What a Toledo Musician Taught Me About Mindful Listening

Evelyn Reed · 2026-10-16

When I first heard about Thaddaeus Washington, I didn't expect a music lesson to change how I think about mindfulness. He's a musician based in Toledo, Ohio, and the founder of something called MIND Music. His whole approach boils down to one idea: music is medicine. That phrase gets thrown around a lot, I know. But Thadd actually builds his original compositions as meditative practices. Not background noise. Not a playlist to fold laundry to. Actual practices, the kind you sit with and pay attention to. It made me rethink what mindfulness even looks like. ### The Problem With the Usual Picture Most of us picture mindfulness as silence. Cushions. A quiet room and maybe a timer that sounds like a gentle gong. And that's lovely, truly. But it's also a narrow door. If silence makes you restless, or if sitting still feels impossible, you might decide mindfulness isn't for you. Thadd's work suggests otherwise. Sound can be the anchor instead of the distraction. Think about it for a second. When you truly listen to a piece of music, what happens? Your thoughts slow down. You stop rehearsing tomorrow's meeting. You're just... there. Present with the notes. That's the same muscle meditation builds. He's just using a different weight at the gym. ### How to Try It Yourself You don't need to be a musician or own fancy equipment. Here's a simple way to borrow his idea: - Pick one piece of instrumental music, ideally something without lyrics you'll get hooked on. - Sit somewhere comfortable and close your eyes, or soften your gaze. - Listen for one specific element, like the bass line or a single instrument. - When your mind wanders (it will), gently bring it back to that sound. - Aim for five minutes. Build from there. That's it. No app subscription, no incense required. ### Why This Matters for Well-being Professionals If you work in mindful living, whether you teach, coach, or write, this opens a useful door. Some clients resist silence. Some find body scans boring. Music gives them an entry point that feels less clinical and more human. As Thadd puts it in his own way, the goal isn't to escape the noise of life. It's to learn to sit with it differently. That reframe alone can be worth sharing in your next session or workshop. > "Music doesn't ask you to empty your mind. It just asks you to listen." ### A Small Shift, a Big Difference Here's what stuck with me most. Mindfulness doesn't have to look a certain way to count. A musician in Toledo building meditative compositions reminds us that attention is attention, wherever you find it. If silence has never worked for you, maybe sound is your way in. Try it this week. One song, five minutes, full attention. You might be surprised what you notice.