Noah Plotkin sees himself bringing the world together through music. Noah comes to Living Whole Online through a connection with International Integrators co-founders Maia Ibar and Tristan Martineau and others in the Ibar family.
I was very moved by the band Bizi Gara that features Baptiste Ibar. There is something about that Ibar family…they understand magic. They understand genius. They have an incredible grip on the world and how to offer their genius to the world.
-Noah Plotkin
Noah was born and raised on Chicago’s North Shore into a loving family who appreciates and supports the arts as a vocation of which to be proud.
Noah’s father,
Jonathan Plotkin, is also a facilitator for
Living Whole Online. The two collaborate together, Jonathan with his art and Noah with his music.
People putting knowledge together through art is, I think, a miracle. Being able to create music on the spot the way my father can create art on the spot…you get into it and you can make music wherever you go.
-Noah Plotkin
As a student at the Berklee College of Music, Noah was quickly introduced to a wide range of percussion styles, techniques and musical expression through his studies with legendary musicians such as John Blackwell (Prince), Jamey Haddad (Paul Simon), Kenwood Dennard (Herbie Hancock, Whitney Houston) Skip Hadden (Weather Report) & Dave DiCenso (Duran Duran).
Throughout his life Noah has recognized the power of music to unite people of all ages and backgrounds to build strong and sustainable communities. He believes that music is a universal language that reaches across all cultural and demographic boundaries. It is in this spirit that Noah brings awareness of rhythmic music as a complementary tool to enable people of all ages to create and maintain good health. Some of his work involves playing in senior residences and nursing homes, where he has had some profoundly moving experiences.
A majority of the people in nursing homes going through dementia, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s would remember the words right away and we would sing the song, and everyone would be singing in unison…people who can’t say, “I love you” to their daughter or son sitting right next to them. It is like witnessing magic.
-Noah Plotkin
Noah went through chemotherapy for cancer from November of 2020 to March 2021 and is now cancer free. He shares his insights and experiences in this podcast and plans to create programs for Living Whole Online that help others with health challenges, including cancer.
Music just came out of me. I didn’t even think about it. It helped with pain…it helped with a lot of things. I’m glad I recorded all the music I recorded while I was going through cancer treatment. I also kept a journal of everything I ate, which helped me figure out what works and what doesn’t work.
-Noah Plotkin
Here are some of the themes that Noah and Kathryn explore during this conversation:
- How did Noah’s 97-year-old grandfather’s health improve when Noah played music for him?
- How did Noah begin studying music wellness facilitation?
- How is a drum a “grounded instrument”?
- How does drumming help nursing home residents?
- How did Noah’s grandmother’s playing Music is Magic inspire him?
- How did having cancer influence Noah’s musical creativity?
- How did CBD and THC help Noah cope with pain and other cancer symptoms? How did they help him create the music, the art form that helped him heal?
- How did voice memos figure into Noah’s experience with cancer?
- What are two recordings that particularly helped him heal?
