9ways is committed to teaching and preserving the ancient sound traditions of the world.
THE ACADEMIA
We are a private Research Academy that offers certified trainings, programs and events related with Harmonic Knowledge, Sound Therapy and Indigenous Studies.
For nearly 5 decades, 9Ways Academia has offered the most comprehensive approach to teaching Sound Therapy.
For the student that has a high interest and desire to learn about Sound Therapy, finding an established and credible curriculum to engage can be a intimidating task. It seems that around every corner, there are learning options available. However, there is a difference between actual academic learning, and just trying to ‘wing it’ through intuition. Today we see a myriad of so called ‘sound healing’ learning programs available, but how many of these programs offer the necessary elements in educating, elevating, and empowering the student?
The best avenue of learning is through direct experience, this was, and is the methods that were taught in the monasteries, ashrams, mystery schools and temples from the distant past to today. We feel that learning a subject has many dimensions, and the student requires the most straightforward methods through experience, to sharpen the Sword of Wisdom. Our teaching style is clear and to the point with a depth rising out of long years of research, field studies, dedication and experience.
The corpus of our studies includes academic information presented clearly with references to clinical studies performed worldwide, terminology comprehension, historical and cultural background, hands on acquirement of how to use the instrument proficiently, how to apply what you learned in a working environment, mentoring and substantiation.
The best avenue of learning is through direct experience, this was, and is the methods that were taught in the monasteries, ashrams, mystery schools and temples from the distant past to today. We feel that learning a subject has many dimensions, and the student requires the most straightforward methods through experience, to sharpen the Sword of Wisdom. Our teaching style is clear and to the point with a depth rising out of long years of research, field studies, dedication and experience.
The corpus of our studies includes academic information presented clearly with references to clinical studies performed worldwide, terminology comprehension, historical and cultural background, hands on acquirement of how to use the instrument proficiently, how to apply what you learned in a working environment, mentoring and substantiation.
Mitch Nur, PhD, founder of 9Ways Academia, is considered the leading authority on Himalayan bowls in the world.
Regarded as one of North America’s oldest and leading sound teachers and sound healers, Mitch Nur, PhD, is the founder, Senior Instructor, Spiritual Director, and Drup Shen Pa of 9Ways Academia. He has spent nearly 5 decades as a Archaeomusicologist, Sacred Sound Researcher, Practitioner and Teacher. An authority on Sacred Sound instruments and applications as it pertains to ritual, ceremony, sound therapies, shamanic healing, meditation, and personal transformation. His engagement with the compassionate teachings of the East, combined with his shamanic training, gives him a unique perspective among today’s teachers.
Referred to as the ‘Indiana Jones of Sound Healing’ by many of his colleagues, he is a member of the Society for Ethnomusicology, and the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.The accumulation of rich life experiences has left Dr. Nur with a unique endowment: a perception and proficiency that enables him to blend history, science and culture with a hands-on approach to learning that encourages a student to fully grasp a subject and the ability to go beyond the academic to a genuinely experience the disciplines he teaches.
Our vast collection of instruments and ritual tools, museum quality, is available to all students as a contribution to a direct encounter with the culture and instrument of study.
Presently the closest one can come to working with sound as a therapy, is to enroll in a Music Therapy program offered at the university level. These programs are an effective measure for musicians studying piano, guitar, or orchestral percussion. However, there are no formal organizational studies with Himalayan Singing Bowls, Gongs, or the indigenous sound tools of the world. Why? Bias? Or, is it just simply music schools only count western instruments?
Even though, historically, the ancient writings of Aristotle, Plato, Socrates, and authors of Pythagoras such as Nichomachus – the Greeks or students of Greek thought, were rescued by Arab Philosophers during the Dark and Middle ages. When the Renaissance came, no one in Europe knew anything about the Greeks and their Philosophy. But when the Latin philosophers brought the Arab manuscripts of the Greeks back into Europe, our western knowledge of Greek Philosophy, Mathematics, Science, Astrology, Medicine, and Music came to be known again; as well as the further studies that the Arab world conducted. The West is totally indebted to these Arab authors for returning civilization to the West to say the least. However, since the Renaissance, very little attention has been given to the studies on Music Therapy from Asia Minor, or even from Vedic India. So if you are a musician of an instrument from Asia, Asia Minor, India, or other indigenous areas of the world, you do not receive the consideration of others who are in the Music Therapy fields. But this is changing, hopefully, as more and more people see, feel, and hear the benefits of Singing Bowls, Didgeridoo, Tuning Forks, Gongs, Vedic Chant, etc.
Our programs cover over 100 indigenous sound instruments that we have extensively researched; including Master Classes with Himalayan Singing Bowls, Gongs, and the Bonpo Shang.
Even though, historically, the ancient writings of Aristotle, Plato, Socrates, and authors of Pythagoras such as Nichomachus – the Greeks or students of Greek thought, were rescued by Arab Philosophers during the Dark and Middle ages. When the Renaissance came, no one in Europe knew anything about the Greeks and their Philosophy. But when the Latin philosophers brought the Arab manuscripts of the Greeks back into Europe, our western knowledge of Greek Philosophy, Mathematics, Science, Astrology, Medicine, and Music came to be known again; as well as the further studies that the Arab world conducted. The West is totally indebted to these Arab authors for returning civilization to the West to say the least. However, since the Renaissance, very little attention has been given to the studies on Music Therapy from Asia Minor, or even from Vedic India. So if you are a musician of an instrument from Asia, Asia Minor, India, or other indigenous areas of the world, you do not receive the consideration of others who are in the Music Therapy fields. But this is changing, hopefully, as more and more people see, feel, and hear the benefits of Singing Bowls, Didgeridoo, Tuning Forks, Gongs, Vedic Chant, etc.
Our programs cover over 100 indigenous sound instruments that we have extensively researched; including Master Classes with Himalayan Singing Bowls, Gongs, and the Bonpo Shang.
"Without deep penetration there is no awareness, without awareness, there is no knowledge, knowledge without experience, does not sharpen the Sword of Wisdom."
MITCH NUR
Elevating the Sound Workers of tomorrow to their highest potential
The quality of a good sound worker has 2 aspects. The first aspect contributing to their quality is that they understand that their position is outside the western medical design where things are separated by doctors and patients or healers and customers for example. Sound becomes the cure, and the sound worker takes the credit for having provided the ‘medicine.’ But many working with sound, especially in ambient mode, are using sound tools not conforming to the western model, such as Himalayan Singing Bowls, Didgeridoo, Shruti, Tingshas etc. Even sound tools like Gongs, Crystal Bowls, and Tuning Forks fall outside western recognition. So there is a transcultural aspect to all this. There’s this awareness that much is falling outside western archetypes.
The 2nd aspect is that they realize that the responsibility is on them and not the instrument or instruments they are using. Whether it’s tuning forks, singing bowls, gongs, drum, etc. it’s not the instrument itself, but the consciousness behind it. The practitioner is the true instrument, and the bell or bowl is their tools. This is very hard for most sound workers to wrap their head around, because of the nearly hysterical level that things like frequencies, tuning references, chakras, binaural beats, or the host of other ‘ideas’ people gravitate to, which substitute for the skillset of the practitioner. But there’s another part to this, where the client is an active participant in this process and is instructed on how to become active in this process. It is the client that needs to focus on the restoration of their well being. So in the end, it’s a shared holistic responsibility.
"Progress comes to those who train and train; reliance on secret techniques will get you nowhere." Morihei Ueshiba
Many feel that left to themselves, they can just ‘learn’ on the job, they don’t require guidance or training. It may work the first few times, but sooner rather than later, they will encounter a situation that’s beyond their sphere of knowledge and experience. And this presents another issue with some sound workers, where they try and learn everything all at once, or take program after program, leaving no time to actually practice what they have learned. They have no experience, other than attending program after program. Knowledge can come from books, seminars, retreats, and conferences; but wisdom comes from direct experience. To quote the esteemed Morihei Ueshiba, “Progress comes to those who train and train; reliance on secret techniques will get you nowhere.”
