Singing
Wake Up Call
Swan Songs Forever
A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.
Scientific
Want To Get Along? Dance Together.
There's an evolutionary reason humans have been marching and dancing together for eons, and it doesn't entirely have to do with wanting to have sex with each other. According to a new study in Psychological Science, people who carry out synchronous activities — dancing, marching, singing, even clapping to a beat — are more likely to cooperate with each other. Moving together, it seems, affects our feelings of belonging, our willingness to sacrifice for the group, and to contribute to the success of the team. Can't stand your co-workers? Take them with you to aerobics class. Fighting with your beau? Forget couples therapy. Choreograph a dance routine, and feel the magic.
Challenge Progress
Oh, I forgot to add a couple of notes regarding my challenge progress. So if you recall, last weekend I "sang" at the bar after our kickball game. While it was karaoke, I of course know the words to Punk Rock Girl by heart, so I am counting that as satisfying my Singing challenge.
More...Workout
Monday Night Late Service
Biking along last night through West Village, post warm rain, I'm singing Joe Jackson, "Is she really going out with him? Is she really gonna take him home tonight?" I had picked it up leaving a restaurant, and, weavng through traffic, I notice that my voice sounds OK. It's weak and some notes are off, but there's an expressiveness, like in the shower before you notice. And then I do notice, and the phony notes creep in. Singing is like a quantum experiment, I think, if you watch it, the outcome is different, and I remember Tamar Samir Monday night at Jivamukti.
Wisdom
Sing, Dance, Camp
21st Century Internet morning: Get home from cold walk to coffee, tune in NPR Hourly Summary on Web. Get sidetracked by a This I Believe segment recorded by Brian Eno, electronic music legend. Eno believes in singing:
More...A few years ago a friend and I realized that we both loved singing but didn't do much of it. So we started a weekly a capella group with just four members. After a year we started inviting other people to join. We didn't insist on musical experience — in fact some of our members had never sung before. Now the group has ballooned to around 15 or 20 people.