Sing

Brief update:

The first meeting of the Bellevue-Eastside Threshold Singers has happened. I am working on the website. We are now actively recruiting more members. We have eight so far. We have found a place to meet, and it is five minutes from my house – hurray!

I may need to mark this long, long standing goal as “done” soon. Woah!

The Threshold Singers sent me a notice that they are accepting new singers into their group right now.

They rehearse in Shoreline, which is about 20 miles away, in the evenings. It would probably take me 90 minutes to get there by car. The leader, though, seems to think that I could set up an Eastside branch. Maybe I could.

What it would take:

Six women. There’s me, so I need to find five more. Ann might do it with me, so now I need four more. I asked on Facebook. Silence. I might need to approach some people individually.

This brings up general insecurity. Fears: people don’t like me, so they won’t want to join the group. People who I have sung with in the past don’t like my voice, so they won’t want to join the group. It will be me begging some other people to do it. They won’t want to join in, and my fears will be confirmed as truths.

Location. This is easy. I can fit six women in my living room. I own a piano and a guitar – well, several guitars – so if we need either instrument, I’ve got them. More than six women, we might need a real location.

Someone to lead the musical end. Well, I can sort of do this. I’ve never done it, but I could do it. I can at least read music. Or someone who is much more musical than I could do it.

Training. Someone, maybe me or the person who is more musical, would have to go to the training. Or, if I rustled up six women, the trainer might come to us.

Then, there’s more fears around this. To wit:
A. I have been told that I sing too loud. All the time. This kind of singing requires singing softly. Maybe I am not capable of this. Or maybe I need the practice. Or maybe it’s not my style. I am not sure which of these, if any, are true.

B. You sing for people who are dying. That is appealing to me. But at the same time, I have never been around people who are dying, except generally at the nursing home where I used to work. And I have never seen a dead body. I would have to confront some general dread and fear around death and dying.

B1. So, because I’m a pathetic psychic live-wire, I have far too much experience with discarnate individuals. I have a lot of fear that I will overload my sensitivities here, and be rendered a psychic basket case. Or have I come far enough along since I set this goal that I could take this on?

B2. Is it arrogant for me to think that because of all that experience, I would be able to help people at the threshold more than your average Jo?

B3. Or is it both B1 and B2 above, and I would be both – overwhelmed, and be extraordinarily helpful?

C. I have been working to reduce other stress, strains, and time sinks in my life. Is this going to be too much?

D. Am I kidding myself with my musical abilities? Do I sing in tune well enough? Do I blend well with others well enough? Can I sing a part on my own well enough? It’s been so long since I sang with any group. I am feeling really insecure around all of that.

_{fear fear fear}

What do I do next?

Singing in the Great Turning

Let’s come together to sing and explore our deepest responses to being alive at this time on the planet

“The Great Turning is a name for the essential adventure of our time: the shift from the industrial growth society to a life-sustaining civilization.”
~ Eco-Philospher Joanna Macy

Singing together is a vital tool in this shift. For an evening and a day, we will engage in interactive group practices developed by eco-philosopher Joanna Macy – known as The Work That Reconnects – to help us uncover and experience our innate connections with each other and with the entire web of life, so that we may be enlivened and motivated to play our part in creating a life-enhancing society. Complementing these practices, we will join our voices in easy-to-learn songs that get us singing together in harmony instantly, and that encapsulate the teachings of Joanna Macy and others on the Great Turning. You will come away with songs to share in your home communities, as well as a deeper understanding of the dimensions of the Great Turning and your unique place in it.

Friday, Oct. 26: 7 – 9 p.m. Gather to get to know each other, clarify intentions, join in song

Saturday, Oct. 27: 9:00 a.m – 4:00 p.m. Move through the spiral of the Work That Reconnects, engaging in practices to touch into: Gratitude, Honoring our pain for the world, Seeing with new eyes and Going forth in service to the world. This will include time outdoors, movement and a meal break (bring a brown-bag lunch), woven throughout with singing together.

Facilitator: Gretchen Sleicher has worked with Joanna Macy, attending several multi-day workshops with her over the past 7 years and a facilitators’ intensive. She delights in weaving group singing and harmony-making into her workshop facilitation, to enhance meaning and build community through song. See the website: www.songsforthegreatturning.net Gretchen is also co-director of
PT Songlines choir in Port Townsend.

Suggested donation: $50-$90. No one turned away for lack of funds.

Rosewind Common House Umatilla at Haines, Port Townsend
October 26 – 27, 2012

To reserve your place, please contact Gretchen at gsleicher@igc.org or call 360-379-9123.

at Folklife, today, they’re having an entire day of sing-along.

I knew about Mooselips, and was planning to be there at 3:00. But now I found out that Val Rogers is kicking it off at 11:00 with songs from South Africa. I did a all-day vocal workshop with her, and loved it. So, I’m not moseying over to Folklife to be there at 3:00. I’m skipping out on yard work and half-dozen other things, to be there all day. I might even stay all the way through the Pete Seeger sing-along in the evening.

I might not bike there, then. Probably drive to a park and ride and take the bus.

Sang the entire torah service, from Ki Miztion to the final blessing, including aliyot – even though I did no torah reading, of course.

Ki Mitzion

A chant has been circulating in my head.

Adon Olam, Adon Olam
Return, return, return, return
ay eh ay eh ay eh ay eh
ay oh ay oh ay oh ay oh

Can I transcribe on to sheet music? It’s pretty simple. I can hear all three parts in my head. I can sort of sing them, too. Ack, if only I had more talent (and more software)!

Sang every day

♪ ♫ ♩ ♬ Washed in the Dead Sea ♪ ♫ ♩ ♬
♪ ♫ ♩ ♬ Washed in the waters of Ein Gedi ♪ ♫ ♩ ♬
♪ ♫ ♩ ♬ Washed in the tears of Jerusalem ♪ ♫ ♩ ♬
♪ ♫ ♩ ♬ Amen, amen, amen ♪ ♫ ♩ ♬

Five or so hours of Rosh Hashanah services, and me singing, means that my head is stuffed with music. I couldn’t sleep erev RH or the night after. Melody after melody just running through my brain.

We had a sort of reunion. And a practice. We sang 3 and 4 parts, the harmonies coming back as we sang. None of the instrumental musicians were there except Stephen, so it was either a capella or with his guitar.

Has it really been 5 years since we cut that last CD, the one that we ended up splitting over?

And then, we have two gigs coming up? Just as an experiment?

I can not afford to hope, because then I might cry. I can only afford to enjoy what is available right now, what will be available in the next few weeks. It might be another 5 years before we get together again.

Long before there ever was a Brokeback Mountain:

He was only a Lavender Cowboy

The hairs on his chest they were two

He wanted to follow the heroes

And do like the he-men do

...

He battled for Red Nellie’s honor

He cleaned up a hold-up nest

He died with his six guns a-blazin’

But only two hairs on his chest

In my naive youth, I thought “lavender” just meant that he was young and inexperienced. Now I know better. Even “Nellie” is a code word in this song.

Another version