Bella Payne
Music Teacher & Sound Healer
So you want to learn how to express yourself through music?
Are you ready to stop just listening to other people’s music and start listening to the inspiration inside you to create your own? I am Bella Payne and I want to personally help you experience more joy in life through a daily, creative music practice.
Stop and read this before going any further ...
“You will not find a better piano and voice teacher than Bella Payne. She’s been teaching my son for years. We like her so much that my wife started taking lessons with her too. You could not do better, whatever your skill level, she will make you better.”
— Thomas Lennon,
Star of Reno 911!, Screenwriter, Actor, and Best Selling Author
Imagine:
Sitting down to play piano and simply allowing the music flow from your heart through your fingers
Feeling the emotional release of expressing yourself without judgement, interference from your ego, or even words
The sensation of utter calm as the vibrations from the piano and singing or humming flow through your body
Bursts of creativity not just with music, but in other aspects of your life - such as dance, writing, and even business
Oh, and having a greater sense of emotional regulation and stress reduction from music’s positive effects on your parasympathetic nervous system!!
Look, we know that you’re already practicing mindfulness and self-care routines like yoga, journaling, and meditation.
That’s great, keep that up.
But, up until this point, you’ve been holding off on allowing your innate musical talents to come forward because of a lot of fear.
And I don’t blame you.
The generally accepted messaging of traditional music education
emphasizes perfection over everything.
So-called non-musicians watch professionals play perfect performances and believe their talent is effortless. You hear amazing singers and think they were born like that!
But what you're missing is seeing the years of practice - many who started from childhood. And you never get to hear professionals on days when their voices don’t work properly or when musicians struggle to play their instruments perfectly.
Further, we learn as children who has a “good” voice and who doesn’t. Our society encourages this belief by never encouraging anyone to simply show up and play or sing.
Those who aren’t “talented” are forced to sit on the sidelines in silence, never allowing them to feel the powerful and amazing experience that singing and playing music brings.
However, all that is about to end. Keep reading to find out how ...
I know that you’re fed up with:
Sitting on the sidelines of music
Not playing or singing because someone told you that you shouldn’t
Feeling unfulfilled, creatively blocked, or just bored
Believing you must feel embarrassment because of how your singing voice sounds
Living for others and ignoring your own urge to sing and play music
Oh, and - let’s see - you’re just absolutely DONE with following society’s rules about prioritizing everything else but your own creative expression and emotional well - being!!
You have your own creative desires and dreams, but you’ve been ignoring them because society told you to.
You’ve tried keeping music alive in your life by going to concerts and maybe scouting out some musical friends - but is that really working for you?
I’m not going to lie:
The longing you feel to create music has always been in you and will never go away. You will always have a desire to create music.
You want to know why?
Before the formalization of music education, music was a part of everyday rituals. People sang while they worked, they improvised together after meal times, they played drums and sang during sacred rituals.
They even chanted to calm their minds.
We know this because you can see evidence in the history of indigenous societies all over the world.
Music is a part of our wellness needs as humans, period. To deny it is no different than refusing to exercise, eat healthy food, and have healthy relationships.
In fact, singing stimulates the vagus nerve, which runs from the brain down the neck and connects to the organs, thus providing calm instructions to the parasympathetic nervous system.
But here’s the deal:
If you continue to deny this inspiration to create music, not only are you denying yourself basic wellness, but you’re going to spend the rest of your life wondering if it was ever possible for you to play piano or sing.
You will always look at musicians and feel envy.
You will always feel that familiar tightening in your throat when you have a desire to sing but stay silent.
You will always feel like something is missing.
Are you ready to finally let go of society’s absurd rules and create music on your terms?
Introducing my suite of courses and workshops designed to help you fully integrate music into your daily life so you can achieve the highest sense of well-being, while shedding the insecurities and fears society has programmed you to have about your talents.
Courses.
Piano Level 1 (Adult Class)
Perfect for getting you started on your piano playing journey. Will provide you with a sense of daily discipline, improve your concentration and focus, inspire creativity, and calm the nervous system.
Length of Course: 13 weeks
Start Date: March 7, 2022 at 7 pm PST
End Date: June 13, 2022
Format and Delivery: We meet live and classes will be recorded and will be available for replay the following day. Each class will include live instruction, practice opportunities, and time for questions. A Facebook group will also be included to allow students to keep in touch and share their experiences.
You will learn:
How to Read Basic Piano Notation - Learn any song you will ever want to play
Introduction to Improvisation - Creatively express yourself at the piano, free from the
constrictions of sheet music
Scales and Technique - Get the best sound from the piano using finger techniques and
posture instruction
Creating a Daily Practice Routine - Get the most learning and benefits with a daily
practice
Intuitive Piano Improvisation
Designed for students who want to learn how to create their own, improvised piano music. Will provide you with an outlet for personal expression, inspire emotional healing and self-awareness, and calm the nervous system.
Length of Course: 7 weeks
Start Date: TBA
End Date: TBA
Format and Delivery: We meet live and classes will be recorded and will be available for replay the following day. Each class will include live instruction, practice opportunities, and time for questions. A Facebook group will also be included to allow students to keep in touch and share their experiences.
You will learn:
Intuitive Piano Improvisation - Learn to improvise in several different keys including: Major/Minor, Pentatonic, Blues, Modes, and more. Each scale provides a different set of tools for emotional expression
Different Left Hand Patterns - This will allow you to create several different sounds and rhythms, so that you can easily create your songs depending on your mood
Variety of Intervals and Chord Patterns - Each interval creates a different feeling, which will allow you to further express your own creative interpretations
Workshops.
Voice Yoga
A meditative journey using your own voice to calm the mind and body to help you get in touch with your own personal sound. Can help you find answers regarding healing on both emotional and physical levels. This is great for anyone who struggles with insecurity, shyness, fear of standing out, low self esteem, depression, and/or anxiety.
Length of Workshop: approx. 90-120 minutes Start Date: TBA
How to Prepare: Be sure to prepare your space so that you won’t be disturbed. I recommend you dim the lights and light a candle. Designate an area where you can sit or stand comfortably.
What You Can Expect:
We will begin with guided breathwork, visualization, and self massage techniques. Each workshop will focus on a different area of self growth, such as healing, pain, stress reduction, manifesting love, altered states of consciousness, etc.
I will guide the group in call and response style singing while being accompanied by a harmonium, which is a meditative drone style Indian instrument that provides the perfect backdrop for meditative singing and chanting. Call and response is a technique that is similar to a conversation. For example, I will sing a phrase as the “call,” and the class will “respond” by singing the answer.
During the final part of our workshop, students will be guided to create their own vocal sounds as a way of reaching higher states of consciousness and creating a deeper relationship with their body and mind.
Sound Bath
Completely passive meditative experience that involves lying down comfortably while I play singing bowls, harmonium, Native American flute, and gongs. Sound Bath experiences are similar to a breathwork journey, a psychedelic journey, or a deep meditation, depending on what you need at the moment.
Length of Workshop: 60 minutes Date: May 14, 2022 7:00 PST
How to Prepare: Be sure to prepare your space so that you won’t be disturbed. I recommend you dim the lights, light a candle, and incorporate aromatherapy (optional). Lie down on a yoga mat, blanket, or bed. Have a blanket and something to cover your eyes. USE HEADPHONES.
What You Can Expect:
Clarity around past trauma
Answers to creative problems
Calming of the mind and minimizing of pain in the body
Unlike traditional music lessons, my courses and workshops don’t just teach you to play music, they help you release blocked creative expression.
In other words: why learn to just play piano when you can also learn how to connect your mind, body, and spirit?
“Over the last several years, Bella has taught both our daughters, as well as my husband and myself guitar, piano, and voice. Bella is extremely intuitive. She is hip and relaxed, laughing easily and bringing joy to every lesson. Bella constantly uses her creativity to find ways to inspire us. Bella as added an entirely new dimension to our lives and we will be forever grateful for her gifts of music”
— Michelle Marks,
Interior Designer, Los Angeles
“Bella has been more than a teacher to me. I usually get very uncomfortable when being taught. I worry about my performance and have trouble comfortably making mistakes. Bella has a way of bypassing all of that. The music we learn is music that inspires me as an artist and human, it speaks specifically to my needs and style of learning. That way, it doesn’t feel like I’m being taught. It feels like a conversation. She’s just one of the warmest people I know. It’s hard to not feel at ease.”
— Rotana Tarabzouni,
Saudi-American Pop Star
If you’ve gotten this far, and you know these courses and workshops could help you by unblocking your innate creativity, don’t spend another day not immersed in your intuitive music education.
Click here to get started working with me and finding your creative expression.