A woman came in to talk to the TYs about the power of sound and how it can help calm the mind and soul. She started off with telling them about what sound actually is. She then gave them each a piece of card and asked them to write down a sound that calms them and helps them focus. After that, she showed them singing bowls from Nepal. These bowls were all crafted in different sizes and that were made of five different metals. Each group got a bowl and they were allowed to hit them with a mallet to observe the sound they made. During this time, she came around with a big singing bowl filled with water to the halfway point. She moved the mallet along the rim of the bowl which caused the water to ripple from the vibrations caused by the mallet's. The TYs found this very interesting as it looked like magic because nothing was directly touching the water.
After they had looked at the bowls, the woman gave each group a few different instruments and asked them to make a story using sound. One group got an instrument that when shaken, made a thunder-like sound. They also got an instrument that had shells on it so it made a crab-like noise when shaken. They also got a wooden frog shaped instrument that when stroked against the back grooves, made a croaking noise. The story that one group made was that a frog lived all alone and then a storm swept it away to the beach where it met a crab and they lived happily ever after. Another story was that there was a woman walking and she heard a shaking noise and there was a man wearing a mexican dress behind her. When he moved, his clothing started making shaking noises.
For the last half hour, the woman gave them all a heart shaped crystal and told them to close their eyes and follow her voice. She told them to meditate and the TYs all felt very relaxed.
The TYs really enjoyed the workshop as it helped them relax. They enjoyed meditating as it helped them calm down and focus on the present moment. The TYs were really glad for the opportunity to meet the woman and learn about the Nepal singing bowls!