My Quest 

The core of what I offer to this community is the nurturing of creativity in gifted individuals. While music is my chosen medium, I believe that creativity and connection are just as important as reading music or hitting particular milestones. The traditional western system of music, while useful, can often be rigid and unimaginative. My life's work aims to teach human beings to return to harmonic alignment with our natural world (as music demonstrates!). I do this by weaving music and creativity together in my work with my students.

I believe that infusing creativity and a love for nature into our study of music, we will cultivate empathy, courage, curiosity, and innovation into our future change-makers and world leaders.

Our Agreements

Let’s be cool to each other. May we foster good faith between one another, and may we always assume positive intent in all matters. Communicate with me freely, but please be kind. 

Let’s have honor and integrity. I pledge to honor you/your child with my knowledge, energy, and mentorship ~ and I invite you to honor you/them as well by nurturing your/their creativity at home, and in being supportive and kind toward your/their music mentor! I agree to honor our shared time and commitments, and I invite you to honor our shared time and commitments as well. 

Let’s communicate. If you are going to miss our appointment, no worries at all! Life happens and I understand that. Because of my ASD and other health issues, I need to occasionally take mental and/or physical health days. I invite you into giving a flat-rate monthly donation for my shared knowledge and energy, with the understanding that sometimes we will both need to take time off. I do not calculate differences or offer rollovers/make-ups. Let us communicate openly and honestly about our individual desires and needs, and may we create space for grace and empathy for one another. If I need to take an unexpected day off, I prefer to communicate via text. Likewise, should you need to miss a lesson, please text me. Should you decide to move on from our arrangement, it helps immensely to be given a 30-day notice. Either way, simply communicate and we will work through it together. 

My life's work is supported completely by donations, so I simply ask that you give and share abundantly of the resources you DO have. I am not interested in accepting what you DO NOT have.

Welcomed forms of monthly offerings/donations include:

 $100 cash per student per half hour, per month – if you are able! If you can give more, every little bit helps me to continue doing this work.

 Alternately, venmo (@River-Ripley) or cash app ($RiverRipley)

 Farmer's Market Goods (Sourdough bread, produce, raw honey, flowers, cool trinkets, etc.)

 Gift cards to: Beacon Coffee, Singing Sun, Café Ficelle, local food places, Timbre Books, Trader Joe's, Lassen's, or Sprouts

 Crafts or artwork from your kids 

 Cool rocks, minerals, or trinkets  (I LOVE crystals and metals, scientifically and otherwise )

 Museum passes, campsite passes, cultural experiences, or concert tickets 

 Books on inventors, inventions, philosophy, mycology, cymatics, sourdough, quantum mechanics, atoms, minerals, geometry, biology, microbiology, plants, flowers, bees, wolves, whales, octopi, indigenous cultures (really anything involving complex or fringe sciences, the natural world, or anthropology, I frikken love!)

 A hand written poem, from you, the parent!

 Markers, crayons, notebooks, gouache paint and/or brushes, Arches watercolor paper (the more small-business oriented and supported, the better). I am going to start a pop-up doodle series geared toward engaging with homeless individuals or individuals in recovery, so donated supplies are greatly appreciated. 

 Pass on kindness to a random stranger! (to truly see someone and have a moment of honest connection, is the greatest gift of all)  

 Handmade jewelry using natural materials (I love all things made by real human hands!) 

Or whatever! 

I look forward to starting this journey together. Please let me know if you have any questions! 

With joy and radiance,

Rachael / aka River

~The River the Flows Upstream ~