Rising Through Challenge

Dear Friend
Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I'll rise.
- Maya Angelou, Still I Rise

Here in London as the leaves fall and temperatures drop, there is, despite the wide autumn skies, a sense of seasonal closing-in which is both cosy and chilling.  The technicolour swirl of flaming leaves and laughing pumpkin faces brings a glow to misty mornings and lengthening nights.  This big old city continues whirring away, relentlessly defiant of the turning of seasonal tides, which is both exhausting and exhilarating in turn.  Finding the energy to rise whilst all is falling can be challenging at any time of life.  These are some of the strategies I’m calling on right now.

Inspiration
This week I was honoured to attend Magdalene Adenaike’s wonderful event From Shame to Strength - which featured truly inspirational women speakers who had overcome traumas including teen pregnancy, domestic violence and sexual abuse and had gone on to become leaders in their communities, empowering and encouraging others.  It reminded me how uplifting it is to receive inspiration and be around people who both say it how it is and aim for better than how it is.  

Nature’s Banquet
The natural glow of autumnal trees and mellow sunshine brings on a grow in my spirits - so getting outdoors for a good stamp around is like pressing reset.  I’m lucky to be able to visit my family who live surrounded by fields - an afternoon picking up fallen apples and playing with my baby nephew gets me back into the moment and is essential city respite.  

Penguin Principle
Huddling is an ancient remedy for cold, dark times. Clustering with birds of a feather brings on better inner weather. Singing together is even better - yet another study has demonstrated that singing in choirs is one of the best ways to make friends and stay happy, as having a healthy social network has been shown to be a significant factor in longevity. I’m continually affirmed and warmed by the connections I find with those I sing with.

Focus
It’s so easy to become dizzy in the distracting whirl of communication from all directions. Staying focussed is a daily job, to centre the mind in one place and to set clear intent for the days and tasks ahead.  Somedays it all may seem to go awry and even our good intentions may seem to lead us into mazes.  Bringing it all back to what really matters and what we really want allows us to realign our internal Sat Nav and move on again.

Lightening Up…. enLightening...
Lastly of course it’s important to kick up the leaves and find the lightness that plays through even our teardrops.  On the other side of the sobs is a smile, one that has risen through falling and grown wise with the bittersweet love affair that life can be.

Wishing you a beautiful banquet of a November

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