Tonight was the first night for my singing group in Owen Sound, after completing the training in Victoria. What a gas! I'm so high!
Of course there was a wide range of musical ability, so many stops and starts, and much laughter. I just loved everyone who came, and felt so grateful to them for... well, for letting me PLAY with them and try out some of what I had learned!
I call the group OSSIA. I found it one sleepless night at 3 am. It is a musical term meaning a suggested alternative, and comes from the Latin "or let it be". As an acronym, it stands for Owen Sound Singers in Accord. How could I pass that by?
We learned 6 or 7 songs, starting with "We are a'beginning" and with some coaching, they sang harmonies. We ended with the Contemplation Chant, a peaceful way to end after all the laughter. And we learned my personal favourite... Grind that coffee. Not spiritual or erudite, but who cares. It's fun!
What is it about singing? We all have memories of singing in the car on family outings, or around a campfire with a guitar, or hearing our mothers sing... I once heard an afternoon workshop of working songs at Mariposa Folk Festival, and Pete Seeger (bless him!) sang a lullaby... he said, that's a working song if there was one. My colicky baby would stop crying when I played piano with him in the snuggly, but he would squirm and whimper when I made mistakes... true story!
The magic of vibration!
Monday, October 18, 2010
Friday, October 8, 2010
Crybabies anonymous
Yesterday morning, Tom from North Carolina described our group as "Crybabies anonymous". Imagine that phrase with a southern drawl... At that point, at least half of us had had a cry... and if you counted the damp eyes and tearing up that happens when people are moved, then all of us qualified.
In the afternoon, Shivon was moved to tears by a song led by one of the CCLT members. In the discussion that followed, she raised her hand and said, My name is Shivon. I am a crybaby. Much laughter.
The course has been intense: intensely educational, intensely moving. Combine a safe space to stretch yourself, the magic of beautiful music and voices that harmonize so easily, and Denis's amazing ability to pull exactly the right choice from his reservoire of memorized poetry, and you have a recipe for emotional growth... and tears!
I taught my 3rd song this morning, a beautiful song by Hanna Tiferet Siegel called Planting Seeds. I had created harmonies that I taught the group, and was thrilled to hear it sung. Tomorrow is the last day. My only regret is that I didn't manage my recordings better... I'm going to have a lot of work organizing all this material! Oh well, there's all that time on the plane on Sunday.
In the afternoon, Shivon was moved to tears by a song led by one of the CCLT members. In the discussion that followed, she raised her hand and said, My name is Shivon. I am a crybaby. Much laughter.
The course has been intense: intensely educational, intensely moving. Combine a safe space to stretch yourself, the magic of beautiful music and voices that harmonize so easily, and Denis's amazing ability to pull exactly the right choice from his reservoire of memorized poetry, and you have a recipe for emotional growth... and tears!
I taught my 3rd song this morning, a beautiful song by Hanna Tiferet Siegel called Planting Seeds. I had created harmonies that I taught the group, and was thrilled to hear it sung. Tomorrow is the last day. My only regret is that I didn't manage my recordings better... I'm going to have a lot of work organizing all this material! Oh well, there's all that time on the plane on Sunday.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Fisherman's Wharf
The classes and evening choir practices are held in a beautiful white stucco building called The Church of Truth, in a round room under skylights. We sit in a circle around an inlaid star in the floor. Ever noticed how much synchronicity there is when you're "in the zone"? Over and over again, the sunshine beams on one person (the sunbeam moves as the sun does), either on Cheryl from Malaysia when she's feeling so sun-deprived, or Kamille when we're giving her feedback after her practice teaching and she's still beaming with joy. Or the foghorn resonates exactly at the right time to punctuate something that's been observed. Much laughter and delight in this group.
And harmony! Not everyone reads or understands musical theory, but all 16 of us love to sing and make harmony. When Denis or Shivon introduces a warmup, the group spontaneously breaks into harmony. So much joy in this.
Yesterday my cousin took me to his friend's seafood store on a float at Fisherman's Wharf where there is a small community of pastel buildings on floats: some are homes and some are commercial. He pointed out to me that there was a seal in the gap between the dock and the float, right below the window where we paid for our seafood purchases. I looked down and saw huge pleading eyes, obviously begging for a treat, just like a dog. His friend got out a herring, dangled it and swung it in circles, telling the seal to turn around. The seal instantly went round and round under the water, and then caught his reward. Wow!
And harmony! Not everyone reads or understands musical theory, but all 16 of us love to sing and make harmony. When Denis or Shivon introduces a warmup, the group spontaneously breaks into harmony. So much joy in this.
Yesterday my cousin took me to his friend's seafood store on a float at Fisherman's Wharf where there is a small community of pastel buildings on floats: some are homes and some are commercial. He pointed out to me that there was a seal in the gap between the dock and the float, right below the window where we paid for our seafood purchases. I looked down and saw huge pleading eyes, obviously begging for a treat, just like a dog. His friend got out a herring, dangled it and swung it in circles, telling the seal to turn around. The seal instantly went round and round under the water, and then caught his reward. Wow!
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
CCLT : Day 3
Today Shivon said that the act of singing creates oxytocin which is the "love and trust" hormone, and that's why the act of singing together makes people so happy.
Last night we attended the first Gettin' Higher Choir evening rehearsal. There were at least 100 folks there, three quarters women, half altos. People arrived smiling and expectant. Many have sung with the choir since it began 14 years ago. Denis began with a lovely grounding and warmups. Most songs were taught by ear, a few from the sheet music. Beginners stood with experienced singers and the sound was lovely. Denis and Shivon alternated leading, her dancing pixie energy an interesting contrast to Denis' grounded energy.
Tonight we will attend the 2nd of 3 evening practices, all of about 100 people, all with basically the same repertoire so people can attend any or all of the three.
Now to rest...
Last night we attended the first Gettin' Higher Choir evening rehearsal. There were at least 100 folks there, three quarters women, half altos. People arrived smiling and expectant. Many have sung with the choir since it began 14 years ago. Denis began with a lovely grounding and warmups. Most songs were taught by ear, a few from the sheet music. Beginners stood with experienced singers and the sound was lovely. Denis and Shivon alternated leading, her dancing pixie energy an interesting contrast to Denis' grounded energy.
Tonight we will attend the 2nd of 3 evening practices, all of about 100 people, all with basically the same repertoire so people can attend any or all of the three.
Now to rest...
Monday, September 27, 2010
CCLT : Day One and Two
I am in beautiful Victoria, BC, awake at 4 am after an exciting first day of the Community Choir Leadersip Training with The Gettin' Higher Choir. The leaders, Denis Donnelly and Shivon Robinsong, made us welcome and packed a lot of learning and song even into the first afternoon. Then a delicious baked salmon dinner for about 30 people, including the 13 people enrolled in the course and their hosts. Many people flew from the States, one from Kuala Lampur, and they all have such interesting stories and diverse backgrounds. I'm staying with wonderful friends (there may be a lot of superlatives for awhile... bear with me) in a their gorgeous house. And of course, Victoria is "bloomin' lovely" as always.
Tomorrow, we'll be teaching each other songs and I volunteered to be one of the first... I'll teach the Pat Humphries song, Peace Sala'am, Shalom. No wonder I'm excited. I love the song, but must admit, I wanted to get past the nervousness so that I could fully enjoy the others!
I'm reading a Deepak Chopra book called The Spontaneous Fulfillment of Desire. It's a great reminder about the power of intention. "...intent comes from the universal soul, becomes localized in an individual soul, and is finally expressed through an individual, local mind." It's helping me to stay focussed on the real reasons that I'm doing this course. I started this process in 2003 while reading a book that helps you determine what you really want in life. It was clear that I wanted to sing. So I formed an intention and it's manifesting. Not quickly, not magically: I had to spend a winter in Vancouver getting a certificate in choral conducting and taking singing lessons with an opera singer to learn how exercise and develop my own voice so I'd know what to expect in a choir. And now this course... which will help me understand how to facilitate, and encourage people to sing with joy and gusto.
I keep wondering why singing makes us feel sooo good, and why creating harmony together is such a high. It's definitely about sharing and working together, and I also think it's about vibration, perhaps even breathing in concert. Let's face it we're originally pack animals, and howling together must have felt wonderful during our evolution into the polite, civilized creatures we've become. !
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Tomorrow, we'll be teaching each other songs and I volunteered to be one of the first... I'll teach the Pat Humphries song, Peace Sala'am, Shalom. No wonder I'm excited. I love the song, but must admit, I wanted to get past the nervousness so that I could fully enjoy the others!
I'm reading a Deepak Chopra book called The Spontaneous Fulfillment of Desire. It's a great reminder about the power of intention. "...intent comes from the universal soul, becomes localized in an individual soul, and is finally expressed through an individual, local mind." It's helping me to stay focussed on the real reasons that I'm doing this course. I started this process in 2003 while reading a book that helps you determine what you really want in life. It was clear that I wanted to sing. So I formed an intention and it's manifesting. Not quickly, not magically: I had to spend a winter in Vancouver getting a certificate in choral conducting and taking singing lessons with an opera singer to learn how exercise and develop my own voice so I'd know what to expect in a choir. And now this course... which will help me understand how to facilitate, and encourage people to sing with joy and gusto.
I keep wondering why singing makes us feel sooo good, and why creating harmony together is such a high. It's definitely about sharing and working together, and I also think it's about vibration, perhaps even breathing in concert. Let's face it we're originally pack animals, and howling together must have felt wonderful during our evolution into the polite, civilized creatures we've become. !
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