Singing Our World Well

Singing Our World Well In a gentle way, you can shake the world  - Ghandi The world feels especially topsy turvy at the moment on a local, national and global level. The rise of right wing governments is accompanied by brutal misogyny, racism, environmental destruction and oppression of minority groups including the LGTBQ community. For me the question comes repeatedly, how can I serve, what can I do?during these very intense times.  For me, empowerment and peace comes from starting with what I can do in my corner of the world - small daily actions like smiling at strangers, making ethical consumer choices, protesting intelligently and of course singing where and whenever possible.... Whatever your gift, whatever your abilities, whatever your situation - just by being here, you are contributing to the wellness of the world. Singing Makes Magic In Mayhem When the world turns upside down, the best thing to do is turn right along with it - Mary Poppins The mistress of magic, Mary Poppins, teaches us to seek the possible within the impossible and to look for new perspectives available when life turns upside down. Anyone who does yoga will have felt the benefit of turning themselves upside down in a downward dog. Similarly walking backwards can press the reset button on our brains.  We have the capacity to alchemise our challenges, to find the magic in the madness. Singing sprinkles some magic and brings a fresh perspective on day to day life: as Jack Pelham, MD of Men's Chorus Sing Montana identifies It is for me one of life’s most meaningful experiences, and yet its meaning is strangely non-pragmatic. I mean, it’s not like the economy does better because of men singing, or that it solves congested traffic patterns. But its value lies in something of a different sort; there’s something so “human” in the experience. And I find that Jack is simply a better person when there’s something like that to be experienced, and to be looked forward to each week. Caveat: Actually, we know that singing does boost the economy - an Arts Council report demonstrates that arts and culture industries generated £3.4 billion in 2015. :) Singing Activism It's a folk singers job to comfort disturbed people and to disturb comfortable people - Woody Guthrie. There are multiple ways in which singing has been used to bring wellness, strength and peace to those who are suffering. Singing is now being prescribed as to alleviate the suffering of those with many health conditions including COPD, dementia, Parkinsons and mental health issues. Singing has also been used as a revolutionary tool to disturb oppressive systems and regimes - singers including Aretha Franklin, Nina Simone, Joan Baez and Peter Seeger were all at the forefront of the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s.  Some evolutionary theories suggest we started singing as a noisy display tactic to frighten away predators and enemies.  This ancient battle cry can be found ringing around football stadiums and a recent study showed that football teams who sang their national anthems with great passion were more likely to win! As I write, huge amounts of people are taking to the streets to protest the proroguing of the UK Government. There are also ongoing events and protests by Extinction Rebellion. If you are interested in joining mass chants at events in October with the leader of the Spooky Man's Chorale, please email Stephen Taberner.  There is also an Extinction Rebellion Choir Facebook Group As singing activates our inner wellness, we are motivated to contribute to the wellness of the world. It's a natural cycle of giving and receiving from the magic of song, that rides on the wave of every breath.

Coming Up... After a wonderful summer, I'm excited about the new term of Autumn singing - please visit my choir page for the full line up. If you'd like to flex your activism and wellness singing muscles  either 121 or at a choir do drop me a line. Wishing you an awesomely active, wellness boosting Autumn Photo - sunset perspectives, Recent wonderful trip to Aarhus

Giving Your Voice A Holiday

Giving Your Voice A Holiday Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time - John Lubbock I love August in London - there's a softer, slower hum to city days. For those of who sing or lead choirs, there is time to rest our voices and/or refresh our vocal inspiration with a workshop, summer school or singing holiday.  I'm personally very glad of the time to dream up new choir repertoire for Autumn, work on creative projects, learn new things, have fun with friends and family or just take a nap! So here's a few reflections on the benefits of taking Vocal R&R. Vocal Rest Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes ... including you - Anne Lamott Our voices can become tired, fatigued or overused with the giveaway symptoms of a dry, husky tone and texture. Tips for rejuvenating a tired voice are Hydration - drinking plenty of water (warm or room temperature) and avoiding too many drying drinks such as fizzy drinks, alcohol, caffeine. Steaming - a relaxing vocal treat which helps open and clear passageways in our mouth, throat and nose - head under a towel over a bowl of boiling water with your favourite essential oils. Better still, take a trip to the steam room. Yawning & sighing - both relax the throat and boost our oxygen intake. Vocal Use - temporarily avoid vocally strenuous activities such as talking in a noisy bar, chatting for hours on the phone, teaching or presenting. Retreat - quiet days or silent retreats give us time to disconnect from the cacophony of voices in the social circus and  tune back into our inner voice. Sleep - its vital to unplug and reboot with a good sleep/ snooze/ nap. Resting is Courageous If you get tired, learn to rest, not to quit - Banksy  We are constantly changing beings who need to catch up with ourselves and feel into where we are growing and going next.  Our voices are a crucial instrument of expressing who we are in any given moment.  Sometimes we need to be courageous and say no to external demands in order to give ourselves time to rest. This is not the same as giving up - it is a necessary act of giving to ourselves which then enables us to give to others. Rest is Generous Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop - Ovid  The capitalist mechanisation of humans - insisting that we continually produce and profit in order to prove ourselves - is a fatally flawed premise which results in false bounty.  Both people and planet pay a high price for for over-working, over-doing and over-consuming. The truth is that rest always brings a natural, sustainable return on investment. I find that I am always much more productive after a rest - be that time off or just a nap.  Resting enables us to tune up and tune into the melodies that arise on the breezes of inspiration.

Do join me in (hopefully) Sunny South London for an afternoon holiday at a Summer Sing on 17th August - more info here. Also look forward to seeing many choir friends at the Sing for Water London Pop Up rehearsals working towards our big mass choral sing for WaterAid at the Scoop on 15th September.  If you'd like to explore your voice either 121 or at a choir next term do drop me a line. Wishing you much R&R this August Photo - birthday R&R at Hitchin Lavender - it's good to be alive!