John Paul is a sound healing practitioner and professional musician in Nashville, TN. For John, sound, healing and spirituality are deeply intertwined. His background weaves music, entrepreneurship, technology, and spirituality together in the tapestry of healing through music.
Crescent City Schooling
Jazz, a deeply spiritual and healing music, propelled John’s early exposure to the transformative power of music. He studied jazz and music business at Loyola University New Orleans, where he was awarded the prestigious Ignatian Scholarship in 2008. and the 2012 Loyola Community Service Award. Serving as Executive Producer for the Center for Music Entrepreneurship’s weekly Industry Forum series, John produced events connecting students with brass bands, film scorers, jazz masterclasses, and world-class songwriters. The classroom, however, was only half his schooling. He enriched his collegiate musical education with the diverse and vibrant music scene of New Orleans such as Mardi Gras bands, trad jazz groups, funk bands, bourbon street cover bands, and more.
Nashville, Music & Technology
Moving to Nashville in 2011, John Paul continued to serve the arts at Big Yellow Dog Music publishing company where he led their label initiative. As technology enveloped musicians and the music industry, he founded Nashville Music Tech, Nashville’s first meet up connecting artists, software engineers and music business owners. He continued cultivating technical aptitude, consulting with music tech startups and organizing panels at SXSW and Belmont on the intersection of music and technology. Eventually, these technology skills would lead him to become Senior Software Architect at Vanderbilt Medical Center’s Clinical Research Center, where he designed and implemented applications to further medical research. Whether through music or technology, John aspires to connect and heal people.
Singing and Spirit
But spirituality is never far from John’s heart. In 2015, he became involved with a raucous sing-a-long event series called Beer & Hymns. By 2018, John served as Music Director, arranging traditional hymns alongside pop and pub-sing favorites. The event series has sold out such venerable venues as Mercy Lounge and the Sutler and received several “Critic’s Pick” distinctions from the Nashville Scene. John continues to explore healing, participatory music in Kirtan and Mantra bands, joining Irish performer Eileen Bray in her Celtic Kirtan series and Nashville’s Chrissy Kirkwood in music directing her mantra band. His passion to heal and restore people with music continues to flourish. He studied Crystal singing bowls under Kayce Laine and achieved certification for Sound Healing through the esteemed Sound Healing Academy in the United Kingdom. Throughout his work in music, technology, and healing, John Paul’s through-line is inspiring people to love each other and the world we share.