Keep the Faith 🌹 🎶

 

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Dear Friend 🌹 🎶 Keep the Faith 🎶🌹 Faith includes noticing the mess, the emptiness and discomfort, and letting it be there until some light returns. - Anne Lamott If, like this owl, you sometimes feel like a lone voice - keep the faith!   It takes courage and faith to sing out and speak up - whether that's joining a choir, singing a solo, writing an important text, email or letter, having a tricky conversation or chanting at a protest.  Faith does not mean having it all stitched up or being able to know-it-all in the face of the many unknowns of life.  It means simply to put our best foot forward - to take the risk of singing our song, even when it feels like a shot in the dark.  When the world seems full of war and strife, we can keep singing ourselves back into faith, taking the next breath and the next step through the dark towards a brighter day.  🌹 🎶 Taking Care of You & Your Voice 🎶🌹 Like so many people, I recently had my turn with Covid and was deeply touched by the amazing kindness of people.  Whilst there is much cause for despair, there is just as much, if not more, love and kindness, from which we can draw hope, faith and strength.   I've created a free PDF of home remedies to support vocal recovery: Taking Care of You and Your Voice during Covid   I'm also offering a restorative Soothing Sunday Sing on 8th May in the lovely studio at Crystal Palace Osteopaths. If you're recovering from Covid (or life in general!) or looking to draw strength and solace from singing, gentle stretching and breathing in a relaxing setting with cushions and blankies! 🌹 🎶 Imagining and Voicing New Worlds 🎶🌹  Faith is not simply a patience that passively suffers until the storm is past. Rather, it is a spirit that bears things - with resignations, yes, but above all, with blazing, serene hope. - Corazon Aquino, first female President of the Philippines   I was blessed to hear activist Angela Davis talking at WOW Festival about the importance of imagining new worlds to inspire us to build something different. As Robin Williams said, Spring is Nature's way of saying 'Let's Party! - and the beauty of Spring emerging has, throughout time and tradition inspired people to welcome the hope of new life together at Spring Festivals such as Ostara, Easter, Nowruz, Holi.  After two very tough years, it has felt so hopeful to gather together in choirs at end of term Spring singing parties and concerts.  Music can unite us in giving voice to the world we would like to see and, in the words of John Lennon, to Imagine all the people, livin' life in peace. Continuing reflections on voice and imagination, I'm delighted to share my latest podcast episode.

🌹New Podcast - Finding Your Writer's Voice with Anna Sayburn Lane 🌹 Watch on YouTube or Listen on Apple Podcasts 🌹 🎶 Keeping building on it and have faith - novelist, short story writer and journalist Anna Sayburn Lane reflects on the journey of finding a voice as a writer and shares tips to help build a writing practice. 🌹 🎶 INSPIRATION IS ALL AROUND 🎶🌹 It’s not scary – you already write - Anna Sayburn Lane Anna began her writing career as a reporter for a South London newspaper, then moved into medical journalism, before she began writing short stories and penned her three crime thriller novels starring her literary sleuth Helen Oddfellow.  The first, Unlawful Things (2018), is based around the death of Christopher Marlowe, the second The Peacock Room (2020), takes inspiration from the London poet and artist William Blake, while the third, The Crimson Thread (2021), returns to Christopher Marlowe and is set in Canterbury, the city of his birth.   I've found Anna's novels to be complete page-turners, as she deftly weaves threads of literary history into fast-paced modern-day fiction. Anna is now teaching creative writing workshops and reminds would-be writers that our day to day writing - texts, shopping lists, social media posts - can be a jumping-off point for creativity.  She shares how the stories and experiences she encountered as a journalist are woven into her books, encouraging us to find inspiration in everyday life. 🌹 🎶 BUILDING A WRITING PRACTICE! 🎶🌹 Find a place that works in your day for you to write - Anna Sayburn Lane Like any other skill, Anna says, writing requires practice.  Putting regular time aside to write freely about anything that is on your mind - can help build a writing practice. Anna also recommends attending creative writing courses to find your writer's voice, develop skills and receive helpful feedback.  🌹🎶 THE GLORIOUS UPLIFT OF CHORAL SINGING 🎶🌹 Everyone’s adding something and you’re making something that’s more than the sum of your parts. -  Anna Sayburn Lane I met Anna when she joined my Welcome Choir in Crystal Palace, an experience she has woven into the depiction of a chorister in her third novel, The Crimson Thread. (Freebie Alert:  join her mailing list to receive a free copy!)  Anna describes the process of joining a choir as helping her overcome negative experiences of singing in early life, enabling her to learn about her voice and enjoy the uplifting communal act of making music together.  This testifies powerfully to the magic that happens when we take the brave step of finding our voice - whether on the page or in a choir.  🌹🎶 CONNECTING WORLDS 🌹🎶 The joys and delights of daring to publish and put it out into the world - Anna Sayburn Lane Anna shares how publishing her books has brought her into connection with the stories of others - one reader found reading Unlawful Things was a much-needed form of escapism during her mother's terminal illness.  Escaping into the world of a novel can refresh and enliven our imagination, giving us energy and inspiration to weave new stories and create new worlds.  Wishing you hope, faith and joy this April Be well, be safe, breathe deep, sing loudly      BIG THANKYOU!  For staying tuned and singing your song! Much good singing vibes! katie@therosewindow.org www.therosewindow.org

Soothing Sunday Sing *breathe *sing *stretch Restorative Singing with Katie Rose Enjoy the wellbeing benefits of singing in a relaxing environment Soothing songs & exercises to * deepen your breathing, * open and gently stretch your body. * refresh & rejuvenate your mind  * release your spirit on the wings of harmony This will be a cosy experience with cushions and blankies. Please note entry to the studio is via two short flights of stairs. Sunday 8th May 2-4pm, £20 Crystal Palace Osteopaths Studio Info & Bookings: email me!

Singing Calendar   Ready to sing and shine? - Drop me a line! 🌹 🎶Welcome Choir 🎶🌹 Thursdays 7.00-8.30pm at St John the Evangelist, SE19 2RX Thanks to everyone who joined our Spring Singing Party! All welcome to join our new term of singing from 28th April 🌹 🎶Breathe Harmony NHS Choir 🎶🌹 Honoured to be collaborating with Mike King & Breathe Arts  🌹 🎶 Carers Support Centre Choir 🎶🌹 Twice monthly Weds 10.30-11.45am, Carers Support Centre, 24 George Street, Croydon, CR01PG  🌹 🎶 Caterham Community Choir 🎶🌹 Tuesdays 7-9pm, de Stafford School, Burntwood Lane, CR3 5YX New term of singing begins 19th April 🌹 🎶 HeartSong 🎶🌹 Holwell Village Hall, Pirton Lane, SG5 3SS Bi-monthly Singing Fridays 2-4pm:  May 27th, July 22nd, Sept 30th, Nov 25th 🌹 🎶 Heart & Lung Songs 🎶🌹 Hybrid Sessions @ Tooting Works  🌹 🎶 St Christopher's Hospice Choir 🎶🌹 New term starts 27th April https://www.stchristophers.org.uk/timetable/event/st-christophers-choir/

🌹 🎶 Sounding Out A Safe Space to SOUND OUT, SOUND OFF and RESOUND with greater confidence in life.  Do you have a song you want to sing? Do you have an idea you want to sound out?  Is there an issue you need to sound off about?  Do you want to resound with great clarity in life A Sounding Out Coaching session can support you to claim the joy, power and magic of your voice & creative expression - find out more

🌹 🎶 Taking Care of You and Your Voice During Covid Similar to other colds and flu, Covid may temporarily impact the voice, so here are home remedies to support your recovery. Disclaimer - this is not a substitute for medical advice – please contact your GP or call 111 if you are concerned or experiencing severe Covid symptoms Click here to download free

Venus - in celebration of International Women's Day 2022- yeah baby we've got it!

Make Music Not War 🌹🎶

 

Share Tweet Forward Dear Friend 🌹 🎶 Make Music Not War🎶🌹 Music is the language of the spirit. It opens the secret of life bringing peace, abolishing strife - Khalil Gibran Since I last wrote the world has turned upside down, the tragic madness of war unfolds in front of our eyes and it can seem that we are powerless to stop it. However, across the world, people are raising their voices for peace in brave, courageous and creative ways. No one wins in war, only peace can win. To this end we pledge our hearts and voices, singing, chanting, calling, praying, meditating, longing for peace - not only in Ukraine but in all areas of conflict - whether thousands of miles away, down the street or within ourselves. 🌹 🎶 Make Peace Not War 🎶🌹  Declare it. Just the same way we declare war. That is how we will have peace… we just need to declare it. - John Lennon 🌹  Peace with self - challenging times require us to step-up our self-care and anchor into daily practices that support our inner peace - be that exercise, meditation, good food, time in nature, phone a friend... 🌹  Peace in action - Thich Naht Hanh, Vietnamese monk and activist who passed earlier this year said  When bombs begin to fall on people, you cannot stay in the meditation hall all the time. Meditation is about the awareness of what is going on — not only in your body and in your feelings, but all around you. We can channel our feelings of anxiety, anger, despair into action - here are 25 meaningful ways you can help Ukraine  Our daily actions, such as singing, help send good vibes out into the world!  🌹 Peace with people of all genders, orientations, abilities, cultures and creeds - Music can be a powerful tool to help us form friendships and connections with those we have been conditioned to view as 'other.'  Opening our social circles, hearts and minds, enables us to grow (and sing!) together. 🌹  Peace for the planet - Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania became independent as the result of a non-violent movement known as the Singing Revolution.  The conflict in Ukraine has stirred a global chorus for peace which has the revolutionary power, passion and purpose to provoke us all to reflect deeply on what we can each do to create a more peaceful world. As we contemplate the revolutionary power of our voices, I'm delighted to share my latest podcast with Randolph Matthews: 🌹New Podcast - The Embodied Voice with Randolph Matthews 🌹 Watch on YouTube or Listen on Apple Podcasts 🌹 🎶 The voice is the healing tool - composer, performance artist and voice facilitator Randolph Matthews shares a wealth of wisdom about how we can claim the joy, beauty and power of embodied vocal expression. 🌹 🎶 MULTI-FACETED EXPRESSION 🎶🌹 The voice holds many different facets of who we are and what we are going through personally - Randolph Matthews Randolph's multi-faceted musical career spans two decades and travels through jazz, blues and contemporary dance. He trained at Goldsmiths and in Voice Movement Therapy in Boston, US and has performed and led workshops nationally and internationally, opening for Herbie Hancock, Grace Jones, performing for the Queen and collaborating with artists including international choreographer Alesandra Seutin. Reflecting on powerful examples from his own life and work, Randolph shares how the voice can both be distorted and be a healing tool for our life experiences.  He shares the hopeful message that it is always possible to expand our voice and presence in the world. 🌹 🎶 JUST SING! 🎶🌹 There’s always a song in our hearts that we really love singing - Randolph Matthews Randolph shares many insights about how we can show up for our voices, for the love of singing and the songs we love. He encourages us to dance with obstacles, embracing them as friction from which to generate movement and to break them down into manageable steps.  By just musing and exploring our voices a little bit every day, we become more of what we aspire to be - someone who enjoys the beauty of singing and vocalising. 🌹🎶 THE ARTIST'S VOICE 🎶🌹 The artist has always been at the centre of expressing what the community is feeling. - Randolph Matthews  Talking about the urgent need for authentic vocal expression - ie saying it how it is - Randolph shares pivotal moments when artists such as Marvin Gaye, spoke their truth and in doing so inspired people across the world. 🌹🎶  FINDING GREATNESS 🎶🌹 Pain is a temporary experience, but greatness is forever - Randolph Matthews Describing the human connectivity that happens when people express raw feelings - as we have seen this week in the global protests against war - Randolph testifies to the power of voice to catalyse pain and inspire us to greatness.  The vocal revolution starts within and ripples out!   I found our conversation really powerful and inspiring and would love to hear what you took from it - do drop us a line/ comment/ review. 🌹🎶 SPECIAL SUMMER EVENT🌹🎶 Randolph and I will be inviting you to join us at a special summer event where you can explore your voice and take part in a magical performance. Watch this space!  However Mad it gets this March, I wish you the peace that sings in the eye of the storm. Be well, be safe, breathe deep, sing loudly      BIG THANKYOU!  For staying tuned and singing your song! Much good singing vibes! katie@therosewindow.org www.therosewindow.org  Singing Calendar   Ready to sing and shine? - Drop me a line! 🌹 🎶Welcome Choir 🎶🌹 Thursdays 7-8.30pm at St John the Evangelist, SE19 2RX Sunday April 3rd, 1pm - West Norwood Feast Thursday April 7th, 8pm - Spring Singing Party  🌹 🎶Breathe Harmonix NHS Choir 🎶🌹 Honoured to be collaborating with Mike King & Breathe Arts  April 8th - Concert St Catherine's Church, SE14 5SG, Telegraph Hill Festival 🌹 🎶 Carers Support Centre Choir 🎶🌹 Weds 10.30-11.45am, Carers Support Centre, 24 George Street, Croydon, CR01PG  🌹 🎶 Caterham Community Choir 🎶🌹 Tuesdays 7-9pm, de Stafford School, Burntwood Lane, CR3 5YX 🌹 🎶 HeartSong 🎶🌹 Holwell Village Hall, Pirton Lane, SG5 3SS Bi-monthly New Year Singing from Jan 28th 🌹 🎶 Heart & Lung Songs 🎶🌹 Hybrid Sessions @ Tooting Works from Jan 6th At the moment we are not able to take new members 🌹 🎶 St Christopher's Hospice Choir 🎶🌹 Newly relaunched for 2022! https://www.stchristophers.org.uk/timetable/event/st-christophers-choir/ 🌹 🎶 TurningPoint: Your Lifestyle, Your-WellBeing  Spring Edition: UNSUNG, edited by amazing Esther Austin and including my article "Singing the Praises of Unsung Heroes"  Read and Subscribe to the magazine online Watch the Virtual Gala here 🌹 🎶 Sounding Out A Safe Space to SOUND OUT, SOUND OFF and RESOUND with greater confidence in life.  Do you have a song you want to sing? Do you have an idea you want to sound out?  Is there an issue you need to sound off about?  Do you want to resound with great clarity in life A Sounding Out Coaching session can support you to claim the joy, power and magic of your voice & creative expression - find out more