Bryan is Joined by Jazz Drummer and Music Educator - Jacob Wutzke, to talk about what it means to subdivide the beat. How do drummers think about breaking up music into smaller pieces? And how does this inform how we can use mindfulness to break down the moments of our lives into smaller more meaningful pieces?  

Follow the podcast at @beherepodcast

Check out Jacob's website at: https://jacobwutzke.com/ 

Follow Bryan on the socials at @BryanRoyes

The Be Here Podcast is back for Season 2! Bryan introduces the theme of Season 2 - Rhythm. 

The central question we start to answer on this episode and for all of Season 2 is this: How does rhythm in music inform a closer relationship with mindfulness? 

Gratitude is a superpower anyone can develop. At the heart of meditation practice, gratitude teaches us to appreciate what's here, right now, for its inherent goodness. Whether you make music, or just enjoy listening to music, you're a part of the gratitude exchange that happens every time music is made. 

Your most important currency is your attention. You owe it to yourself to be mindful of how you spend it. On this episode Bryan talks about how music is one of the things that can sharpen the quality of your attention even in daily life. How can you use your music listening and practicing habits to be more mindful of your present moment awareness?

You can either get stuck in a loop, or use it to build something cool. On this episode Bryan talks about using mindfulness to be aware of, and break the loops we get stuck in, to build more constructive patterns of thought and behavior instead. 

If you've ever wanted to learn to harmonize, this episode is for you. Bryan is joined by Lee King - a Jamaican singer, vocal arranger, music educator and performer - to walk you through the basics of harmony, how to appreciate dissonance in a song, and how mindfulness helps translate these skills into living more harmoniously within ourselves and in our relationships with other people. 

Have you ever wondered why some sounds in music sound so together, while others just ... don't? On this episode, Bryan breaks down harmony using some introductory music theory concepts, by talking about the math behind harmony and the role of dissonance. What is cognitive dissonance? And how can a musical and mindful perspective help us to identify and resolve dissonance in our own lives, minds, and relationships. 

Experiencing criticism is inevitable. Although criticism can feel harsh, a musical and mindful perspective has a lot to teach us about how to navigate receiving and giving criticism to others and even ourselves. 

What does it feel like to begin again? And have that be okay. 

Adopting a beginners mindset brings openness, curiosity and newness into the present moment. 

On this Episode, Bryan is joined by award winning steel-pan soloist, Justin Lowe, to talk about the dynamic range of music. What are dynamics? Why are they important? In what ways do they reflect the emotional arc of a song, but also parallel the range of emotional experiences we go through as humans? In this episode, Bryan and Justin talk about how they mindfully incorporate dynamic into their music and into their personal and emotional lives as well.