The Food of Love - February News from Katie Rose

The Food of Love A Fundraising Feast of Poetry and Song Sunday 28th February, 7.00-8.00pm Hosted by Katie Rose with special guests including Jazz Diva Gill Manly Raising voices and funds to feed our community & support frontline workers By Donation to the Honesty Box - Proceeds: 50% to St George's Hospital Charity & 50% to Matthews Yard Hampers for Children - Matthews Yard also offer a full menu of lovingly prepared food via their Hatch, Deliveroo & Uber.

Dear <<First Name>> Sending you all a big loving virtual lockdown hug, hope you're keeping safe and sound In this love-packed February Edition of The Rose Window Newsletter enjoy: 🌹  INVITATION - The Food of Love, Fundraising Feast  🌹  BLOG/ ZOOMCAST - The Voice of Activism with Tom Morley 🌹 MUSIC - Wandering - acapella ditty in honour of lockdown walks    🌹 CHOIRS - Zooming through Lockdown 3.0 🌹  COACHING - claim the joy, magic and power of your voice  🌹  POETRY - Hope dawned today.. Inauguration poem Thank you for listening, reading and staying tuned!

🌹 🎶 The Voice of Activism 🎶🌹 On this month's Vocal Revolution Zoomcast (video below - also now available on Apple Podcasts - yay!) Tom Morley and I talked about activating the inner rockstar and making a generous contribution to the world.  Drummer and founding member of Scritti Politti, Tom has earned the title of Rockstar Activator for helping people get out of their boxes through music at events, workshops, keynotes, retreats and conferences.  Here's my reflections from our conversation - we'd love to hear yours!  1. Self Liberation It’s all about permission - Tom Morley Activism is motivated by our deepest held values, convictions, beliefs and purpose.  It starts as an inside job - as Caroline Caldwell says, 'in a society that profits from your self doubt, liking yourself is a rebellious act.'  The first task is to love and liberate ourselves and our voices.  In our Zoomcast, Tom speaks about how we liberate our 'wild twin' from the shackles of social conditioning and judgement, so that we can really come to the party of life.  As we give ourselves permission, we give others permission, becoming a force for change. 2. Making a Generous Contribution Generosity of spirit has a kind of rolling energy to it, so you create more generosity in yourself and you allow others to be generous around you... Tom Morley Change happens in a wave like motion, just like the movement of sound through air.  Being activated by what touches, inspires or pains us, sends ripples out into the world which reaches and connects with others in resonance.  Giving generously from a sense of our interconnectedness - as expressed by the principle of Ubuntu - I am because you are - builds momentum for change. 3. Lead from where you are now Seize the day, don’t wait till you’ve done that extra workshop or read that extra book or talked to your coach, who’s the leader in this house? – you’re the leader! - Tom Morley Activism rarely comes out of having the perfect conditions, resources or qualifications - it occurs as response to a big question, challenge, issue where things are very far from perfect.   It requires take a leap of faith and belief that change is possible - even if not in our lifetime, but for future generations. This weekend choir members have been taking part in the RSPB Big Garden Bird Watch (29th Jan-19th Feb) to help provide vital information for conservationists.  Also this weekend, friends from the Women's Equality Party held an online rally and flooded Twitter with the hashtag #HomeSchooled to highlight the impact of the pandemic on parents and Early Years workers.  Also this weekend heroic activist Marcus Rashford, spoke out against the racist abuse he receives, prompting calls to address hate speech on social media.  Right now, we all have to be our own heroes and leaders to get through each day and support each other - whether it's fundraising for our heroic frontline workers, contributing to our local foodbank, homeschooling our children and checking on our neighbours.   We don't have to be perfect, we just need to give ourselves permission to speak up and stand up for what we believe in.  So let's all follow those calls of our heart to share bold, brave, beautiful actions in the world. One of my actions for February is to invite you to a Food of Love, Fundraising Feast of Poetry and Song - see above Do let me know if you'd like to come to this or any other singing thing - I'd love to see and sing with you virtually. Wishing you powerful, loving activism this February Be well, be safe, breathe deep, sing loudly  Lots of love, virtual hugs and good singing vibes info@therosewindow.org www.therosewindow.org Come and share the singing love on Social Media

Vocal Revolution Zoomcast Transforming the world through voice The Voice of Activism with Tom Morley Tom Morley shares his expertise on how to activate your inner rockstar and contribute to the world in the spirit of generosity.  Subscribe to my YouTube Channel Subscribe and listen on Apple Podcasts

Wandering - double hatted acapella ditty in honour of lockdown walks

Choirs Zooming Through Lockdown Thanks to everyone who zoomed through January lockdown with me. We are cheering each other on with songs, smiles and hats. At Lung Songs we left we left a thank you message for NHS Workers on the Royal Brompton & Harefield Hospitals Charity Care & Share Noticeboard, as some of us have received care and sung at RB&H. You can leave your message of support here: For more information about: Caterham Community Choir, Croydon Carers Choir, Lung Songs, ManSong, Welcome Choir, please visit: https://www.therosewindow.org/choirs

Coaching with Katie Rose Claim the Power, Joy & Magic of Your Voice Would you like to sing and speak confidently? Singing or Speaking in Public is our No 1 fear, studies show, above death! Yet being able to communicate clearly and confidently is an essential skill, especially for presentations and performances . It's absolutely possible to liberate yourself from fear and speak and sing with ease and confidence.    Learning about our voices is a lifelong adventure with many wonderful benefits for our wellbeing.  Find out more

Hope dawned today - Chinks of light breaking through Ravaged chambers of broken hearts. Hope carried on the flaming voices And soaring redemption songs Of stars and seers, young and old. Hope that the choking stranglehold Of brutal oppression will be met By the bending arc of justice. Hope that our fractured world, Frayed by disease, fear and greed, Might stitch together a new unity. Hope that we might, in treasuring Our breath and the breath of our beloveds, Learn to let our planet breathe. Katie Rose Inauguration Day 20/1/21

New Year's Inspirations

 

Dear <<First Name>> Happy New Year! Hope you had a safe and peaceful, if strange, Christmas. In this bumper-packed January Edition of The Rose Window Newsletter enjoy: * New BLOG - How stay tuned to our New Years Inspirations * Poem of the month - And Still We Sing * Vocal Revolution Zoomcast - The Voice of Celebration with Gill Manly * Singers Salon - one space left! * Choirs - New Year update * A Year In Song - Big thanks to all who came to sing in 2020! New Year's Inspirations So here we are in January, the month of two headed Janus, the Roman God of Doorways, looking back over the last year and forwards to what we want to create in the next. As we make our resolutions for 2021, here's some insights on the art of getting down to things, gleaned from my experiments in the time-warped pyjama zone of lockdown.   Celebration Celebration gives us a foundation to build from - a place of strength anchored in gratitude for all the learning and growth, including the bumps along the way.  When we celebrate how far we've come, we generate momentum for what we want to do next. Undoubtedly there's been massive amounts of challenge, loss and still much uncertainty about what lies ahead, but if nothing else, let's celebrate that we're still here. That in itself is huge. And, if you haven't already, write down at least 10 things from 2020 you can celebrate and feel proud of.  It will put wind underneath your wings for 2021.  Inspiration In times where breath has become even more precious, inspiration is essential for staying on track. It's a magical thing, we breathe in and life happens. We don't have to resolve to do it - it's organically happening every moment.  Inspiration kickstarts creativity, breathing life and love into our dreams. So I can take my list of resolutions, breathe life into them and make them happen right now from a place of magic, creation and adventure.  Resolving to lose weight becomes being inspired to learn about nutrition and take an online dance class.  Resolving to do yoga becomes being inspired to spend time stretching and breathing in the morning because I love how it makes me feel. This is much more exciting than repeatedly telling myself I must do something and that I'm wrong if I haven't done it.  Eventually my inner rebel gets tired of that old punishing way of doing things and mutinies, but it will get fired up and run with inspiration.  Motivation Motivation gets things moving. And the secret to motivation, as any good detective will tell us, is understanding WHY Colonel Mustard took the Candlestick to Miss Scarlett in the Ballroom.  So we have to regularly remind ourselves of WHY we want to do a thing, especially when the going gets tough.  During lockdown, I sorely missed being on my feet conducting and needed to keep my mind, body and spirit moving. Inspired by friends, I started the Couch to 5k and since June I've been running 3 times a week. Some days I don't want to, but I know it's keeping me sane and well, so I run.  Even today, when it was almost snowing and I thought my fingers were going to fall off, I ran.  My Why literally kicks me out the door - Auntie Katie wants to be able to run fast and play chase with her 7 year old nephew when she can see him again, so she runs - which brings me onto... Connection Connecting and sharing our resolutions, dreams and goals with others exponentially increases success rates. 'Accountability Buddy' is a buzz term which I find a bit off-putting, because it conjures up the image of someone with a clipboard counting what I have/haven't done.  I am however deeply motivated by authentic connection with those who inspire, encourage and cheer me on.  It does not even have to be a real person - my 'coach' for the Couch to 5k was the recorded voice of Olympic runner Michael Johnson telling me how far I'd come and urging me to keep going. By the end I had internalised a new way of talking to myself about running. Previously I said 'no way am I a runner, I will never run,' now I inwardly cheer myself on.  (Hypnotherapist Marisa Peer calls this Installing the Inner Cheerleader)  Having set myself the ridiculous task of running home up the steepest hill in London with a 20% incline!?, I congratulated myself each time I ran a bit further to the next car, post box, or lamppost.  I was inspired and motivated by the thought of celebrating with friends, and am now running up the hill! Developing this encouraging, connected dialogue with self and others has helped me stay the course with creative projects and lockdown challenges.  Despite the constrictions many of us are still facing, do gift yourself the magic of breathing life, love and inspiration into your dreams and goals, knowing that they have a purpose to fulfil which will bring you into connection with others and be cause for celebration. If you'd like support staying tuned to your voice and creative projects in 2021, please do get in touch for a free 20 minute consultation. Wishing you a joyful, peaceful, songful start to 2021 Be well, be safe, breathe deep, sing loudly  Lots of love, virtual hugs and good singing vibes info@therosewindow.org www.therosewindow.org Come and share the singing love on Social Media Vocal Revolution Zoomcast Transforming the world through voice The Voice of Celebration with Gill Manly How do we celebrate when our important occasions and rituals - birthdays, weddings, funerals are disrupted by lockdown? Renowned Jazz Singer and Celebrant Gill Manly shares her top tips and pearls of wisdom on staying courageously creative and celebrating in new ways. Watch out for an exciting new episode on January 22nd and do let me know if you have any comments, feedback or a question... Subscribe to my YouTube Channel Being the Song - A Six Week Online Course.   Work on a song of your choice in a safe, supportive group of six singers.  Tips, techniques and personalised coaching to help you discover, refine and enjoy  the magic of your true voice. ** Just one space left!** Weds 6.30-8pm on Jan 6th, 13th, 20th & 27th, Feb 3rd & 10th  £120 - Book Here   Be sure to attend these Six Singing Salons! Move from singing in the shower to a supportive group, while learning new skills and building confidence along the way. - Bella, London Singing Our Way Into the New Year It is looking like a virtual start to 2021, with London in Tier 4, but we've got lots of fabulous songs and good company to lift our spirits, liberate our voices and warm our hearts as we look towards Spring and the coming of the light. For more information about: Caterham Community Choir, Croydon Carers Choir, Lung Songs, ManSong, Welcome Choir, please visit: https://www.therosewindow.org/choirs A Year in Song This is my way of celebrating the year, to share a singing card, as a thank you to everyone who has shared the beauty of their voices with me.  It really is a miracle that we found ways to carry on singing through 2020 And the good vibes ripple out... Through my Honesty Box, over Lockdown 1.0 together we raised £442.50 and over Christmas £76.75 for St George's Hospital Charity. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SINGING SUPPORT HERE'S TO A BRIGHTER YEAR AHEAD!