The Inclusive Voice

Earth at Night   The Inclusive Voice Dear Friend I’ve just had an amazing week singing for Peace with many wonderful singers of all ages and backgrounds - which once again affirmed to me what a powerful medium singing is for creating peace together as it both affirms our expression as very diverse individuals whilst bringing us together in an inclusive activity.  I’ve also very much enjoyed listening to the #WhyMusic? programmes on Radio 3 this weekend, which explored the immense power of music in settings ranging from therapy to torture. Everyone has a voice, everyone is musical It takes that one voice and everyone will sing - Barry Manilow Whatever we tell ourselves about our musical or singing abilities, we are actually all inherently musical - our bodies whirr with rhythms, pulses and processes that have sound at their core, like our heartbeat, or create sound as a byproduct, such as the gurgle of our guts as they digest.  The very building blocks of our anatomy vibrate with sound frequencies, meaning that we are all made of sound. This is contrary to what many people were told at school, where they may have been told to mime or be quiet, whilst others were selected as being ‘musical.’  I witness time and time again, people’s utter delight at being reunited with their own inherent musicality - which was, of course, there all along. Musical Biography We really got the sense that people were selecting musical styles to like that match their own personality - Professor Adrian North, Music Psychologist We all have a musical biography composed of all sorts of influences, environments and conditions - including the musical forms we were exposed to in our families, schools, workplaces, faiths or cultures.   This shapes our experience of music - from our assessment of our own musical abilities to our musical preferences.  Folks flock together with friends of a similar musical feather - there are Rock, Pop, Gospel, Church, Chamber, Classical and Community Choirs to name just a few.  In this way we use music to create a sense of identity and connection with others. Musical Biology I was born with music inside me. Music was one of my parts. Like my ribs, my kidneys, my liver, my heart. Like my blood. It was a force already within me when I arrived on the scene. It was a necessity for me - like food or water. -  Ray Charles We may prefer some forms of music, yet beyond our Musical Biography, our bodies respond to music powerfully - our heart rates increase in response to rapid music, whilst slower music may send us to sleep.  This biological response is inclusive of everyone - I have witnessed people without hearing and sight responding powerfully to the vibrations of musical instruments. Music Meets Us Where We Are You can find me where the music meets the oceans - Zac Brown Band One of the principles I learned working with children and adults with special needs was to meet them in their own worlds - which involved affirming and mirroring their expression - from the twitch of a finger to a loud vocalisation.  Speaking on Music is Medicine, Music Therapist Simon Procter and Psychologist Adam Ockleford both affirmed that music-making begins with meeting the person where they are, before opening up new possibilities in relating, communication and expression.  Music is the meeting point between our individuality (In Here) and the vast oceans of the universal - (The Big Out There) Music is a language beyond language Music is too precise to express in Words - Mendelssohn One of the magical things about music is that it involves many other brain functions other than conceptual and language skills.  Scans have shown that areas across the brain light up during music-making.  Adam Ockleford describes music as a safe space for those with autism who may feel threatened or unable to respond to language. Aaron William, speaking on Feeling Music, described how music mimics the more universal sounds and vocalisations of emotion - sad music tends to be slower, smoother and includes falling sounds - similar to moaning Music caters for all emotions Music makes me feel too small for my heart - Enora -response to Why Music? Music in all its diverse forms, is able to meet every known emotion and mood.  Aaron Williams also described an Australian study which demonstrated that those who listened to extreme metal music found that it helped them to process anger and left them feeling inspired afterwards.  Listening to sad music has also been found to have beneficial effects on emotional wellbeing.  In music-making our feelings flow enabling us to feel connected to ourselves and others in inspiring, inclusive and uplifting ways. Wishing you a magical October

World Wellbeing - One Breath, One Song At A Time

Dear Friend

September is shaping up to be a momentous month for me - I’m conducting a song for the mass choir fundraising event Sing for Water, celebrating World Peace Day with Croydon Community Choir and beginning an exciting new journey as MD of Singing in the City.  What these projects share is a commitment to using song to make a contribution, personally and collectively to the wellbeing of our world. This has long been my raison d’etre and my ongoing question - how can sound and song bring about positive change? - so here’s some thoughts from where I’m up to so far.

Artwork: Circles on the Water by Elina V. Kovach

Ringing the Changes
Ch-ch-changes - turn and face the strain - David Bowie
There’s much talk about changing the world and being the change you wish to see in the world. The world is always changing and so are we, so that’s not actually difficult. Sometimes, however, we are compelled to make a conscious stand - to be courageous, tenacious or downright determined - to turn and face the strain and call for ch-ch-changes.  This is where song can be a powerful medium of communication, as Charlotte Church demonstrated this week when she sang This Bitter Earth at the Greenpeace protest outside Shell HQ saying
This song just felt so appropriate to why I came here today. I wanted to capture the sorrow and regret that feels tied up with the melting ice, and the bitter irony of Arctic oil drilling.

Stretching from Strength
Stretching his hand up to reach the stars, too often man forgets the flowers at his feet. - Jeremy Bentham
I’ve always believed in saying yes to things that stretch me (quickly before I have time to think about it) because to stretch is to grow.  Some stretches of course can be more pleasurable than others and all will involve a certain degree of discomfort - growing pains.  These can be alleviated when we stretch from a strong foundation - just like a tree stretching its branches towards the light draws strength from its roots. What these might be are personal to each of us -  we may anchor ourselves in our passions, convictions, intentions, values or our creative or spiritual practice - but importantly, our roots are also changing and growing in the deeper parts of ourselves. This way we are strong and flexible, committed and yielding.

Communities of Change
Never believe that a few caring people can't change the world.  For, indeed, that's all who ever have. - Margaret Mead
When we are willing to stretch ourselves we can encourage others, especially when they are looking a bit scared standing on the edge of their next big change.  A singing group or choir is effectively that - a bunch of people who have decided they are willing to learn and grow together.  With that commitment there is no end to the possibilities available.  In 2002 Helen Chadwick had a dream to raise £1000 for WaterAid at the Thames Festival, now in 2015 Sing for Water events run across and beyond the UK and have raised over half a milllion pounds for lifesaving projects. This is the power of a community of change in action.

Legacies of Learning
I think the whole world is dying to hear someone say, 'I love you.' I think that if I can leave the legacy of love and passion in the world, then I think I've done my job in a world that's getting colder and colder by the day. - Lionel Richie
What starts with one person’s dream or vision can ripple out beyond them - to their friends, families, communities - and future generations.  When we take a stand and sing our song there’s no saying where it will lead us and who it will connect us to. This can seem vast - and it is - yet it unfolds in the moment, one breath, one note, one sound, one song at a time.

Wishing you a wonderful adventure of a September