Our culture is saturated with recorded music. That's not a bad thing, necessarily. . .except that we've allowed recorded music to replace singing.
On the first day of Kindergarten music, I introduce myself by singing. I ask, "Would you listen to my song?" And I sing. My voice fills the room, saturating every nook and cranny.
You should see the incredulous stares of my little students. It's not because I'm Christina Aguilera, believe me. I was a voice major, but I'm not that good. My students are simply shocked to hear an adult sing with such vigor and enjoyment.
Just a century or so ago, if folks were in the mood for music, they had no choice but to sing or play instruments. Remember the "Little House on the Prairie" series? Laura and Almanzo courted by going to "Singing School", where they learned shaped-note singing. Families gathered around the upright piano to fill their houses with hymns and harmony. Singing was second nature.
Over a hundred years later, we've turned the pleasure of singing into a competitive sport for the few, the talented, and the trained. Meanwhile, we play armchair quarterback: critiquing pitch, phrasing, and delivery. . .all while talking rather than singing along, even if the song is Amazing Grace or our National Anthem and we know every word.
God's Word tells us to sing to the LORD a new song, sing to the LORD all the earth! He doesn't say, "Sing if you're talented" or "Sing if you're confident"--but just sing!
What about it, readers? Are you comfortable singing? Did you enjoy singing as a child? If you became self-conscious about your singing, do you remember when?
Have a melodic, musical week!
6 comments:
Oh, I'm self-conscious alright and I can date it back to grade school when i auditioned for the choir and the teacher tapped my head. Being tapped on meant you were cut! I knew right then that my singing voice stunk.
Oh, Eileen, that story makes me so frustrated. I'm sorry you had that experience!
I've had SO many adults tell me similar stories over the years. I allow ANY child into my choirs. No auditions. I only do auditions for solos, and have a talk with kids beforehand about how I have SO many good singers, and just because you don't get this solo doesn't mean you can't sing, but maybe it's just not the right song for your voice, etc, etc, etc.
I'm so sorry for your experience, and not surprised that you learned from it that you couldn't sing. And what's this business with "tapping the head"? In front of your peers? I think there's steam coming out of my ears now. ;-)
Music teachers with poor teaching methods have greatly contributed to our reluctance to sing. I am NOT perfect, but I truly hope I've never given this impression to a child.
Thank you for sharing, and God bless!
Gwen, thank you for posting on this subject! It's close to my heart, too, as someone who grew up singing and still loves to sing, especially in harmony with others. My daughter has picked up my habit of going around the house singing silly songs to tunes we already know, but making up new words that usually involve our dogs. :-)
In my third novel, I'm including a group called the Columbus Maennerchor, the traditional German-language all-male choir founded in the 1840s by German immigrants. This choir still exists, and was very kind to me when I visited them in May. I'm hoping the Maennerchor survives for many years, their membership is aging and shrinking, like many community singing groups. I want to save our American singing traditions!
Whenever I look through a music book of traditional and folk songs from years ago, or read an old book or watch an old movie where there's singing, I long for the days when people used to sing together (in harmony, at that!) for the fun of it. Did you ever see the scene in the movie It Happened One Night where everyone on the bus is singing together? That looked like such simple, spontaneous fun. I sing with a choir and I did a couple of solo recitals years ago, and I'm comfortable in a performance setting, but I think I am a little self-conscious just singing for fun nowadays. I do sing when washing dishes, but I stick to a lower key and slightly lower voice. :)
Hi Elizabeth,
Good for you that you grew up singing, and still do (though quietly). :) Interestingly, I think 100 years ago your family would have joined in with the song while you cleaned the meal--or at least some of them would have. Now we turn on the stereo or iPod, or if we sing, we do so quietly. A definite cultural shift.
I'm so glad you 'chimed' in today! Have a wonderful Thursday.
Dear Rosslyn, I know you and I are kindred spirits when it comes to this topic...and others, too! I love the thought of your daughter singing through the house and making up songs about your dogs. :-) Children her age are usually pretty inhibited when it comes to singing...but we 'unlearn' it as adults.
I'll be thrilled to learn about the German all-male choir in your book; it's so sad that community choirs everywhere are dwindling.
Thanks for your comment and may God bless you richly today!
Post a Comment