Friday Favorite: The Power of Silence
How often do you introduce complete silence into your class?
Exhibit 13 -( Blue Man Group 8:50) is a 9/11 tribute. The first 4 minutes are quite somber, fading out for over 30 seconds of silence. What follows sounds connected, but very different in the emotion it communicates, building to a very intense finish.
I have found this song works very well at the end of a 90 minute class. Everyone is tired and during the first four minutes I will use the music to describe the pain and fatigue you feel at the end of a long climb or race. As the music tapers off I ask my class to lift their heads only to see that they have fallen off the back; no more sounds from the group we were with. During the silence I ask everyone to reconnect with why they are here today and decide if you are OK being dropped.  The second half begins a sort of “re-birth” where everyone can find the energy to fight their way back, and not content to just reconnect, attack the finish.
This video only includes the front half of the song.