Finding a Rhythm:

In order to explore the potential of carrying out interactive discourse and creating a learning community through this on-line forum, each of us has been charged with the task of making regular contributions (i.e., postings). This task requires finding a workable, sustainable rhythm. It could seem, otherwise, like a daunting quantity of writing for me, with all of the attendant performance anxiety. I realize that what can make the qualitative difference between a hurdle to be gotten over and a stimulus for ongoing growth is to integrate the exercise into the flow of my daily life. Rather than dreading each posting as an occasion for judgement, I can perhaps focus on cultivating consistency in the overall process of "keeping in touch." In the same spirit, I have often counseled the parents of my private piano students that it is less the duration than the regularity of practice sessions that will foster steady development.

Any necessary task, in fact, can be fruitfully transformed by being brought into rhythm. This is perhaps one of the foundational principles of music therapy! Bringing into rhythm involves engagement and flow between oneself and the environment; as we find the pulse of various activities and interactions, we bring ourselves into rhythm. We begin to outgrow resistance to what we perceived as externally imposed obstacles, and instead identify necessary patterns of unfolding within ourselves.

A significant feature of the blogging process is the rhythm--or multiple rhythms--of dialog among members of the "virtual" community. Entering into such dialog will be a novel experience for me, which I anticipate with my characteristic mixture of excitement and trepidation. A friend remarked recently that she feels much more expressive of herself to others when communicating in writing via email, than when speaking on the phone. At the time, I thought of how difficult it is to gauge others' response through email, and of how much communication depends on reciprocal response. Now, I am beginning to consider the possibilities of interresponsiveness through on-line exchange. How will I "read" the web of connotations, implications, and resonances in the exchange of comments within our group? How will I come across?