Learner's Group: Sacred Harp as a Generous Practice

My theme for the Learner's Group this week was "generosity". We talked about how leading can be a generous act, and how song selection can be a generous act.

While leading often looks like conducting, nothing could be further from the truth. A leader is giving the class the tempo, and the leader is helping the class to sing together. This act can be done in the service of the mood of the class. Are there a lot of new singers who are unfamiliar with a tricky song? A generous leader might select a slower tempo to give people more time to get their mouths around the shapes and the words. Is the class looking bored or sleepy? A good leader might pick a faster tempo to bring the class back to life. It takes time to learn judgment and to cultivate the perceptions required, but a considerate leader works on those skills because that is one way to serve their fellow singers.

A generous leader will take time by themselves to become a better leader. This includes studying songs in the book and practicing outside of singing, to gain confidence and familiarity with the music. A generous leader will work to improve the arm movements of leading a tune to ensure that their leading is strong, graceful and clear.

It is even possible to lead generously when NOT in the center of the square. Leading from one's seat is a great way to be generous to the class. In particular, when a leader sees the class mirroring back their arm motions, it gives the leader a warm feeling of being in harmony with the class. Beating time while seated increases the energy of the singing and helps keep the class together. It is also a tremendous gift to the altos, who often cannot see the leader directly.

Song selection also plays into the concept of generosity. Individual tunes have special meanings and associations for singers. A generous leader might choose a particular tune to honor another singer or to show how much they mean to the leader. A generous leader might pick a familiar tune such as 159 (Wondrous Love) or 162 (Plenary) or 45t (New Britain) so that a new singer can have that "aha!" moment of recognition and connection.

Generosity also plays into the Sacred Harp traditions of hospitality and inclusiveness.

What other ways can a singer practice generosity?

Learner's Group: Introduction the the Shapes

Our Learner's Group, which meets every third Monday from 7-7:30, now features lessons from experienced singers! Thanks to Will Fitzgerald, who kicked us off with an introduction to the shapes on February 20.



This lesson was perfectly timed with a very large class of beginning singers. Will started us off by raising our voices together, saying "We call this shape note music, but it's really music. The music is primary." We sang through a scale to emphasize the way it naturally breaks into FA SOL LA, FA SOL LA, MI FA. Will shared some history of how the shapes were developed, as well as some helpful mnemonics to remember the shapes.

The class sang through 49t and 49b to practice the shapes, first on the tenor line and then in full harmony.

Before closing the lesson I reminded singers that the shapes might take a while to get used to, but that with practice they will see the shapes become a tool rather than a hindrance.

Want to learn more about the shapes?
See p. 18 in the rudiments section of the Sacred Harp.
Read the wikipedia article. It describes the history of shape notes, 4 vs. 7 shape systems, and a fascinating study about the effectiveness of shape notes as a teaching tool.

Please join us for the next Learner's Group on March 19! The lesson will be on leading with Hal Eisen.

Were the whole realm of nature mine / That were a present far too small

Where's Dan to give me a fix of post-singing reflection? Guess I'll have to write it myself. Let me just dust off this here old blog...

This is the season where we send our own singers traveling, notably to camp fasola and to conventions around the country. Plus we have an especially large "graduating" class this year, moving on to new schools/homes. Farewell Mark, Meg, Natalia, and Matt! Sniff! The upside of this is we get visitors and folks home for the summer to the bay area. This really made our small class tonight resonate with new energy.

Thanks, Ellen, for coming out from CT to sing power alto with me, and Will, for leading 447 Wondrous Cross, the song that keeps reminding me lately why I still sing alto even though my voice wants to move on to higher pastures. I get chills from that alto part.

Where and what are you singing this summer?

All-California Art

All-California '11, the convention that keeps on giving! I'm remiss in not posting this beautiful artwork until now.





Both watercolor pieces by Joanie Mitchell, a local bay area singer who I had the pleasure of bunking with and getting to know better over the weekend. (Thanks for giving permission to post these!) Make sure you click to enlarge the images and check out her website. And if you're lucky you just might see her work in person at a convention near you...

Thank you, LA!

3 years ago I couldn't make it to the All-Cal convention the last time it was held in LA, but I remember seeing photos and drooling. I'm so glad I made it a priority to attend this year, because it was utterly fantastic. It turned into a real singing retreat. I drove down in a van with some other bay area singers and stayed in the hostel on site. And when I say hostel, I mean this:




It was rented out just for singers - the mattresses were wicked uncomfortable and as squeaky as they come, which was pretty much the best recipe for insomnia I can think of, but it was otherwise completely free of your regular hostel hassles. The convention was obviously a well-oiled machine. Thank you especially to Laura Boyd Russell and everyone who did the behind of scenes work of welcoming out-of-town singers, and Rick Russell and others who did a very smooth job of arranging. It was kind of a perfect storm of an amazing class, obscenely gorgeous weather in an obscenely gorgeous place, and low-key quality time with new and old singing friends from the west coast and beyond (notably - Texas invasion!) In conclusion, if you haven't been to sing at Angel's Gate, I'm not sure what you're waiting for.

One of the last leaders called on Sunday, Stephen O'Leary, said all his choices had been used and he was feeling nostalgic, what with "the composer of a certain song" and his daughter present! What ensued was pretty much the ultimate 501 experience.



There's been a veritable spamming of this convention on youtube, so go check it out.

Nicoletta Rogers also recorded both days and has made them available for download!
Saturday and Sunday.

Church of Heaven on Probation: the Baby Boy Joe Edition.

This past Sunday, Baby Boy Joseph Roscoe and I attended the singing at the historic Church of Heaven on Probation in the now abandoned town of Preston, California, near Cloverdale in North Sonoma County. The scenery was beautiful, the church was stunning, the acoustics were ideal, and the sun was scorching. I sure hope some other folks got some good shots of the church and grounds around it, because my selection seems to be oddly Baby Boy-focused.(Edited to add: Of course someone did! Check out Chris Thorman's gallery.)

We sang:

 

Then Baby Boy Joe cooled off in the sprinkler:

Then Baby Boy Joe decided to pitch in with cleaning up:

Then we enjoyed a delicious potluck dinner on the grounds, under spreading oak trees. I took more photos of Baby Boy Joe (shocker!):

  

Baby Boy Joe had a good time, but he did do a little whining:

 

And then we sang some more:

 

Thank you for setting up and inviting us to this beautiful singing, Caroline!

Yours,

Inder (and Baby Boy Joe)

Rewilding

Singing 385b in Briones Regional Park.


Thanks to Suzanne Husky for including bay area sacred harp singers in her Rewilding project, which addresses global warming through music.

"As temperatures increase, significant percentages of the Earth's species may become trapped--like fish out of water--in habitats that have become too hot, too dry, or too something else for them."
Based on that information, I'm asking a few musicians, to sing a song that belongs to their repertoire or that they create, that tells the creatures, plants to relocate, to move or go.

Suzanne's video is screening as part of Intersection for the Art's inaugural exhibition in their new space. It runs through July 3. And it's free!

Intersection 5M
901 Mission Street (@ 5th)
San Francisco CA 94103

Wed, May 19 - Sat, Jul 3 | 12pm - 6pm | FREE
Hours: Tuesday through Saturday 12 to 6pm
First Thursdays: 12 to 8 pm

More info here and here.

The artist