IMPACT 0326: THE JOY OF HEALING THROUGH MUSIC

Namie Rasman, also known by her stage name NAMIE, is a 31-year-old performer, composer and educator. She believes in the healing power of music and strives to create a space that allows the audience to discover, reflect, and be inspired by performances. Today, she brings us deeper into her world.

I use my voice to create sounds and music. When performing solo, I use my laptop and electronic devices to make music live. I am exploring collaborations with artists from other disciplines, and most recently with dance.

Aside from performing and composing, I also teach singing, songwriting and using music technology to create music. Most of my students are youths in a school setting, so I absolutely enjoy sharing my knowledge and watching them discover new things while being immersed in music.

I am a curious person, especially in art-making! I am inspired by the workflow of artists across various art forms and how they get into their art-making process. I am also curious to explore how two different art forms can be combined to create a performance piece.

In both teaching and performing, I am motivated to use music as a form of expression, to facilitate introspection and self-discovery, and to experience flow and catharsis. I strongly believe in the arts and how it can make the world a better place. It warms my heart whenever a student or audience tells me that they feel inspired to create.

Two years ago, I did not know I was going to dive into cross-disciplinary works. I was always interested to do so but it took time to come together. I learnt to be patient and to have an open mind so that I can keep exploring and learning as much as I can.

The other challenge was in 2020 as meeting up with others to rehearse was not allowed due to the COVID-19 restrictions. I was already looking forward to playing music with other musicians but that was not possible. I used the time instead to work on music as a solo performer and have conversations with other artists.

Every person is on a journey of their own. Take your time to find your own path and do what makes you feel happy. Once you find that, guard the space and time you need for that to happen. It’s important that we focus on what brings us joy instead of constantly comparing ourselves to other people!

I would like to have a place where I can facilitate experiential musical sessions for youths to explore singing and creating music with everyday objects as well as instruments without prior music knowledge. The goal is the joyful experience of creating, expressing yourself in the moment and finding connections through making music. I would love to help youths who otherwise would not be able to pay for music lessons or buy instruments.

This article was published on Jan 22, 2022