Anna Schaum is a professional violist and licensed counselor who works at the intersections of psychology, neurobiology, social and ecological change, in both clinical and corporate settings.

She is Director of Ecosocial Development for an international photography business, and the founder of The Center for Sound Relationships, a resiliency studio in Portland Oregon. 

QUOTES

“I think of myself as an instrument when I’m working with people.”

“Sometimes I’m like a tuning fork, other times I’m listening to the other voices in the room and helping them to coordinate.”

“I realised I needed to do more than play music, something had been broken up in my accident.”

“I started doing volunteer work, looking for how I could use the ability to listen and connect with people without the instrument.”

“We have an opportunity and responsibility to find ways to ease up on that individualism, work collectively and lift up voices that are precious.” “In order to do that, we need to get out of our ego’s path.”

“Egos are to support a creative mind, not run the show.”

“We can’t make change only in our heads, as musicians if we just sat and thought about the music there would be no sound. It has to come through the body.”

“The orchestra told me I would need to choose between my interest in psychology, and my interest in remaining employed (in so many words).”

“My body has always been part of it. My classical training, especially when it came to taking auditions and being evaluated for it, realising this is how I’m going to make a living and survive, that’s when I cut off from my body.”

“I’d never been somebody who enjoyed going to orchestra concerts, I’d rather be doing it.”

LINKS

• The Centre for Sound Relationships
• Celebrating Anna’s Teacher and Mentor, Manuel Diaz
• Tune UP!: A Psychodramatic Mindfulness-in-Action Practice from The Journal of Pyschodrama, Sociemetry and Group Psychotherapy
• What is Psychodrama
• Pat Ogden, Psychotherapist
• Resmaa Menakem ‘Notice the Rage; Notice the Silence’ from the On Being Podcast with Krista Tippett
• Okaidja

PODCAST TEAM

Production Support from Molly Jenkins 

Audio Engineering from Frazer Ruddick

Theme Music Composed by Danna Yun

Theme Music Performed by Jasper Ly

RECORDED

Recorded on 17 May 2021