Interview:

As a composer, lyricist, pianist and vocalist, I see music as a spiritual synthesis. My own music is devoted to a message of well-being and selfdiscovery. I have created it specifically to allow space to reflect and feel, to be an individual force of self-realization with the ability to melt away tension, create self-awareness, fulfillment, serenity, and peace of mind. I believe that music, perhaps more powerfully and instinctively than any other expression, has the remarkable ability to generate physical and emotional health and happiness. Time and time again I have sung for the ill or the aged who had turned within themselves as the result of disease or mental confusion, and watched them almost instantly perk up and sing. Family members comment that the individual has not spoken for long periods, yet the music transcended the physical and mental limitations, and returned the individual to emotions and expressions of youth and health.

My own expression is New Thought Music, but I have witnessed the power of every genre of music to heal. New Thought proceeds from the basic premise that all are spiritual beings. New Thought music, therefore, desires to lift the spirit, sooth, heal, and empower through concepts of love, oneness, unity, creativity, celebration, and transformational power. The New Thought Movement affirms the diversity and sacred worth of every human being, themes that I employ in my own writing with music that is designed to breathe with and open the physical and emotional body to release stress, and clear the mind toward new possibilities. This is music that transcends faiths, cultures, and communal limitations, creating self-awareness for all humanity, both individually and as a world community. When music is created with clear intention to create positive spiritual results, it has been found to provide far greater power of physical and emotional transformation toward relaxation, creativity, clarity, and balance. Vast scientific studies show that the body physically changes from a state of stress and fear to a state of relaxation and creativity when in contact with music and art, particularly music created with the intention to heal. The pattern of brain waves actually changes, balancing the body’s nervous system, hormones, and brain neurotransmitters. Blood flow increases, blood pressure drops, positive emotions heighten, and the mind frees itself to be hopeful and positive, even without the conscious decision to do so. Every cell in the body is affected. Additionally, music has been proven as a powerful tool to build intellectual flexibility and creativity for all ages.

Music study, music performance, and music appreciation are as remarkably beneficial for the elderly as for toddlers. Blood pressure drops, mental power increases, and creative thinking improve in every age group. So there is no age limit to the spiritual, physical, and emotional benefits to music listening, study, and participation.

“As a composer, lyricist, pianist and vocalist, I see music as a spiritual synthesis. My own music is devoted to a message of well-being and self-discovery.”
– Joy Katzen-Guthrie, composer, pianist, and singer-songwriter