C’è una maschera per la famiglia

Una per la società

Una per il lavoro

E quando stai solo

resti nessuno. (Luigi Pirandello)

"There is a mask for the family, one for the society, one for the job. But when you're alone no one remains”.

I did not know Pirandello's work so well as to criticize him. I don't know if the last sentence of this aphorism was intentionally negative or not. I do not think that the human personality is like an onion where you remove layer after layer to reach the tasty core.

First in my experience every mask we wear in every moment of our lives is just OUR, OWN mask. Every one of the thousands of masks we build accurately and with passion in our lives, are just a product of ourselves.

Maybe we build each mask with the purpose of hiding something however I believe we wear masks to reveal and show some parts of ourselves.

Social masks are just facets of our mind that we want, decide or just let others see. Sometimes those masks work perfectly together, are consistent one to another, are showing coherently what others see like a specific personality. Sometimes that's not happening, Sometimes what the others see is a magmatic material with no sense and coordination or, worse, they see a different path and characteristics. In that case people can say you are a strange person, maybe eccentric or for sure a little difficult to approach.

But still you can live perfectly well with that. But sometimes you feel that a mask is a little uncomfortable, maybe you sense and feel like with wearing a physical masks, having something heavy on your face that doesn't fit adequately.

Just in this moment, your friends can call for “yourself” maybe in the paradoxical way of “please, be Yourself! Like it would be possible for you to be other than “Yourself”.

So, who and what are your friends calling for? Who or what is that “Yourself” that they seems to know very well? And if that is “yourself” who or what are are the other “selves” that you sometimes pretend to be? A different person? State of mind or what?

I believe that each of us is just all the masks he or she is used to wear with no exception! Myself if it is a real thing, is just a like certain movies, “written, directed, produced … and acted out by this person called “Myself”.

What abilities, skills and tools needs that individual so brave to manage everything? How he or she can rest and relax one moment from this heavy duty? What is the best way to help him or her in that management project?

Masks and Music: a strictly relationship!

Masks and music probably were born the same day! When we think on the masks used by our ancestors it is easy to imagine people wearing masks, dancing in trance under the moon!

Music, melodies, songs and refrain are the most powerful emotional triggers mankind ever invented. Music has the quality to evoke the full range of human emotions and sentiments.

This power is connected with memories like when you hear an old melody from your childhood. In that case you can experience an earlier time and some of the emotions connected with the moment from the past.

But music also has a direct connection with your brain, for that we use the music in the movies to accompany some scenes and trigger specific emotions.

Since prehistory and still today native people here in US and around the world are using music to get into a trance. Trance is a different state of mind in what your body feels specific and strong emotions, maybe with hallucinations and physical changes.

Otherwise history of the music is full of good examples of the power of notes, melodies, percussion or songs. The composer of Opera comped to have women faint in theaters. Religion is another field where music is constantly present to facilitate meditation and prayers.

Music therapy is an allied of health professions. In the Bionenergetic therapy (A. Lowen) body exercises are combined with specific music. Biodanza® invented by the Chilean psychiatrist Rolando Toro is a system to work with emotions.

Additionally, we use music to keep us fit by doing “Aerobic dance”, “Jazzercise®”, “Zumba®, “Capoeira” and other disciplines.

Using music with the masks

Music plays an important role working with the masks. Music triggers emotions and facilitates public expression. We use selected songs and music from different traditions and cultures around the word! Classical music and pop/rock music, medieval music and folk music, music from movies and sacred or experimental music.

The choice of music is never casual. Every song, every note is part of the project. There is an intentional choreography with exercises, topics, goals and Masks. Music helps to trigger a specific emotion, or to establish a ritualized boundary. With music we can causes trance, induce relaxation, stimulate meditation or just accompany the deep expression of ourselves. 

Listen that music: what emotions are triggered in your mind?