rays from the moon were landing in my room. Then there came a little man, he said: "Come with me".

So I flew with him from my room on the rays to the moon.

This little man had a house in the moon, where I could stay for a week. After this week I went home by train.

Esther:

I was tied to a pole and then there came a fire. It came closer and closer to me.

Then I was slung on this rope, round and round. Then I fell in this fire.

After I heard a certain sound, all of a sudden the fire was gone. Then I flew to the sky and landed on the clouds. APP B: SLEEP AND DREAM SOUNDSCAPE PATTERN.

Data supporting “Sleep and dream Soundscape Pattern”. Nathaniel Kleitman has been called the grandfather of modern sleep research. At the moment this scientist is over 90 years old. He left his homeland Russia in the first World War, and came to Chicago where he got into theoretical and experimental sleep-research. His book “Sleep and Wakefulness” has been published in 1939 and is still regarded as the most important work in this field of science. Kleitman was especially interested in the slow and oscillating eye-movements with which the sleep starts. William Dement, who was one of Kleitman’s students and who is now one of the pioneers in the field of modern sleep-research, started to examine this phenomenon systematically. Sometime later he was the first scientist to discover that there was a connection between the R.E.M. phases and the dream periods. Now R.E.M. is taken as a dream in progress.

Five Musical Dreams

The "Sleep and Dream Soundscape Pattern" (see figure 2 on page 16) is based on the spectral analysis of then E.E.G. of Sleep.

The music "Five Musical Dreams" for the T.V.-series "Music as a Bridge to Another Reality" will be based on the frequencies as shown in figure 1. The total

In our musical compositions these parts are compressed into 5 minutes each.

The frequency levels are brought up (by a fixed factor) to where they are all in the audible range. Each five minutes part ends with a musical dream. The dreammusic will be based on one dreamstory which will be cut into five pieces (chapters). These five chapters of the story will be put into music. Sounds occurring in these chapters will be expressed in this music in a hidden way. Thus, while relaxed, each listener will be able to make different associations (the pattern of associations depends on the level of relaxation). The music preceding the Dream-music is only meant to lead to deep relaxation. “Music as a Bridge”

APP C: “Sleep and Dream Soundscape Pattern”.

[1]Professor Dr. Henry van Praag was born in 1916 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. After he finished High School, he studied Mathematics, Logic, Sinology, Physics, Biology, Theology, Cultural Anthropology, Pedagogy, Psychology and Philosophy. He was professor in Psychology and Philosophy in 1954 at the University of Montevideo. He was professor in Parapsychology from 1973 - 1978 at the University of Wageningen in The Netherlands. Dr. Van Praag was professor in Parapsychology from 1978 - 1988 at the State University in Utrecht, where he also directed the Institute for Parapsychology. He died in 1988. One of the things he stated in a radioprogram which was broadcasted in 1983 was: “Music will be the basis of all education in the future”.

[2] Suzanne Langer (1951) is a German biologist who made researched how music and sound effects the human body.

[3] Published in the bi-monthly magazine “BRES” of Nov/Dec 1978. The title of the article was “Music as a Bridge to another Reality”.

[4] The book: “Views From the Real World; Early Talks of Gurdjieff as Recollected by his Pupils”, has been published in 1973 by Triangle Editions Inc., New York.

======WORK IN PROGRESS ======

MUSIC AS A BRIDGE

Synopsis for the Television series :

"Music as a bridge” will be filmed as a 13 part TV documentary series aimed at children and adults. The pilot episode will include Guido Hoogenboom's own story and his experiences while working with children using music to induce creative imagination in the Netherlands in 1979. It will also include interviews with scientists, artists and educational experts and it will open up into the various main themes for the 12 other episodes of the series. Children (ages 6 to 14) from all over the World will participate in the PILOT and in all other parts of the documentary series. The follow up projects will take place in 12 countries including 3rd world or underdeveloped nations. Every musical project in each country will last several days. The children will participate in various artistic events such as dancing, singing, playing with traditional instruments, creating musical plays, painting with music, and a "sleep/dream experience" with music. The music which will be used for this experience is based on scientific research on sleep and dreams which is according to the time- intervals and the frequency content found during sleep and the Rapid Eye Movement periods, R.E.M. This music, "Musical Dreamtime" has five parts and will contain musical and cultural elements from each country that will be visited.

For example: "Dreamtime India”, “Dreamtime Africa” etc. The soundtrack of each part of the series will be released on CD and cassettes.

The children participating in each part of the series will express their experience after their "musical dreams" in words and visuals. This will be filmed and recorded and the materials will be presented in different art forms and translated and combined in Film and Video formats. This way the production will be a co-operative effort between children and grown ups. Interviews, paintings, musical events, and commentaries will be woven into an informative and entertaining TV Magazine.

Each part of the series will focus on one main aspect of "Music as a Bridge": 1. Culture: Music as a bridge to another culture . 2. Language: Music, universal language. 3. Arts : Music as a bridge to all Arts. 4. Science: Music the Mother of Science. 5. Politics : Music - a tool for peace. 6. Healing: Music heals. 7. Time: Time-travel with Music. 8. Space: Music transcending Space. 9. Dreamtime: Music as a bridge to another reality. 10. Life & Death: Music as a bridge between Life and Death. 11. Heaven: Music as a bridge to Heaven. 12. Religion: Music as a bridge to God.

The financial benefits derived from the broadcasting of this proposed TV-series will be benefit the children of the "3rd World" countries involved. UNICEF could be an appropriate organisation to determine the use and manner of distribution of available funds.

For more information look here : https://www.linnovation.net/projecten.php?keuze=0

In May 1993, I, Guido Hoogenboom, approached the well known Dutch entertainer Herman van Veen, a former ambassador of UNICEF. The present Dutch ambassador for UNICEF is the comedian Paul van Vliet. I asked Herman van Veen if he could help me to present the synopsis for the “Music as a Bridge” TV series to the United Nations and UNICEF in New York.

In May 1993 I went to New York to meet with Mr. Dr. Noel Brown of the UN and Mr. Horst Max Cerni of UNICEF. Their reaction to my proposal was “This is a fascinating concept which should be realised”. When I told Mr. Cerni that I intended to present this proposal to Michael Jackson, he agreed with me that Michael would certainly appreciate this concept and might be interested in its unfolding. In Hollywood a former sound engineer of Michael Jackson, Mr. Chuck Plaisance, introduced me to Ms. Norma E. Staikos the Executive Director of MJJ Productions. I went to Michael’s office at Wilshire Boulevard Suite 2206 in L.A. Because Michael was not present at that moment, I gave my proposal to Ms. Staikos. She promised me to discuss it with Michael. I was very much impressed by the beautiful interior decoration of the MJJ office. The walls were covered with magnificent African wood etc.

After I left Michael’s office my friend and colleague Suzanne Doucet picked me up after this exciting meeting, about which I told her everything, driving back to Universal Studios in which neighbourhood she lives. For your information I publish now the letter I wrote to Michael Jackson and his answer.

I was shocked to hear about Michael Jackson’s death on the 25th of June. Then suddenly I remembered the letter I sent Michael and his reply, both shown above. Because of Michael’s death ‘Music as a Bridge’ caught my attention again, and the desire to realize this fascinating concept, which had his support, and will hopefully get the support of Michael’s family. Within a few months I will contact Michael Jackson’s family, and send them the ‘Music as a Bridge’ proposal like I presented it, 16 years ago to Michael.

One of my intentions is, also in cooperation with Michael’s family, to honor Michael posthumous, who was involved in many projects for the children in the world. This expresses it self in his and Lionel Richie’s song “We are the world”.

I will ask all the artists, who performed in “We are the world” for their support to realize the ‘Music as a Bridge’ project.

Dan Aykroyd, Harry Belafonte, Lindsey Buckingham, Kim Carnes, Ray Charles, Bob Dylan, Sheila E., Bob Geldof, Hall and Oates, James Ingram, Jackie Jackson, LaToya Jackson, Marlon Jackson, Michael Jackson, Randy Jackson, Tito Jackson, Al Jarreau, Waylon Jennings, Billy Joel, Cyndi Lauper, Huey Lewis and the News, Kenny Logins, Bette Midler, Willie Nelson, Jeffery Osborne, Steve Perry, The Pointer Sisters, Lionel Richie, Smokey Robinson, Kenny Rogers, Diana Ross, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, Tina Turner, Dionne Warwick, Stevie Wonder, Michael Boddicker - Synthesizers, Programming, Paulinho da Costa – Percussion, Louis Johnson – Bass, Quincy Jones – Producer, Michael Omartian - Keyboards, Producer, Greg Phillinganes – Keyboards, John Robinson - Drums

The Dutch Retirement Fund, ABP, has part of the music rights/licenses of Michael Jackson’s music. I will also ask them to sponsor M.A.B. financially.

Hopefully they will be motivated to cooperate, if we start each episode of the TV series M.A.B. with “We are the World”.

New Insights

The 23rd of October 1979 is a day which will be forever engraved in my memory. It was on that day that I accidentally hit on the track of hitherto unknown possibilities contained within music namely travel through space and time.

The above I wrote in 1981 in my article “Music as a Bridge to Another Reality” which has been published in 1982 in the Netherlands in the magazine BRES, with thanks to the very well-known Dutch author and poet Simon Vinkenoog, who died last year.

In 1998, I heard on the radio that the Olympic Games organized in China were the 29th Olympic Games since it started. Then I realized, that it was 29 years ago that Anneke, one of my students in my classes in 1979, experienced that she was in China in her musical dream experience, which she expressed in the story below:

ANNEKE

I was dancing with all of China.

With whom were you dancing?

With all people in China.

Can you tell us more about this ? What did it look like?

All very cute villages. I went through the air and felt very cold.

Do you want to tell more?

Could it be that Anneke had a preview in 1979 of the 29th Olympic Games in 2008, 29 years before it happened, dancing with all people of China like she experienced?

Isn’t the Olympic Games an event in which all nations on the planet dance with each other in a sportive way? More over in 1979, the idea that we would ever have the Olympic Games in China was very unlikely. The number 29 in the view of the Kabbalah is the Master number, the number of enlightenment.

Fifteen centuries after the cancellation of the classical Olympic Games, in 1896, the modern Olympic Games were re-established by Baron Pierre de Coubertin in Athens. De Coubertin was in favour of a harmonious, physical and spiritual education of the youth and the reinforcement of the friendship between the nations, he was convinced that sports enhances generosity and chivalry within the athlete, as well as respect for the achievement of the opponent.

I had won a match and the first prize was a trip to the USA, where I met the JACKSONS. Another musical dream experience one of my students, Marion, related to me, is as follows:

I had won a quiz, and the first prize was a trip to the USA, I was invited by the JACKSON 5 for their concert at Madison Square Garden in New York.

I still remember how exited Marion was in 1979 when she told me about her dream event.

It looks like, Marion travelled in space and time by means of music, and really was at the concert in New York of the JACKSON 5.

Isn’t it an exciting idea, more than that, a reality, travelling in space and time, anywhere you want to go by means of music!

In the beginning of January 2011 I sent the following letter to Mr. Jermaine Jackson, Michael Jacksons brother, in respect to "Work in Progress".

Letter to Jermaine Jackson:

And the reply I got:

To be continued…