Take a look at my TedX talk on the power of group singing – amongst other things:
Oh yes you can! (*if you want to – you are in charge!)
Throughout time, people have sung and made music for myriad human reasons (see the TedX talk above for examples) and this is our birthright! We don’t have to be supremely impressive, world class musicians who fit the aesthetic standards of the times, to enjoy making music just as we are, today!
Singing and making music are something anyone can do, right away, and may enjoy and benefit from doing. This is your invitation to have a go, if you’re not already – at whatever is calling you!
This could be as immediate as humming or singing heartily along to your favourite tune/song, picking up an instrument and making a sound, singing a lullabye to someone, having a low-pressure sing-along with your dear ones, singing your feelings out loud somewhere this feels do-able, dancing to some great beats or making your nearest surface into a percussion instrument and discovering what rhythms are in your brain today!
As well as being something anyone can do, enjoy and benefit from: music and song also involve skills that can be developed over time with encouragement and focused practice. If we allow ourselves time to develop and/or improve these skills, rather than expecting our own or someone else’s particular idea of ‘perfection’ immediately, it is to our benefit.
Longer term steps to welcome more music into your life could include: joining a welcoming community choir or music group, booking an instrumental or vocal lesson, following online instructionals, doing some close listening, finding friends to make music with informally, or making a regular date with yourself to enjoy some practice time.
If we can approach our voices or musicianship playfully, with curiosity, compassion and somewhat regular showing up, and treat them like dear friends who are allowed to be human – we will have the space to flourish, improve, learn, and grow. The process of practice can itself be beneficial for mental health and brain function, as well as bringing the satisfaction, excitement and empowerment of improving at a craft.
And remember throughout your practice, the reason you wish to do it. And perhaps on a grander scale, the reason that music exists! For example, this could include: to express humanity, to connect us to each other, to help us understand each other, to help us regulate ourselves and each other, to help us find energy or clarity, to help us understand ourselves, to help bring about social change, to make us feel better, to woo, to worship, to heal, to soothe, to energise, to grieve, to learn, to remember, to tell stories, to have a sense of beauty in our bizarre existence… What other reasons can you think of for music?
Keep the reasons that make sense to you in mind, when you’re doing more detailed practice: and this could help you keep perspective when you’re stuck into the detail of a tricky scale, passage, phrase, or finding a dip in motivation.
“Music is life itself.”
Louis Armstrong
We have fallen into the place where everything is music - Rumi 