Ilka DeGast Interview #2 - The Final on Vinyl Podcast

I had a good conversation with Ilka DeGast once again, and we discussed her most recent project, making meditation music for children, and her upcoming track, "Wishing Song."

Transcript

Speaker 1 0:14

Hello everybody, this is Keith MuzikMan Hannaleck with the Final on Vinyl Podcast .

Speaker 1 0:19

And today we are with Ilka DeGast. And I have spoken to her uh before about her music. Um, but today's a little different. We're going to be talking about a track she has prepared called Wishing Song, which will be released January 9th of the new year. And um it specifically deals with helping uh the younger generation, children, uh, in in meditation and uh through her music and vocals and and instruction. Uh she was decided to do this for the children, which I think is wonderful, and uh welcome welcome her back to uh to the final vinyl podcast to talk about that. How are you doing, Yolka?

Speaker 1:10

Hi, Keith. Hi, thank you so much for the introduction. Uh yes, I'm doing really well today, and I'm excited to talk about my new single to be released in January or January 9th. Um as you said, this is a bit of a different um song. It's still within the meditation and new age genre, but this time it's focused on working with children and their loved ones also.

Speaker 1 1:44

Right. You know, and as you mentioned uh before I listened to the track and what what you said about it was that you know anybody can listen to it and and uh find it useful and use it as a tool. And uh if they're hearing it, I totally agree. And I was just wondering um what was your deciding factor on going in that direction and thinking about children at this time in your career thinking that you need to do something for them.

Speaker 2:18

Uh um well, I'm a psychologist, so I'm a psychologist and um singer-songwriter, and I work with mostly adults, but also families. And I think that at this time, just with so much going on in the world, that it's it is really time to focus on our young ones, on our younger generation, and to give them some ways of connecting in with themselves and to find ways to be able to relax and know that something is there especially for them to connect to. So these songs, it's actually going this is the first song in an album of seven songs. The first one is called The Wishing Song, and they each have a specific theme, and then working with music, with my vocals, and a very short, about a 50-second talking guided meditation. So children will be able to use this themselves, but of course, with with loved ones, and I think it will also help who whomever listens to it to relax. In fact, even just creating the music with Tommy Graven, Tommy Graven is the person that I'm collaborating with on the music for this, even just listening to the beginning stages of uh this song and the next song, which is called the No Worries song, helped me to completely relax in a situation where I was in the car on my way somewhere and which was sort of stressful, and I listened to the music for this song and completely relaxed. So I know that um that this music is relaxing in itself, and then with that guided instruction, I think I hope that it will help children and and others to to slow down and relax.

Speaker 1 4:25

Well, there does seem to be an way too much distraction going on in the world around us at all times. And particularly with children, you know, if they're at the age where they have phones and they're accessing social media, um which is highly addicting, I I think that's the wrong direction for them to be going in. And uh, you know, I don't think it's something that's a positive thing for them.

unknown 4:57

Right.

Speaker 2 4:58

What are your thoughts on that?

Speaker 5:00

Absolutely. Um I do think it is very distracting and um it's not even very good for brain development. So this these types of songs or this type of meditation, I think is necessary at this point, necessary to help children and others to slow down. We operate uh often when we go through our regular days in with brain waves at high beta, a high beta state. And whenever we're able to relax, we our our brain waves slow down to alpha and theta, and I think that is very important to be able to slow down, that's when our autonomic nervous system uh can balance and the sympathetic and the parasympathetic nervous systems balance for our emotional healing and physical healing. When we operate in such um in such a way, especially when we're scrolling through uh uh uh social media, um the attention span is is very much affected. So to have something that can bring us into focus can help us focus, I think is a very uh healthy way to uh uh to be that makes sense.

Speaker 1 6:30

And you know, thinking about development and children and development of the brain, um does all that align with what you just said? I mean, as far as slowing the brain waves down, does that help uh with besides healing, does that help with the actual development of the brain, or is that some a separate process?

Speaker 6:53

Um it's it's a separate process, it's an in-the-moment process, but uh in general, the more that we're able to connect back to ourselves or back to nature or back to um beauty and um uh I think the healthier that is for for our brains. Um so it's definitely helpful in many ways. Absolutely.

Speaker 1 7:22

So when you're making your music, um are you applying scientific knowledge that you've acquired through your degrees and your experience and your work, such as um um how many hertz with with the with the music and things like like that, yeah?

Speaker 7:44

Um you know there there's a big question about you know if we should be using 440 hertz cycles per second or 432. And I've um really experimented a little bit with both. I also think the the intention behind the music is very important, and also the notes that you use, um the the harmonic sequences that you use, it it's all important. So I don't specifically work with the 432 or the Solfeggio frequencies. I think they they all have their place and they bring uh bring good things to music, but it's so much more than than cycles per second.

Speaker 2 8:32

Okay.

Speaker 8:33

Yeah, but I do bring in I bring in a lot of my knowledge as a psychologist and my uh work with uh brain development and neuroscience and um that's all an important part of of how I uh work with my music and and bring it in.

Speaker 1 9:00

Now in regards to your vocals, which are absolutely beautiful, um you sound like an angel. That's the only thing I can think of when I hear you. What frequency are your vocals? Is that something you've looked at?

Speaker 9:16

Um Huh, what frequency are my vocals? Yeah, that it's hard to say because I think we all connect to something how should I put this? When I sing, for me it's um it's connecting to something bigger, it's connecting to soul, it's connecting to spirit, and that's what I try to or not try, but that's what my intention is to bring that through, and that sort of naturally happens, I think. Um and I don't quite know how to explain that really, but it's very much my intention, my love that is in my voice, and especially as I'm working on these songs for and and my focus is on children, I focus on that purity and I focus on bringing that love to the children, and I know that so many um that have such difficulty these days.

Speaker 1 10:22

Yeah, yeah, and you you mentioned purity and and things of that nature and the simplicity and uh the way children are at early, early ages, and I I think that's my thought anyway, that the social media and all of that totally destroys that. It just wipes that clean and they're off into a different part of their mindset and the way they're being developed.

Speaker 2 10:53

Yes, for sure. Yeah, you know?

Speaker 10:58

Yeah, it it's very distracting for them and like you said it's it's addictive and um it's hard when that happens for for anyone, for adults or children, to connect in with themselves and to uh I I think we all need that space, we all need that silence and that connection within uh in order to um be as happy as we can be. So I hope that this brings a little bit of joy and and happiness uh and helps everyone to slow down. I know that um for adults meditation is very helpful in in our busy days as well. I meditate on a daily basis, and I also do qigong, which is a meditation movement, and actually I have a tiny bit of that that meditation movement in the guided instruction for the children, which I think will also add an element to help them to relax and to uh so that they can feel better about getting on with their day.

Speaker 1 12:12

Well, I hope a lot of parents pay attention to this and they have their children listen to it. That will help. It definitely will help.

unknown 12:22

Yes.

Speaker 1 12:23

And you know, I was looking at the uh I'm sorry, go ahead.

Speaker 12:27

Well, the the first song, the wishing song, the one that we were actually talking about, um also has a um uh some wording in there that helps the children to realize that they are more powerful than they are given credit for, that when they want to uh bring something into their lives, that that's actually that that is possible. Um so the the guided meditation helps to focus on uh firstly gratitude. Gratitude is a wonderful way to start uh to come into that place of gratitude when we want to have something good happen in our lives. So from that place, then to think of what would I actually, so what am I grateful for, and then what would I like to have in my life? And so we work with both of those things in that first wishing song. Um so that yeah, so that is a specific way of of um uh wording and uh working with this meditation. The second meditation is the no worries song, and that is uh only focused on relaxation and uh calming down and slowing down. So, and that's what I love about doing these different songs, that they each have their theme. The third one is the sleepy song to help people help the children, and also help their loved ones would help their children to come into a state where they can more easily sleep at night or nap during the day. And then the fourth one is the be brave song, so that will help children to um with with the the wording to help them to have more self-confidence and to relax and to be more prepared for what what comes along during the day. So they each have their own theme.

Speaker 1 14:34

You've dedicated an entire album uh for this.

Speaker 14:37

Yes.

Speaker 1 14:38

Wonderful. What when do you plan on releasing this album?

Speaker 14:41

Well, the second one is already uh complete, so that will be at the end of Feb uh the end of January or beginning of February, and then I'll have a song, probably two songs per month, and then creating the album with is all of that.

Speaker 1 14:58

Oh, I see. Okay.

Speaker 14:59

Yeah.

Speaker 1 15:01

Who did the cover art for you? It's it's it's beautiful.

Speaker 15:05

I did. I do that myself. Um You did that yourself?

Speaker 1 15:08

Oh wow.

Speaker 15:09

Yes. Yes. Yeah. I love doing the cover art for for my songs. Uh it yeah, I just uh I love doing I work with Canva and I I bring in different elements. So yes, thank you.

Speaker 1 15:26

Ah I've worked with that too. That's that's a great program.

Speaker 15:29

Yes, yes it is. You can do so much with it. It's wonderful.

Speaker 1 15:35

Well, it's uh wonderful once again to speak to you and uh to talk about this great project you've been working on and continue to work on, and I look forward to getting the review and the interview up there, and uh wish you a happy, healthy new year, and I'm sure we'll be hearing some more music from you very soon and talking to you again.

Speaker 15:56

Yes, thank you so much, Keith, and thank you so much for the review too. It's really beautiful, and I really I I I say that you have uh reviewed some of my other songs, and I feel that you have such a sensitivity and really get what I'm trying to bring in through my music. So thank you so much for that, Keith.

Speaker 1 16:19

Well, I'm glad you feel that way. Thank you for the music.

Speaker 16:22

You're very welcome. I'll talk to you again soon.

Speaker 1 16:26

Okay, Yelka, take care. Bye bye.

Speaker 16:28

Hey, bye bye.