The Three Pillars
At AATA we focused on Three Pillars when the school vision came to life.
These pillars continue to be an undercurrent for all we do at AATA.
They offer a foundational core to reflect back upon in all the curriculum and activities that we offer and teach. They serve as the core influence around the modalities that we offer.
In this age of extreme technological saturation, it is increasingly vital to maintain a connection to our roots in the natural world. We attune to the rhythms and cycles of nature in order to cultivate balance, belonging, and self-awareness. We facilitate familiarizing ourselves with the ‘locals’ in the form of trees, plants, insects, rocks, and minerals. Following the cycles of the seasons and the various celebrations throughout the year instill a sense of meaning and purpose in daily life.
We are able to ground and balance our electromagnetic fields through direct contact with the soil, water, fresh air, and sunlight. Natural light patterns filtered through the forest canopy and clouds, along with countless microvariations in terrain and distances support perceptual development and proprioception. We cultivate a sense of belonging in nature including navigation, foraging, fire, and shelter building, along with stories, songs, and games all aligned with the environment and in nature.
Practices such as meditation, yoga, and tai chi allow for an exploration of self, integrating mind, body, and spirit while serving as an entry point to understanding human physiology and anatomy. Where we study modalities such as martial arts not to learn how to 'fight,' but to learn self-mastery. Utilizing the endless variances in our natural terrain and setting, allows nuanced development of proprioception and visual perception. We aim to cultivate resilience through nervous system regulation techniques such as Somatic Experiencing and Conscious Breath work, with the goal of teaching techniques that will last a lifetime.
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Equine Therapy uses the wisdom of the animal kingdom to deepen one’s connection with self and refine the understanding of one’s impact on the animal kingdom and others. Countering the effects of technological saturation with Earth-based ‘technology’ such as earthing/barefoot hiking and qigong encourages wellness and balance. Additionally, we have cutting edge, bioenergetic modalities available on an individuated basis to support families to thrive on a cellular level using technology that is available for the highest and best of humanity.
Harmonic Integration
Everything is vibratory energy, simultaneously a generator and a byproduct of existence itself. The principles of music, sound and vibration shape every aspect of life, and allow us to integrate the musical components of being human.
All matter consists of atomic material, electrons rapidly spinning creating motion/frequency creating ‘sound’. Myriad overlapping cycles and patterns construct the harmonies and rhythms of nature, expressed in the splendor of reality that we find ourselves in the midst of.
The Octave is divided into seven notes of the diatonic scale, refracted in the seven colors of the rainbow, seven days of the week (named for the seven classical heavenly bodies), seven chakras, the seven seas, seven alchemical metals, seven continents, and the seven liberal arts and so on…The relationships expressed in consonant and dissonant harmony push and pull between tension and resolution while echoing the nuanced complexity of human thoughts and emotions. The pulses and cycles of tempo, rhythm, and silence mimic our biology subdividing cells, heartbeat, speech patterns and cadence, brainwaves, and consciousness itself. Cymatic patterns create complex geometries, physical expressions that frequencies imprint onto matter. Many ancient cultures have at the center of their creation stories sound or vibration as the birth of existence.
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Music education at AATA creates a lens through which to creatively explore the depths of the human experience, just as we are all psychoacoustically resonating our individual blueprint of rhythm, frequency, light, and vibration. Using an experiential and interactive approach to music, and all of our curricula, we aim to engage curiosity within and without the student in order to deepen the connection with oneself and the world at large.