The thinking and mindset behind the experience have taken years to emerge as the refined and simple process now called Just Listening. In order to expand the experience, hosts may wish to engage John for other activities that incorporate meditation and contemplative practices into musical analysis, teaching, or composing. There is something suitable here for any age, whether adult, college-aged, high school, elementary school or pre-school, and adaptable to many situations, including academic, spiritual, or conversational. A few such activities are outlined below.

Click here to start a conversation about bringing John and a group of these experiences to your location.


SEAstudy2: a study of musical energy

Take part in a study of musical energy, see the results immediately, and have a conversation about what it all means!

Just Listening: extending the conversation

Intended to be a standard part of the Just Listening experience, it is worth mentioning that JHM likes to get the “sound haven” going during the primary experience and then hang out for an hour or half-hour with those who wish to take the conversation further, with no limits on where the discussion goes.

Just Listening and contemplataive music theory pedagogy

JHM has taught music theory at a liberal arts college, universities, a conservatory, and in preparatory programs. In the last several years, he has incorporated meditation or contemplative techniques into the class flow in numerous ways. The value of doing so is revealed in the many comments from students about its help in calming and opening their minds to be as available for musical excellence as possible. This add-on exposes a number of John’s techniques and points to the work of other pedagogues in the field.

Just Listening and the SEA

The Sound-Energy Aggregate method of musical analysis is a globally-applicable approach that seeks to account for the impact of music on the listener by taking stock of all that we hear as music unfolds. The premise is that many factors contribute to total musical energy, and that by paying attention to the most obvious things we hear, we are guided to penetrating insight into music, and to discover where we might most fruitfully apply methods of traditional analysis.

Just Listening and composition

The entire Just Listening experience grew from John’s love of sound, and parts of it showed up first in his composing process. It turns out that many of the practices employed are what he would now call contemplative. This offering explores not only those methods, but also the long presence of contemplation in music composition through the ages and across cultures.

Just Listening for the young

Beginning with a version of the Just Listening experience, this activity culminates in an intuitive, energy-based composition activity during which the group composes a piece of sound-based music and performs it together.

Just Listening and the music of JHM

Over a period of many years, John’s music has been born of the contemplative compositional practices which lie at the heart of Just Listening. This add-on is designed to present compositions which bear the clear mark of contemplative practices or which explore energies that are connected in some way to spiritual pursuits.