Matthew Nord

Musician
Montana
Fellowship: 2009 / 2012
TangledTones.com

“I truly believe that music and dance can heal our world,” says Matthew, “and bring us together to create stronger, more intuitive, and healthy communities. I believe that it is a fundamental and vital part of our survival and evolution. If we spent more time creating, dancing, and singing together, it would inspire and change the rest of our daily lives.”

Matthew was on his way to a degree in anthropology when a job teaching music at a daycare changed his life. “I had been away from music for a long time. When I started teaching, I fell in love with it again.” The students were 3-5 years old. “I hadn’t taught kids before,” said Matthew, “and I felt lucky to do it. The kids are really the teachers. I learn everything from them.”

The daycare job lead to private teaching, and he quickly had more students than time. “I began to envision a nonprofit community music center, which is currently manifested as Tangled Tones Music Studio.”

Tangled Tones is devoted to providing an environment that encourages community music and fosters connections between artists, teachers, and students. The studio offers a vast array of classes and events, including: World Rhythm, hand-drumming for children 5 and older; Kids’ Vibrations, which uses music to explore geography, literature, culture, science, math, and drama; Digital Recording Camp, hands-on experience with high-end recording equipment for ages 12 and older, where they record CDs of their work; Playing with the Band provides mentoring by professional musicians, and the chance to record songs in a professional studio and perform live on stage; Summer of Rock, a music camp for ages seven and older.

Matthew used part of his grant to build 15 West African drums, which provide the foundation, along with other drums and rhythm instruments, for the Living Rhythm Project. Through drum circles, drum classes, and rhythm workshops, Living Rhythm connects community and culture. Matthew conducts drum circles during lunch at Missoula public schools. Matthew calls it, “The work that heals all it touches.”

Links: www.tangledtones.com
Jubilation 2012 retreat video

Matthew is Reading:
The Music Lesson: a spiritual search for growth through music by Victor Wooten
[Jubilation Fellow John Marshall recommends this too]