Sound School
Retreat
with Katie Down & Jessica Caplan
February 5th -10th, 2025
Mazunte, Mexico
sound school retreat
Escape to beautiful Mazunte on the Oaxacan coast in southern Mexico, for your winter getaway for this profound 5-day Sound Retreat led by seasoned sound practitioners and teachers, Jessica Caplan and Katie Down. Immerse yourself in a transformative journey delving into the powerful realm of sound and its healing potential.
This retreat offers a unique fusion of restorative experiences and hands-on training, equipping participants with invaluable tools to harness sound as a restorative and transformative force in both personal and professional domains. Through a series of experiential workshops, we will explore vocal embodiment, Deep Listening techniques, nervous system regulation, the energy of sound, mindfulness practices, rhythm, creative movement, as well as some of the theory and history of sound used in healing modalities. Students will have access to instruments including crystal and metal singing bowls, hand pans, frame drums, rattles, shruti boxes, tuning forks, and gong.
Each day of the retreat promises a blend of gentle movement, sound, music, and meditative practices to harmonize the receptive body, complemented by three delicious and nutritious meals. Unstructured intervals in the mid afternoon provide opportunities for swimming, walking, shopping, and immersing in the natural splendor. Prepare for meaningful connections and the profound gifts that emerge when we gather to immerse ourselves in shared listening and playing experiences. Wind down with evening sound meditations, facilitating assimilation and reflection of the day.
This retreat is tailored for those curious about integrating sound practices into their lives including bodyworkers, therapists, teachers, holistic healers, and musicians alike. Regardless of professional intent, anticipate an awakening of intuitive expression, heightened sensory experiences, and nourishment that transcends boundaries, nurturing the soul from within.
Itinerary:
First day, February 5th:
Check in: 3pm
Opening Circle: 5PM
Dinner: 7pm
Sound Bath: 8:30PM
February 6th
7-8am Movement/Meditation Practice:
Yoga-Toning-DL Meditation8-10am Break & Breakfast
10am-1pm Morning Workshop:
Guided meditation
Vocal toning
Introductions/Foundations
Rhythm workshop incorporating entrainment
Vocal Embodiment1-2:30pm Lunch
2:30-4:30pm Afternoon Workshop:
Intro to bowls with Jess and Katie demo
Technique, musicianship and listening
Solo bowl and voice work
Dyad work with voice and bowls4:30pm-7pm Beach Break
7pm Dinner
8-10:30pm Sound Ceremony with cacao
February 7th
7-8am Movement/Meditation Practice:
Yoga-Toning-DL Meditation8-10am Break & Breakfast
10am-1pm Morning Workshop:
Debrief of sound ceremony
Interval discussion and play
(shruti demo, bowl demo, vocal play)
Bija mantras1-2:30pm Lunch
2:30-4:30pm Bowl play
4:30pm-7pm Beach Break
7pm Dinner
8-10:30pm Sound bath facilitated by Jess and 2 or 3 students
February 8th
7-8am Movement/Meditation Practice:
Yoga-Toning-DL Meditation8-10am Break & Breakfast
10am-1pm Morning Workshop:
Sharing / Questions
Tuning forks intro, discussion and experiential
Voice and tuning forks1-2:30pm Lunch
2:30-4:30pm Afternoon Workshop:
Osteo forks
Sharing and integration4:30pm-7pm Beach Break
7pm Dinner
8-10:30pm Sound bath facilitated by Katie and 2 or 3 students
February 9th
7-8am Movement/Meditation Practice:
Yoga-Toning-DL Meditation8-10am Break & Breakfast
10am-1pm Morning Workshop:
Voice work Medicine
Melody adventure1-2:30pm Lunch
2:30-4:30pm Afternoon Workshop:
Mandalas and sound journey
Anatomy of a sound journey4:30pm-7pm Beach Break
7pm Dinner
8-11pm Sound Salon Sharing and dance party
Last Day : February 10th
7-8am Movement/Meditation Practice:
Yoga-Toning-DL Meditation8-8:30am Break
8:30am Meditation and Toning with rhythm and vocal improv
9:30am Breakfast and goodbyes
Noon Check Out
Testimonials:
" Katie and Jessica are exceptional space holders, sound healers and retreat facilitators. Each brought their own wealth of experiences but what really impacted me was their kind and open hearts. They led with their own gentle power while also empowering our own curiosity and exploration of sound. They also shared their own personal stories that inspired me as I step more into the role of sound healer in my own practice. "
"I loved Mazunte and El Triangulo. The land felt super powerful and it's a great location to support transformative healing. I loved that it was many natural elements converging- Jungle, Ocean, Mountains."
“Mazunte was a very beautiful and tropical place. It was definitely an off the beaten path location but I think the challenge of getting to and from the place, the beach and the lush separation from everything enabled our own experience. I think the location made the experience what it was, as each person in the container did. We do not have to discuss how powerful the portal at this land was because we all sure felt it! :)”
"I really loved all of it! I felt that everything unfolded exactly as it was meant to. I loved that we broke up the learning with down time and group adventures to the beach. It made for good play time, connecting with one another & nature."
"I loved the Creature Work workshop and Tuning Fork workshop. I learned a lot in the Tuning Fork workshop and although I have no music or theory background, it was approachable and helpful. I actually used tuning forks in my yoga class this Friday! I also experienced through my own body the power of the Tuning Forks - uhm, wow! "
"I also enjoyed the moments singing, playing and sound making intuitively with the group as we got to know each other and got to know sound in different forms in a new environment."
"The staff was amazing, I felt very cared for. The space was great. Thank you so much for an amazing experience. I appreciate you, the land and the experience greatly."
"Thank you both so much- from the bottom of my heart it was the most profoundly healing experience. I have so much gratitude for this unforgettable experience. Thank you both for being in this world and on this path, the work you do is tremendous"
PRICING & INFORMATION
Exchange includes the retreat, lodging and all meals.
Accommodations will be at El Triángulo, Mazunte, Oaxaca, Mexico
Private room: $1675
Shared room with one other person: $1475
Retreat & meals only, offsite lodging:$1125
Closest airports are Huatulco (HUX) and Puerto Escondido (PXM). Both are about one hour from Mazunte, a taxi ride will take you there. Flight and taxi are not included.
katie down
Katie Down, LCAT, MT-BC, MMT, MM, is a licensed creative arts therapist, psychotherapist, board-certified music therapist and EMDR practitioner. She received her master's in music psychotherapy from NYU, and in composition from the New England Conservatory with post-graduate certifications from the Institute for Contemporary Psychotherapy's Trauma Studies Program and EMDR Level III through the Parnell Institute. Katie is a professional flutist, multi-instrumentalist, and award-winning composer and sound designer, bringing with her a wide range of musical experiences and approaches from classical, jazz, world music, and free improvisation. She has enhanced her musicianship with intensive voice and Deep Listening training with Rhiannon, Meredith Monk, and Lisa Sokolov and Pauline Oliveros. Katie is an adjunct professor at SUNY New Paltz and guest lectures at NYU, Vassar College, University of Colorado, The School for Visual Arts, Cal State Fullerton, The Jewish Theologic Seminary, and Hofstra University.
She co-leads the Sound School training program with Jessica Caplan at Maha Rose Center for Healing in Brooklyn and Mexico and provides individual and small group intensives in sound work to healing arts practitioners interested in learning clinical techniques in applying sound to their practice. She is a Reiki II practitioner as well and provides Reiki as an adjunctive offering in her clinical practice.
jessica caplan
Jessica Caplan is a Hudson Valley-based healing artist and vocalist who works with voice and sound as therapeutic modalities. Jessica is passionate about bringing people home to their hearts through the universal and transcendental power of sound. In her immersive workshops, retreats, and trainings, she cultivates nurturing spaces that support vulnerability, authentic connection, and community. A graduate of the Open Center’s Sound and Music Institute (2013) and Grammy award-nominated artist Silvia Nakkach’s Yoga of the Voice certificate (2017), Jessica has guided hundreds of students in sound trainings in Brooklyn, New York City, the Hudson Valley, and online.
She’s a regular guest sound teacher for yoga teacher trainings, and has facilitated hundreds of sound baths and voice- and sound-based workshops at yoga studios, retreat centers, festivals, organizations, and for private events. As a vocal embodiment guide, Jessica offers a whole-hearted, loving approach to the voice. In addition to her 1:1 voice mentorships, she also offers an online group voice program for women, RECLAIM, which takes participants on a journey to their authentic voice. Her work has been covered in the New York Times, the Observer, Vogue, and on CBS news. She is a Reiki practitioner, long time yogini, and student of classical Indian singing and indigenous traditions. She's also currently in training to become a Somatic Experiencing practitioner. You can find her recorded music online under her alias Jessonica.