How many of you reading this can remember when you
first joined a chorus, fearing that someone would discover your guilty shame –
that you can’t really sing...? That you’re
here because you’re just longing to do some singing -because you love it. ? That if you sing softly enough, no one will
hear you and you can stay a little longer. ?
This
self-defeating belief is more common than you can possibly imagine and chances
are it was a seed that was sown in your childhood, took root, and became a
sturdy tree.
Yet human
beings are wired for music and for rhythm. Ongoing worldwide research continues
to prove the value of making music for good mental, emotional, and physical
health. Singing calms and exhilarates us, releases lots of feel-good chemicals
in the body, stirs memories, gets the blood moving around our body, stimulates
healthy breathing and good heart/lung health.
And nothing compares to the absolute joy of raising your voice with
others to make music.
So here’s
a thought or 3 ...
- instead of judging someone who is singing in a not-so-pleasing voice, how about offering some encouragement [or help if you are an experienced singer!];
- instead of laughing at a child [or heaven forbid an adult] who is singing out of key, how about offering a kind word and a tip for improvement;
- think about the fact that music - like art – is relative ... what pleases one ear or eye, may not please another, and just because a singer is famous or lauded by millions, doesn’t mean they are the benchmark for correctness. After all, if there was only ONE standard – imagine how much wonderful music the world would miss out on! And how boring if the only thing we had to listen to was one genre, one style, one pitch/key!
The world
of music is a generous world. It welcomes
ALL who want to participate. And like
all disciplines, the more we do it, the better at it we get!
Here's an article I found through the week which reminds us to be gentle with those young hearts. http://www.gypsythugmom.com/quit-telling-your-kids-they-cant-sing/
