Many people find tranquility in music. Curating the perfect playlist or discovering a new song both stimulates the brain and allows us to find better concentration and focus. The benefits of music are undeniable and therefore music is a staple part of every meeting, conference and convention. The right music can bring people together, increase productivity and set the mood but the wrong music can…well you get the idea.
Joshua Sam Miller wears many hats as a musician, environmental activist and immersive media producer. His music focuses on connecting ocean conservation with health and wellness to create a peaceful and captivating musical experience—a potential perfect addition to a meeting or event.
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“At every conference I have been to, there tends to be this moment where you are reaching your limit on sensory overload,” explains Miller. “The one thing that is missing is time to integrate it all and allow it to go through your system before you transition to the next part of your day.”
Between networking, listening to speakers and more, meeting attendees often end their days overwhelmed by the day’s events, especially when not given ample time to process and reflect. The slow, soothing music paired with the guided meditation that Miller takes attendees through, allows people to slow down and rejuvenate before attacking the rest of their day.
Music has the vital ability to decrease blood pressure, lower levels of cortisol and reduce your heart rate. The calming ocean sounds that appear in Miller’s music allow one to be an attentive and engaged attendee for the rest of the day’s events.
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Ocean Conservation
Alongside mental well being, Miller focuses heavily on ocean conservation and sustainability. His album Sounds of the Ocean pairs recordings of whales, dolphins and ocean sounds with live instruments to create an immersive experience. “Growing up a scuba diver, I got to experience first hand the feeling of being underwater and how relaxing that can make a person feel,” explains Miller.
The recordings of whales and dolphins that inspired Sounds of the Ocean made him feel like he was “scuba diving without going to the sea.” Sounds of the Ocean is thus meant to fuse together Miller’s two missions of supporting mental wellbeing and raising awareness for ocean conservation efforts to inspire tangible ocean action.
Virtual Events
While music is widely accepted as a key part of in-person events, so many people neglect the important benefits it can bring to virtual or hybrid events as well. “The virtual sessions are a little bit more disconnected at first than in person but have the potential to leave people feeling even more connected because they are at home in a comfortable environment versus being out in a foreign environment,” clarifies Miller.
A virtual event or meeting can include music in some capacity to engage participants and bring people together even when they are miles apart. It sets the mood and helps create the correct energy needed.
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Embodied Sounds, the company who produced Sounds of the Oceans, offers retreats for private groups “to come to a destination and connect with each other and fully immerse in the environment and build these types of immersive multi-sensory experiences into the retreat and focus on employee well-being in a beautiful destination,” says Miller. The company has partnership retreats in Costa Rica, Bali, and Croatia.
