Episode 230: Enneagram in Ensembles, Classrooms, Music and Life with Sarah McMahill

Choralosophy

Enneagram study has been used to heal families, relationships, work places and more. It is also used by individuals seeking to simply have a better relationship with themselves. In this episode, we explore the possible uses of this system for understanding human motivation in ensembles, classrooms and even in music making.

In this episode, I’m thrilled to sit down with Sarah McMahill for a thought-provoking conversation about the fascinating intersections between the Enneagram, music, and personal growth. In the opening segment of the podcast, I make a short presentation on “The Math of the Enneagram” and its implications on group dynamics and classroom management. Then, Sarah takes us on a journey through her experiences with this powerful personality framework, sharing how it has deepened her understanding of herself, her students, and her colleagues.

Enneagram and MusicDownload

Sarah is vulnerable about how the Enneagram provided clarity during challenging moments in her life, including its role in mental and physical wellbeing. We discuss everything from the alignment of the body’s physical centers with Enneagram principles, to how understanding stress responses can help manage stage fright and other performance challenges. We even touch on the connections between the Enneagram and music theory, exploring ideas like the tritone as a metaphor for growth and change, and Sarah’s creative process in writing a song cycle inspired by the nine Enneagram types.

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Tune in, and have your thinking stimulated and challenged. Then, weigh in yourself with your related ideas and experiences on Facebook in the Choralosophers group or over on choralosophy.substack.com Also, don’t forget to grab a reading rope for your classroom wall from the shop! Music Reading Rope

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Sarah McMahill has woven their three businesses together (Heart to Hands Myofascial (MFR) Massage, Kintsugi Studios & Publications, and Dragonfly Enneagram Center) to create custom services as Wellness Weaving. Wellness Weaving provides mind-body coaching using experiential methods. These methods include myofascial massage, the enneagram, and music & the arts to engage our whole being as a way of understanding and experiencing how our hearts, bodies, and minds are connected.

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HEART TO HANDS MFR MASSAGE
Sarah is an ABMP Certified Massage Therapist and Nationally Board Certified Massage Therapist. They are skilled in working with musicians, performers and people living with chronic pain by utilizing myofascial release therapy, craniosacral therapy, manual lymphatic drainage, fascial counterstrain, energy/meditation work, trigger point therapy, and proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitated stretching. They’ve been in private practice since 2004.

KINTSUGI STUDIOS & PUBLICATIONS
Member of ASCAP, IAWM, and ACDA.
Sarah studied music education at Doane College with 2 music scholarships before transferring to SMSU. They have been taking composition lessons with Raphael Fusco. They played clarinet with the St. Anthony Civic Orchestra (2004-2019), occasionally involved with community theater productions, sang with Calliope Women’s Chorus (2004-2011) and have been singing with One Voice Mixed Chorus since 2011. They offer voice lessons with a focus on assessing and releasing vocal and related structural tension. Earlier this year they won Soli Chamber Ensemble’s emerging composers competition along with 29 other talented composers.
They started Kintsugi Studios & Publications to self-publish their music, poetry, and other writings. In their art studies, they came across something called Kintsugi. Kintsugi is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by mending the areas of breakage with lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum. As a philosophy, it treats breakage and repair as part of the history of an object, rather than something to disguise. What they share are parts of their history, methods of their healing, and the journey they’re on.

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DRAGONFLY ENNEAGRAM CENTER
Sarah originally learned about the enneagram in 2000. It wasn’t until 2011 when they took a deep dive into the enneagram. (That’s a story for another place.) They received enneagram teacher trainings through Full Circle Enneagram, Dynamic NLP Enneagram Training through Changeworks, and Moving Forward Australia. They have studied with Russ Hudson, Andrea Isaacs, and Catherine Bell. They provide enneagram coaching and online workshops. Some of the workshops are alongside Roland Legge and they have created on-demand videos. They are an Accredited Professional through the International Enneagram Association. Sarah is among the pioneers of incorporating bodywork, the enneagram, and music.

RyanMain.com is now expanding to a family of composers! Visit endeavormusicpublishing.com and of course, enter Choralosophy at checkout for a 10% discount!

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