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Sing, Risk, Be Heard and Blossom!
By admin | May 22, 2008
Last October I got excited by Annie Lennox‘ then-new release “Songs of Mass Destruction,” which included “Sing!” Annie and 23 other famous women singers recorded the song to raise money for Treatment Action Campaign, an organization working to educate women about AIDs/HIV in South Africa. But it was the opening lyrics and exciting vocals of “Sing!” that moved me:
“Sing my sister, sing! Let your voice be heard!”
I posted enthusiastically about Annie’s song and its purpose on a Nonviolent Communication web group. “NVC” intends to be the verbal equivalent of yoga’s “ahimsa.” But group members in that particular web group posted that the song just seemed to be a gimmick to get attention for the musical artist and they didn’t want such postings in the group. At times, I also question the ego’s role, and commercialism, but to me, supporting musical or other creative artistry itself is a worthy cause. Add to that the energy freely given by people devoting themselves in service to others, and the healing effects multiply.
I released a CD a few years back but soon became frustrated by the fact that playing songs in coffee shops at 11 p.m. for free didn’t pay the bills. I got grouchy and stopped performing. I also decided to try putting the good energy of music to work in other ways. I wanted to somehow incorporate the values of music into the workplace.
When a colleague had a birthday at my former job, I brought in a song by Joanne Shenandoah to share with him as a birthday gift. He had some prints of Native American art on his walls, so I gave him the song “Kahawi’tha” on a CD. (I only learned of Joanne Shenandoah when another friend had given me the same song, and I bought Joanne’s CD “Matriach” shortly thereafter.) The song is about 2 minutes long or so, but my colleague didn’t have the time to listen to it right then. Weeks later, he still had not listened to the song, so I asked him in my most official voice to come to my office for a meeting.
Since I am a paralegal and he is an attorney, I felt a little scared about this, especially since I wasn’t asking to talk about work! He came to my office a few minutes later, and my heart was pounding hard in my chest. I put the song on while he sat there and listened, obviously enjoying it. He then said, “I don’t know how I am going to go back out there to work now!”
Several months earlier, I had brought in Israel Kamakawiwa’ole’s CD “Facing Future” and was listening to it while working in my office. The office air conditioning was broken that day, and it was hot on the entire floor. A summer intern came in to speak with me and he said, “Wow! You’ve got that Hawai’ian music on and it feels tropical without the air conditioning. It’s like another world in here!”
My goal is to unite music and the work-a-day world. I can do this in my own life by beginning to perform again. I am taking singing lessons and a performing workshop with Sue Fink, who founded Angel City Chorale. But can this change the fact that the beauty of music is not present in every moment of my life, such as while I am at work in the office?
Bringing the awareness of the importance of creativity into the workplace is such a popular theme in the law office that I actually lost my last job over it! There was a rule-by-fear attitude there in that office, and this is not unusual in offices. But such a rule is inimical to creativity.
Recently, I was talking with other legal professionals about helping clients approach their lives with best care. A veteran legal secretary said: “A law office should be organized and efficient!” I said, “But what about creativity? It can help us be compassionate toward people.” “What,” she said, “with these idiots?!”
I think this may be the reason for the phenomenal success of the show American Idol. As a performer, and one who has withdrawn from performing, I have not appreciated the show for its level of critical evaluation toward the performers. Also, I don’t like the staged meanness of a certain judge, and the celebrity granted to that behavior. I haven’t understood why anyone would put themselves out there for that. But I’m beginning to get it now. What other choices are there?
In the words of Anais Nin: “And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.”
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