Newsletter “Sacred Soundscapes” – Insights, stories, and inspiration from Nandin – exploring the art and heart of music.

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Your Tribe Is Watching – and that’s actually a good thing
Your Tribe Is Watching – and that’s actually a good thing. Your Tribe. Last week we held our student recital in a beautiful little Chapel in the forest. Before anyone played a note, I gave everyone the same piece of advice: if something goes wrong, that’s not a mistake — that’s live music. Your only… Read more: Your Tribe Is Watching – and that’s actually a good thing
The Thing About Fluting in a Cathedral
The Thing About Fluting in a Cathedral. The thing about playing in a cathedral is that the room has opinions. Several seconds of reverb means your notes don’t disappear — they linger, blur at the edges, blend into something larger than what you played. Up close, every detail is exposed. Farther back, the phrases wash… Read more: The Thing About Fluting in a Cathedral
The Flutist Who Practised Without Playing
The Flutist Who Practised Without Playing. Next weekend, I perform Mozart’s G Major Flute Concerto in a Cathedral. This weekend, I cannot touch my flute. Not because I’m lazy. Not because I’m nervous. Because in Germany, Sunday is Sunday— and Monday is Pentecost, which means the law steps in where willpower might not. No power… Read more: The Flutist Who Practised Without Playing
Mozart’s Flute Concerto in G Major, May 31, 2026, 2:30 p.m. in the Altenberger Cathedral !
Altenberger Cathedral. Klicken Sie hier für die deutsche Version ! On May 31st 2:30 pm, I’ll be playing Mozart’s G Major Flute Concerto in the Altenberger Cathedral with the Bergisch Gladbach Symphony Orchestra ! I wrote my own cadenzas for each of the three movements, which will give this standard work of the flute repertoire… Read more: Mozart’s Flute Concerto in G Major, May 31, 2026, 2:30 p.m. in the Altenberger Cathedral !
Flute Fest Fun: Adams Was A Great Hit!
Adams International Flute Festival was a Blast! First Day of the Flute Fest Fun. Let me tell you about a weekend where music did what only music can do. It pulled strangers from a dozen countries into the same rooms, the same silences, the same goosebumps — and sent everyone home better than they arrived.That… Read more: Flute Fest Fun: Adams Was A Great Hit!
Easter Monday Concert in Bensberg Castle
What Am I Up To This Weekend? Easter Monday Concert I’ll be playing at one of the local castles! Easter Monday Concert with theBergisch Gladbach Chamber Orchestrain Bensberg Castle Here’s what’s happening: A Symphonic concert featuring works by Johann Sebastian Bach, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Antonín Dvořák, and Camille Saint-Saëns. The Bergisch Gladbach Chamber Orchestra… Read more: Easter Monday Concert in Bensberg Castle
Unlock Your Muse: Where Does Creativity Hide?
Where Does Creativity Come From? Sometimes I literally have to lie down for ideas to spring to mind. Other times, I start on a project and just can’t stop! I’ve heard that it actually helps if you have some ADHD (Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) since then you’re more likely to put unusual ideas together and come up… Read more: Unlock Your Muse: Where Does Creativity Hide?
Where We Truly Connect – The Transformative Power of Music
The Transformative Power of Music. Gustavo Dudamel has frequently spoken about the transformative power of music, particularly its ability to change lives and impact society. Here are key quotes and sentiments from Dudamel regarding the transformative, life-changing capacity of music: What Gustavo Dudamel calls the transformative power of music, I’ve always known in my bones.… Read more: Where We Truly Connect – The Transformative Power of Music
The Flute that Launched a Revolution – The Meditative Hour
The Meditative Hour: Where East Met West and Changed Music Forever. The Meditative Hour The Meditative Hour. Good News! “The Meditative Hour” is happening at the National Flute Convention in Portland Oregon this August! The theme this year is: “Origins: Celebrating Trailblazing and Discovery“, so what a great opportunity to celebrate Paul Horn, who brought… Read more: The Flute that Launched a Revolution – The Meditative Hour
Unlock the Power of Purposeful Music.
Music as a Change Agent. Unlock the Power of Purposeful Music. So, just what does that mean? That music should have a purpose? Not necessarily. But the fact is, it often does have a purpose. Sometimes it is simply to get you to buy more stuff. (In departments stores for example.) Or to get you… Read more: Unlock the Power of Purposeful Music.
Reset Your Nervous System – Try this before your next stressful moment.
Reset Your Nervous System in 120 seconds. To hum or not to hum? Reset Your Nervous System According to the neuroscience expert Kyle Cox: “Paramedics hum with closed mouths between emergency calls to reset their stress hormones.2 minutes of closed mouth humming drops cortisol by 65%, more than 30 minutes of meditation. The mechanism; humming creates… Read more: Reset Your Nervous System – Try this before your next stressful moment.
“I Left in a Huff—Here’s What I Learned.” – Obstacles become Teachers
When Obstacles Become Teachers. Awareness & Growth “All the adversity I’ve had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me. You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.” — Walt Disney When Obstacles Become Teachers Here’s… Read more: “I Left in a Huff—Here’s What I Learned.” – Obstacles become Teachers
Discovering The Meditative Hour: A new Musical Consciousness
The Meditative Hour. The Space between the Notes. Where Eastern Wisdom Meets Western Artistry in a New Musical Consciousness Dear Friends, I’m delighted to announce that I’ll be performing The Meditative Hour with Anders Hagberg—a live concert experience where music becomes a gateway to inner stillness and profound transformation. Anders Hagberg, a visionary Swedish flutist,… Read more: Discovering The Meditative Hour: A new Musical Consciousness
Mozart’s Secret Wasn’t Just Talent—It Was Play.
Mozart’s Secret Wasn’t Just Talent — It Was Play. Why Surgeons Get High (And It’s Not What You Think) You’ve heard the buzz about “flow”—and honestly? The hype is justified. That blissful state where time vanishes. Where every fiber of your being locks into the present moment. Where you’re so completely there that nothing else… Read more: Mozart’s Secret Wasn’t Just Talent—It Was Play.
Will Curiosity Overcome Your Fear?
Will Curiosity Overcome Your Fear? We all have protective reactions in place. We all have protective reactions in place. It’s about survival and it’s what keeps us from jumping in front of buses and off cliffs. It also can keep us from moving forward. We react as if it’s a life and death situation, but… Read more: Will Curiosity Overcome Your Fear?
From Effortful to Automatic, Why Chunking Works.
From Effortful to Automatic, Why Chunking Works. Have you been searching for the best way to practice Have you been searching for the best way to practice, to maximize the use of your time? Here’s a great explanation of the method called “chunking” – taking smaller bite sized bits of music so that you can… Read more: From Effortful to Automatic, Why Chunking Works.
The Frustrated Flutist – Shostakovitch and Orchestra Seating Plans.
The Frustrated Flutist – Shostakovitch and Orchestra Seating Plans. I just finished playing in a couple of concerts … I just finished playing in a couple of concerts featuring Dmitri Shostakovitch with an amateur orchestra that includes some professionals (me and a few others). The 5th Symphony is a real parody against the Stalinist regime.… Read more: The Frustrated Flutist – Shostakovitch and Orchestra Seating Plans.
An Ancient Tip and a Mantra and its benefits.
An Ancient Tip and a Mantra. An Ancient Tip I’d like to pass on to all of the wonderful benefits that Nick Polizzi (“The Sacred Science “ documentary) has to say about meditation: “If there is one practice that I’d recommend to anyone who wants to improve their health and overall quality of life, the… Read more: An Ancient Tip and a Mantra and its benefits.
Part 2, Peters Piccolo Party.
Part 2, Peter’s Piccolo Party. DOUBLE STOP DUETS! Frustrated that about all those LOVELY double stops in some of that wonderful violin music you’d love to play?These duets are for you!Passacaglia – J. HalvorsenandSarabande con Variazione– J. HalvorsenThey sound especially thrilling when played by two piccolos! TONGUE TIP DANCE Then there was a wonderful performance… Read more: Part 2, Peters Piccolo Party.
Peter’s Piccolo Party!
Peter’s Piccolo Party! A weekend full of wonder with Piccolo Master Peter Verhoyen. After my accidental pilgrimage to a sacred site in Brugge (see previous newsletter, or my Blog), I spent a weekend full of wonder with Piccolo Master Peter Verhoyen. His teaching techniques are not only extremely well illustrated and explained (be sure to… Read more: Peter’s Piccolo Party!
An Unexpected Grace in Brugge.
An Unexpected Grace in Brugge. A tourist in Brugge – the Venice of Belgium. Here I am, a tourist in Brugge – the Venice of Belgium – and it is indeed picturesque. Canals wind through centuries-old buildings beneath pink clouds and blue sky. I feel like I’ve stepped into a Vermeer painting. I arrived a… Read more: An Unexpected Grace in Brugge.
TEACHING UNLEASHED, with Lea Pearson.
TEACHING UNLEASHED. In conversation with with Lea Pearson, creator of “Music Minus Pain”. Last week, Lea Pearson hosted a virtual open house for her online program, “Teaching Unleashed”. She shared her journey with hand numbness and discussed a new teaching program focused on physical technique and body awareness for musicians. I joined the discussion and… Read more: TEACHING UNLEASHED, with Lea Pearson.
The Healing Power of Presence.
The Healing Power of Presence. I was ill with some sort of virus recently, and remembered what Eckhart Tolle had to say about how he became even more present than usual when he was ill. So, I tried being present with my stomach ache, and noticed that my body really liked it. It relaxed with… Read more: The Healing Power of Presence.
Why We Will Never Stop Making Music.
Why We’ll Never Stop Making Music. Unique self-expression is part of our humanity. AI Cannot Create YOUR experience of making music. The prominent Greek philosophers Plato and Aristotle affirmed that music contained an intrinsic element that was conducive to the promotion of moral or spiritual harmony and order in the soul. What’s fascinating about Plato… Read more: Why We Will Never Stop Making Music.
The Next Level on Your Journey as a Human.
The Next Level on Your Journey as a Human. The Next Level on Your Journey of Discovery. Ask yourself:Are we evolving spiritually?Are we trailblazing inwards?Looking for new inner frontiers? A lot has been accomplished in the last few decades especially regarding tech. However, although we’re exploring outer space, we still don’t know the depths of our… Read more: The Next Level on Your Journey as a Human.
Music as Healing Meditation.
Music as a Healing Meditation. Here’s what the Romanian composer Violeta Dinescu says about music as a meditation: “I was fortunate to have an exceptional piano teacher who drew my attention to the secret of piano sound: depending on how you strike the key, you can shape the sound by controlling the richness of the… Read more: Music as Healing Meditation.
Are You Your Thoughts?
Are You Your Thoughts ? Chopping Wood and Carrying Water. The Zen Master was asked what changed when he became enlightened. He answered: Before enlightenment, I chopped wood and carried water.Now, I chop wood and carry water. Just what did he mean? Is it a Zen Koan, an unanswerable conundrum? Something to confuse the mind?… Read more: Are You Your Thoughts?
Why We Make Music.
Why We Make Music. “Listening to music can be a wonderful meditation.” “The practising of an instrument can be a wonderful meditation for many people because it really stops the mind. There’s just the pure act of listening. You know yourself as the consciousness that’s listening.” Eckhart plays the soundless flute, the equivalent of one… Read more: Why We Make Music.
Breath is Our Meditation.
Breath is Our Meditation. Quote: “Make it a meditation:when you breathe out, just feel that you are pouring your love into existence; when you breathe in, existence is pouring its love into you.”– Osho That’s the essence of existence for wind players! We take a breath in, and exhale sound which carries a vibration, a… Read more: Breath is Our Meditation.
What Is Missing?
What Is Missing? The fact is, nothing is really missing, but when we’re not present in the moment that we are in, it can feel like something is missing. Presence. Being here, now. You’ve probably heard that somewhere! But we get lost so easily in our thoughts. Sure, we have to make plans, do… Read more: What Is Missing?
The National Flute Convention was a Blast!
The National Flute Convention was a Blast! What an incredible time… …we had at the National flute Convention! There were usually two or three or even more sessions going on at the same time that I would have loved to have attended. The flutists were top calibre. I also heard some really exquisite piccolo playing… Read more: The National Flute Convention was a Blast!
What We Are that AI Isn’t.
What We Are that AI Isn’t or Presence through Music-Making. When we gather to play and sing together, we access a sacred space. Our human sacred space. Our connection to the cosmos. The fact is, nothing is really missing, but when we’re not present in the moment thatThe Premise: I realized that there is a very… Read more: What We Are that AI Isn’t.
My time with Osho.
My time with Osho. Nandin tells her story: how she first came to Rajneeshpuram, played for Osho in Pune and became a street musician. No choice but to leave Relationship crisis. My boyfriend and I wanted to do something together to try and heal our relationship. I thought of something like a Chinese cooking class,… Read more: My time with Osho.
The first time I went to India.
The first time I went to India. Nandin’s first steps – and stretches – towards the East. The first time I went to India, I wrote my Last Will and Testament before I left Canada. The only thing that I had of any worth was my flute, but it felt to me like I might… Read more: The first time I went to India.
What Meditative Music Making Does For You!
What Meditative Music Making Does For You! Meditative Music Making Hello Musicians! What if I told you that you could: …all while building reliable resources for your health, well being and musicianship! What would that do for you? Not just in playing and performing, but in the way you approach your time, resources and strategies.… Read more: What Meditative Music Making Does For You!

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