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

39 Blessings

Laughing and singing this week at the Royal Brompton Hospital
Photo: Karen Taylor RB&H Arts

39 Blessings
The thing to do, it seems to me, is to prepare yourself so you can be a rainbow in somebody else's cloud. Somebody who may not look like you. May not call God the same name you call God - if they call God at all. I may not dance your dances or speak your language. But be a blessing to somebody. That's what I think. - Maya Angelou

Dear Friend
Here’s me counting my blessings on my birthday of all the amazing things that happened in the last year…with gratitude to everyone and everything I’ve encountered along the way.

If you’d like to help pay the blessings forward do throw a few pennies in my virtual bucket as I’m conducting a song at Sing for Water this year - all funds go to WaterAid lifesaving projects in Ghana - click here for more information...

1) Making it into my 39th year on the planet… 2) Thanks to YOU too for blessing the planet with your presence and reading this :) 3) Bless our beautiful planet 4) Blessing my family for their love, patience and fun - being an Auntie to my baby nephew Ollie is definitely top of the pops.

5) Blessing up all my amazing friends for their love and support
6) Singing - it uplifts me and brings me into connection with so many amazing people
7) Singing with my Dad at our Heartsong group for Cardiac Friends makes my heart happy.
8) I’ve been so touched by seeing the profound benefits of singing for respiratory and cardiac patients in the Royal Brompton & Harefield, Whittington & St George’s Hospitals
9) Co-facilitating wonderfully diverse, uplifting workshops with Catherine Pestano of CRISP - looking forward to relaunching of Croydon Community Choir in the Autumn
10) I’ve loved reminiscing, drinking tea and learning songs with Bluehouse Singing Group
11) Joyous singing with the heroes and heroines who care at Croydon Carers Support Centre
12) The wonderfully supportive Forest Hill Singers who’ve been singing with me for years.
13) Taking part in Sing for Water and making a songful splash with the ThankYou Scratch choir at the WaterAid AGM
14) Being appointed the new MD of Singing in the City recently is totally amazing and I’m really looking forward to an exciting autumn of singing with them.
15) Working slowly but surely towards releasing my next album… watch this space
16) Singing at the launch of the Road to Peace Pilgrimage
17) Guest spots at choirs - Sydenham Singers, Caterham Comm Choir, The Great Gustos
18) Being part of the nourishing Natural Voice Practitioners Network
19) All the amazing singing practitioners I am honoured to know and learn from - Helen Chadwick, Roxane Smith, Jo Foster, Angela Reith, Janna Goodwille, Phoene Cave, Kirsty Martin, Sarah Fisher.
20) Men who sing and encourage other men to sing - Chris Rowbury, The Spooky Men’s Chorale, Chaps Choir and of course my Dad.
21) Taking the inner journey with clients, honoured to work with such brave creative individuals who are transforming their lives and following their dreams
22) Extraordinary experiences of Sound Healing with therapists at Holistic Healing College and Mind Body and Soul Too
23) Composing music for inspirational Stewart Pearce’s extraordinary album of meditations.
24) Working with innovative visual artist Jayne Wilton on Breathe projects
25) The Jedi genius of photographer and musician Rob Wilson Jnr of Fluid4Sight
26) Radioplay from Peter Coulston, Croydon Radio, Avril Price
27) Hanging out on the virtual sofa with magical Simon On The Sofa
28) Writing my blogs and also articles for The Croydon Citizen and fROOTS Magazine
29) Reading novels and listening to music transforms the time I spend on London Transport
30) Attending inspirational live gigs by wonderful choirs and musicians
31) I love living in Crystal Palace - the community spirit here makes thing happen!
32) I’ve become proud to be Croydonian and loved the Ambition and Purley Festivals
33) Love having coconut truffle tea, hanging out and going to events at Matthews Yard.
34) Tea - especially when accompanied by illuminating conversations with dear friends
35) Dancing - big love to my Zumba massive and Laughing Yogi Joe Hoare for sharing my crazy love of dancing.
36) Amazing practitioners who bring joy, wisdom and love to life including Ciara Jean Roberts, Esther Austin, Barefoot Doctor
37) The poetry of Raficq Abdulla and Fathieh Saudi
38) The life and love of my dear friend Linda who passed this year
39) The great wide unknown stillness from where all the singing comes and goes.

With love and blessings