In the portrait: Kirsten Kluin and Stephan Jung

Kirsten Kluin and Stephan Jung

How did you get to know the Sansula?

Kluin: I heard the Sansula for the first time at a concert by overtone singer Wolfgang Saus. I was immediately captivated by its wonderful sound.

Jung: I first noticed the Sansula while searching for a kalimba on the Internet and ordered one straight away. I now have three Sansulas in my instrument collection.

How do you use the instrument today?

Kluin/Jung: In our work as music/sound therapists in individual and group treatments, e.g. with autistic children, patients in a persistent vegetative state, pain patients, psychiatric illnesses, etc. In particular, not only the Sansula but also the new Twin Kalimba is very useful in individual work. We also use the Sansula in our concerts and seminars (including overtone singing and synaptics).

Ms. Kluin and Mr. Jung, what does your collaboration look like and how did it come about?

We met at a seminar through our shared passion for overtone singing. Our professional parallels also made it obvious that we should pursue joint projects. Our many musical experiences resulted in our self-developed and patented concept "Synaptik - The Path to Personal Freedom", which is one of the main focuses of our collaboration. More information can be found at www.synaptik.org. Other main focuses of our collaboration are the holding of overtone singing seminars and concerts, including special sound experiences such as the "Meditative Sound Experience", which takes place at regular intervals in the "Wattwelten" visitor center on Norderney.

Is there a special story about Sansula that you remember well from your everyday work?

At a special dance event in southern Germany with the great pianist Martin Vatter, we accompanied the dancers with our sounds. An extraordinary experience was the use of two Sansulas tuned in A minor, which we spontaneously played on the dance floor as we danced together with the dancers. But also in the therapeutic field, special and wonderful reactions can be observed again and again when the Sansula is used in a wide variety of patients.

Do you have a favorite HOKEMA instrument?

The Sansula Deluxe and the Twin Kalimba .

Would you consider the Sansula a fully-fledged instrument?

Yes!

Biographical information on the career

When people have the desire to be in "harmony" with themselves and their environment, this automatically includes an appeal to basic human trust. The ear is the first sensory organ to develop in the womb and is immediately exposed to an extraordinary range of rhythms and sounds. Heartbeats, breathing and digestive sounds, as well as ambient noises, find their way directly into our subconscious hearing even before birth. It is therefore no wonder that sounds and rhythms have such an influence on us and can, for example, accompany us into meditative states. Kirsten Kluin and Stephan Jung are completely dedicated to music and its variety of sounds. Together they share their musical work with other people and live for "sound and soul", so to speak. Kirsten Kluin, who was born in Düsseldorf in 1967, began her musical career over 30 years ago when she played as an accordionist and guitarist in numerous bands and in studio projects of various genres. In 2007 she completed her training in “Sound Massage according to Peter Hess®” and “Phonophoresis/Tone Acupuncture” and since 2010 she has been working with timbre and overtone music. Her special focus is on working with sounds in relation to well-being, relaxation and promoting self-healing. Instruments such as singing bowls, gongs, body tambura and sansula, as well as singing and overtone singing are the focus of her musical work. Since 2010 Kluin has also been a trained overtone singing teacher according to Wolfgang Saus and a member of the European Overtone Choir. Her CDs “Soul Encounters” – Choral Sounds and Overtone Singing and “Light Paths” – Meditative Singing Bowl Music were released at the end of 2010. As a freelance sound artist, Kirsten Kluin regularly gives sound concerts, including with Stephan Jung, as well as sound meditations, leads seminars on synaptics, overtone singing, sound and perception and works with sound therapy with healthy adults and those in need of care. Stephan Jung, who was born in Limburg / Lahn in 1961, felt magically attracted to music as a child. He began learning a variety of instruments at an early age and played in numerous music clubs and bands. In 2001 he completed his training as a music therapist and has since worked as a freelance music therapist in facilities for the disabled, children's and pain clinics and in the field of psychosomatics in individual and group therapy. He also teaches drums, gives percussion courses and leads synaptics seminars. He also completed two further training courses in 2008 and 2014: the Taketina training in “Drum and Percussion” with Reinhard Flatischler and the training to become an overtone singer according to Wolfgang Saus. Jung regularly gives sound concerts with musicians such as Kirsten Kluin and the pianist Martin Vatter, with whom he produced the CD “Live at Bauer Studio” in 2014. Jung draws strength for all of his projects from music itself, regardless of where and in what form he makes music. True to the motto: “Music can trigger things in a person that were previously considered impossible.” For Kirsten Kluin and Stephan Jung, it is particularly important to promote people’s individual social skills and also to prevent social-psychological disorders and to develop enjoyment of life and individual creativity. No value is placed on ability to play an instrument, but rather on shared action and experience combined with joy in doing things and personal development. Together, the two lead seminars on overtone singing and synaptics and give regular concerts.