John Morrison has developed the use of contemplative methods in composing and teaching music for over thirty years. A longtime practitioner of Zen, awareness that the tools he uses are rooted in his meditation practice has grown steadily as both practice and teaching experience have deepened. On the composition faculty at the Longy School of Music of Bard College in Cambridge, MA, John teaches courses such as Contemplating Music that incorporate an analytical process founded on insight. He founded the Greater Boston Center for Contemplative Mind in Music, which seeks to acknowledge, support and promote the use of contemplative methods in all areas of music. Underneath all stands John’s conviction that the musical experience is equal across styles and fundamentally spiritual in nature. Those two principles shed light on his belief that engaging deeply with music helps weaken rigid stereotypes of cultural value.
An alternate bio for use with the Just Listening workshop is here, and a more extensive professional biography is located at my composer website. If you'd like more insight into the ideas behind the workshop, please visit my website, where I describe some of its history in my life as well as some of the more rigorous ideas behind the process.
