Shelter Valley Folk Festival revisited

One Year Later

What a difference one year can make. Last year I attended the Shelter Valley Folk Festival (SVFF), as it has been our family tradition for almost a dozen years. I was totally blindsided when I succumbed to sensory overload within 30 minutes of settling in to three days of enjoying the music. Exiting from the grounds was a challenge. The sensory overload made walking difficult adding an additional ten minutes of exposure to live music. So much for enjoying a full weekend of music.  …and no refund on my ticket.

Day One

A year later, after realizing a measure of healing, I decided to venture into the live music venue again. I had reason to believe things would go better.  I had made some accommodations. I was rationing the intake of music with the use of custom fitted musician earplugs. Technically the earplugs reduce the sound intensity by 15 decibels. That means less sensory input for my brain to process.  The first evening went well for about two hours. After that I began to get restless, began to lose focus and was feeling ‘zoned out’. That was my cue to head home. Mindfulness in action.

The timing of my decision to go home was prudent. However, the sensory loading of two hours of live music left me wired and out of bed an hour longer than usual. Also, the effects of the SVFF experience disrupted my usual pre-sleep routine. Most notable was forgetting to go through a ‘progressive muscle relaxation’ routine. This resulted in a short night, waking up much earlier than usual.

Day Two

The second morning we once again drove the forty km to SVFF. By the time we had hauled our lawn chairs, knapsack of food and our grandson into the venue I was getting indications of reaching my limit. Having picked up on the cue, (mindfulness in action) I intentionally slowed down my pace for the day. I listened to the music from a greater distance than the night before. I made sure to avail myself of snacks regularly and remain hydrated.

In this manner I was able to take in a second day of music – six hours. No where near the twelve hours of SVFF music that would make up the full day. The part I was able to take in was relaxing and enjoyable.

I arrived home by supper time feeling tired but not overwhelmed.

Day Three

I felt brave enough to attempt day three of the weekend event. The Friday night and Saturday daytime had gone well enough to carry on.

On arriving at the festival, I realized I was not going to be able to relax and enjoy the music. After less than a half hour I wandered over to the display tents. This turned out to be a chance to touch base with people I hadn’t seen in awhile. Great conversations and some caring encouragement. That did more for me than a third day of music, having the music provide a back drop to visiting with artisans and friends.

No substitute

One thing that stands out for me is the difference between live music and recorded music. Pacing myself so as to avoid sensory overload speaks to the vibrancy of live music. Recorded music can not capture the range, resonance and context of music performed for immediate consumption, music that reflects the musician’s connection with their audience. It’s much like there is no effective substitute for visiting with friends, exchanging a hug, the smile, the eye contact and everything else that is part of sharing and being alive.

Music nourishes and revives the soul. Each song finds a place and then gradually emerges at surprising moments replaying some comforting lyrics or simply bringing a sense of wellbeing as the music replays itself.