Ami Sarasvati, CMP
My musical career started as soon as I was big enough to crawl onto the piano bench. From the time I was 6 until I was 21 years old, I took piano lessons. This was my foundation for becoming a musical educator. In my 30s, a friend introduced me to the Native American style flute. I already loved the soothing sound of this intriguing instrument and was ready to learn to play it at a level where I could be of service to others professionally. Truly the Native American style flute put the “play” factor back into my musical life.
In 2016, I wrote and published my book, Learn To Play The Native American Style Flute: Discover Your Heartsong. A couple of years later, I created the recorded course.
Yearning to be of service to the ill and dying in the clinical setting, I dedicated myself to the rigorous training of becoming a Certified Music Practitioner (CMP) through the Music For Healing and Transition Program. After earning my certification as a CMP, I worked at Concord Hospital (Concord NH) as well as numerous senior living communities. I attended Flute Haven for the Leadership & Musicianship Program where I learned about Music for People and began that training so that I could facilitate community music-making with a population that was near and dear to me – seniors, especially those with dementia. In NH, I did a ton of community music-making events in senior living communities, always weaving flute music into my offerings.
In 2018, after the death of both of my parents, I moved to Arizona and began teaching exclusively online. In Arizona, I created numerous new courses for players who had the foundation of playing the flute and were ready for their next steps. Courses I created include (NAF is the abbreviation for Native American style flute); Modes 1, 2, & 4 on the NAF, Additional Scales on the NAF, Flute Karaoke on the NAF, Tools to Accelerate Your Progress on the NAF, Musician’s Practice Journal, Learn to Read & Write Interval Tab for the NAF, Learn to Read & Write Nakai Tab, Improvisation Formula on the NAF, and Develop a Repertoire on the NAF. I have taught those topics in private lessons as well as groups since 2019 and am working on my next book which will be largely composed of those topics.
Through these experiences, I have witnessed, again and again, the healing power of music for both the individual and the community. My musical ministry is to teach people to play the music they love on the Native American style flute as a rewarding personal hobby, a tool for self-expression, and if it is their goal, to prepare them to play in service to others.
Training and credentials:
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- Lessonface Teacher of the Year of the Native American Style Flute in 2020, 2021, and 2022
www.lessonface.com - Certified Music Practitioner through the Music For Healing and Transition Program (MHTP)
and Faculty Teacher
www.mhtp.org - Music For People (3rd year in Musicianship Leadership Program)
www.musicforpeople.org - Leadership & Musicianship Program (Clint Goss and Vera Shanov)
www.flutehaven.com - HealthRhythms Facilitator
www.healthrhythms.com - Member of the World Flute Society and active contributing writer on the Health and Wellness Committee
- Multi-year presenter of NAF workshops at the Eastern Massachusetts Rhythm Festival (Uxbridge, MA)
rhythmfestival.org - Accredited T’ai Chi Chih® Instructor
- Certified Aromatherapist
- Reiki Master Teacher
- Lessonface Teacher of the Year of the Native American Style Flute in 2020, 2021, and 2022