Crestone -- Meditation-thon 2005 -- Claire Givens
Crestone(Part I) | Meditation-thon (Part II) | Givens(Part III)
The Imprints We Make Each Day -- Sound Important? by Tom Charland
Not far from Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis is a little jewel, not much known outside the circles of some of the best professional string musicians in the world. Claire Givens Violins, just across from the entrance to the Hilton Hotel, has been serving the needs of string players locally, nationally and internationally for over 20 years. They sell fine violins, violas, cellos and their bows and accessories. The workshop is staffed by experts skilled in instrument and bow construction and restoration.
I know this doesn’t sound like the place you’d take your eight-year-old daughter who wants to learn how to play the violin. But I had in my possession my grandmother’s violin and had the wonderful vision of my daughter playing her great grandmother’s instrument. I was even prepared to pay practically anything to make that happen. In fact, maybe I was holding a priceless Stradivarius that experts had been trying to track down for the last century.
But, mind you, I knew nothing about stringed instruments, and I was walking into a shop that works mostly with the most gifted of musicians. As I opened the door I started to think this might be a mistake. One of those big suburban superstores is the place for me. Within about two minutes, however, I realized this was exactly the place I should be. There are no pretences at Claire Givens Violins. It turns out my grandmother’s violin was probably one of the lesser priced, beginner’s violins of its day. One of the instrument restorers took a look and recognized it immediately for what it was: a great wall hanging that will produce lots of conversation. The cost to repair it would far exceed the cost to buy a much higher quality instrument, not to mention one that my daughter could hold without having to add six inches to her arm. (I didn’t realize how important size was in violin selection.)
Enter Claire Givens herself, who immediately took to my daughter Nicole and helped her through the initial disappointment that Grandma’s violin isn’t playable. Claire took us back to meet several of her staff, all of whom are very experienced violin restorers. And then we met Andrew Dipper, Claire’s husband, who runs Dipper Restorations, which provides restoration and historical research on stringed instruments. I noticed a photo of H.H. Dalai Lama on the wall and a bronze statue of Amitabha in front of it. I knew before I came that Claire and Andrew are practicing Buddhists.
“I have always been interested in consciousness,” Claire says. “But I’d say it’s as much a concern as it is an interest. We need to raise the level of consciousness in our society, so I wanted to bring that spirit to the workplace, and I found very appealing in the request for patronage from KTC Minneapolis the option of being able to provide meditation instruction to my employees and friends. The material was also so thoughtfully presented and complete in its description of the benefits of a meditation practice on an individual and the community that I felt I had to support this in any way I could. The deciding factor was the offer to provide a class in Shamata Meditation to my employees and friends.”
As part of her support for KTC, Claire has offered meditation instruction to all employees at Given’s Violins. About 15 people including employees from Given’s Violins attended a special Shamata Meditation instruction session with Lama Pamela Holtum. “I was really taken by how much interest there is in meditation,” says Claire. “It’s almost as if people want to work to raise consciousness but don’t know where to start. KTC has given us a great gift in helping us with that beginning. And we look forward to another year of partnership.”
Says Lama Pamela Holtum, “I remember when I first met Claire and Andrew at a Bloomington Community Education Shamata Meditation class, and she asked me whether or not her approach made sense, which was that everyday meditation practice is more like the practicing of scales on an instrument, which when mastered allows one to play concertos. I agreed with her that’s exactly how to approach meditation practice.”
So if you’re serious about a stringed instrument for yourself or your child, consider avoiding the suburban music “super store.” You’ll do yourself a very big favor. And maybe have a prodigy on your hands.
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