Dream Song

Dear Friend Dream Song Enter May - month of merrymaking, maypoles and magic - with swathes of billowing blossom and gorgeous greenery. The abundance of natural beauty and lengthening days brings an expansive sense of possibility, encouraging us to dream big and bold. Following that imperative, I'm launching out with a new DreamChoir workshop and encourage you to dream your songs and sing your dreams this May.... Singing Dreams, Dreaming Songs We are the music makers And we are the dreamers of dreams Wandering by lone sea-breakers, And sitting by desolate streams; - World-losers and world-forsakers, On whom the pale moon gleams: Yet we are the movers and shakers Of the world for ever, it seems. - Ode - Arthur O'Shaughnessy A song begins with a dream - with a whisper of a feeling, a longing in the heart, a burst of colour in the mind - and from there it begins to manifest through rising and falling waves of pitch, twisting lyrical pathways and rhythmic pulsations. Dreaming brings a song into being - which is why we need to cultivate a creative state of alert relaxation to sing freely. As we focus on our present moment awareness of breath, melody, lyric and rhythm, concerns and worries are dispelled and soothed. This is one of the reasons singing enhances mental wellbeing and can alleviate symptoms of anxiety or depression, as we discussed this week at a special singing session for #DepressionAwarenessWeek with Friends in Need. Activating Dreams The inexpressible depth of music, so easy to understand and yet so inexplicable, is due to the fact that it reproduces all the emotions of our innermost being, but entirely without reality and remote from its pain...Music expresses only the quintessence of life and of its events, never these themselves. - Oliver Sack, Musicophilia A song will persist as an earworm until we pay attention to it - whether its the lyrics of a song that are relevant to our current situation or a strain of melody that resonates with a feeling or mood we are experiencing. Songs speak directly to our subconscious, to the part of us that dreams - hence they can catalyse powerful releases of emotion - love, loss and longing. Songs conjure up visions - from the colours connected with musical tone by those with synaesthesia to triggers of memory for those with dementia which I witness in Bedside Singing Sessions at Mayday Hospital. Songs activate and reconnect every level of awareness, whilst remaining abstract, dreamlike and essential. Photos: With Gill Manly at South London Jazz & Blues Club; on Croydon Radio photos by Fluid4Sight

Realising Dreams Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.  - Earl Nightingale  In my work I often hear people talk of their longing to sing and many sad tales of how these dreams were squashed by the cruel or clumsy comments of early teachers and caregivers. I hear their admiration and envy of those who appear to sing effortlessly and freely. In this state of grief, singing can appear to be a far-off state, a dream place that is unobtainable and available only to a chosen few. Realising that singing is actually an inherently natural state - every cell in our body has a vibration - and that it can can be accessed with practice and patience brings dreams into reality. The song we seek is not just seeking us - it's within us already, waiting for us to pay attention, tune out distractions and tune in to our inner soundscapes. Dreaming Destiny The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams - Eleanor Roosevelt Dreams can appear to be fragile, delicate, otherworldly - yet they have the power to transform our perspective on life and in doing so influence our actions and behaviours. Allowing ourselves to receive and enjoy the beauty of singing enables dreams to come true - we breathe more deeply, stand a little taller, think more clearly and express ourselves more fully when we do. As we dream and sing, sing and dream, our world and the world around us becomes more beautiful. Wishing you a Magical May www.therosewindow.org Twitter: @katierosewindow Facebook: www.facebook.com/therosewindow

The Creative Adventure of Song

Dear Friend   The Creative Adventure of Song Adventurous April is upon us, which here in London brings a welcome sense of expansion as days grow longer and lighter. Throwing off the shackles of limitation and embarking on new singing adventures can freshen us up in any season... here's a few thoughts on how. The Wisdom of The Fool's Laughter I know not all that may be coming, but be it what it will, I'll go to it laughing - Herman Melville, Moby Dick/ The Whale On our recent April Fools Day Inside Story Radio show we celebrated the magic of laughter with Croydon Comedy Festival, Laughing Yogi Joe Hoare, Shaniqua Benjamin and Shaking Hands. Amongst many insights, we discussed how laughter is gender, colour and culture blind - a song known to all which can ease the way through the unknowns of life. We also celebrated the fool/ full heartedness need to launch out with new adventures. In Tarot the Fool begins the journey of the Major Arcana with just a knapsack on his back and his faithful dog at his side. In literature, pearls of wisdom are often found amidst the comedy of fools. Learning any creative skill, including singing, requires the willingness to fall and fool around, to get messy and make mistakes and laugh lovingly with ourselves and others. Taking a Creative Perspective An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered - G.K.Chesterton Adventure is an attitude that can be cultivated - when we are willing to suspend our sense of the status quo, we expand our possibilities. Adopting an adventurous perspective and joyful inquisitiveness about life brings us a buoyancy of spirit that sees setbacks and reversals as opportunities to learn, grow, laugh and create. Singing stretches our sense of who we are and how we can express ourselves in the world. It can help us face and move beyond our anxieties, limitations and old stories, bringing a fresh outlook on life. Photos: Inside Story Radio Show Launch Party - taken by Fluid4Sight - Croydon Community Choir Spring Celebration at Matthews Yard

Adventure requires Daring-Do No, no! The adventures first, explanations take such a dreadful time - Lewis Carroll There are many wonderful theories of singing technique- yet nothing really helps us sing more than actually doing it regularly. Showing up for the adventure requires taking positive actions - turning up to choir or practicing at home. Too many questions and explanations can distract us from the task at hand - which is simply to be present to the next breath, the next note and give it all we've got in this particular moment. The Rewards of Risk-Taking Go out on a limb. That's where the fruit is - Jimmy Carter The benefits of the singing adventure have been documented by artists and scientists alike throughout the ages (see my article on Singing Therapy for The Croydon Citizen) From mood raising vibrations to vitality restoring rhythms, singing nourishes us from the inside out. The ripples of our own adventures reach out to others in our circles and beyond. As James Clear points out a world with more creative, adventurous people is a happier world - Make more art. Your health and happiness will improve and we'll all be better off for it. Wishing you an Adventurous April NEW WEBSITE LAUNCH Hooray!!! The new website is now up and running and has been built with love and dedication by Fluid4Sight Do Come Over for a Look & Listen and leave a message in the Guestbook www.therosewindow.org