The Sound of Music

The three events I want to talk about from this week and last are all bound together by singing.

Singing

Singing is relational. It brings people together and it creates a shared point of reference for them. Singing in a choir, whether in a musical on a stage or in the stands at a football match or even a karaoke bar, causes human heart rates to sync up and those participating experience a steadying of their breathing, producing a calming effect.¹ Once the nerves of performing in public have worn off, there is a heightened sense of belonging and connection.

The first choir was established in Berlin in the 1780s. Amanda Lohrey, in her essay, The Clear Voice Suddenly Singing, describes the early reasons behind the formation of choirs:

"People who once worked at home where they had sung freely now moved to the factories in the towns where the deafening noise of the new machines drowns them out. John Wesley and the Methodist revival brought group singing into the realm of the common worker. Wesley wanted hymns which the simplest and most illiterate people could remember and sing. As in Lutheranism, the whole congregation was to sing and not, as in the Church of England at that time, sit silently while others sang to it. Singing together, Wesley knew, individual men and women become a community, a congregation.

Many factory owners encouraged the development of work-site choirs, seeing in these an encouragement to a sober and pious (and with luck, docile) workforce. According to Charles Dickens' father-in-law, George Hogarth (writing in the Daily News): 'their wages are not squandered in intemperance, and they become happier as well as better.' Thus begins a tradition that sees every Lanchashirefactory, every Welsh colliery have its own choir (and band), and community singing practices become entrenched in ways that live on in the massed singing on the terraces at English football games."

Singing is a way of being in the moment; it is a breathing activity and, as such, a form of mindfulness. It is an example of awe, where we experience being part of something greater than ourselves. We become part of a greater whole – it amplifies the self, whilst simultaneously enabling us to lose one's self. It is a way of escaping from our problems and talking about them at the same time. Even listening to sad music and songs can actually help by making you feel positive emotions.² Not only is singing an escape from where we are, but it is also an escape into a place that is exhilarating. You only need to see the faces of people when they sing, and hear the excited chatter once they have finished (who stuffed up; did you see that person; thank goodness that's over), to get a glimpse of the power of singing.

R U OK Week

Last week in Senior School, we ran R U OK Week, a week which is dedicated to reminding people of the importance of noticing – noticing how those around them are going, noticing any changes, either in others or in themselves. In Chapel, we spoke about the key steps in asking 'R U OK?', building on this year's theme: 'There's more to say after 'R U OK?'. I laid out what I think are the four challenges in looking after each other:

Noticing when things aren't right with someone and being brave enough to ask them, 'Are you okay?'
Being brave enough to ask for help when we ourselves are not okay
Having the courage to listen when what the other person has to say may be difficult to hear, to offer support and to follow up if they are not ready to talk or they say they are fine
Remembering that this is not just one week a year…

It is like NAIDOC Week, which reminds us of the ongoing need for reconciliation and healing in our country. These are attitudes and behaviours we need to do over and over again so that they become habits. All of these things come down to being kind, showing kindness to others and ourselves, taking time out of our lives to show someone you care enough to notice and to ask them how they are doing and what you can do to help

Asking for help, or asking if someone is alright, is not easy for most people. Neither is singing in front of others. That is why, each year, I ask the Year 12s to sing a song. This year, we performed Blinding Lights, with lyrics reworked to fit the theme of 'R U OK' and we had the biggest participation level yet seen. Reaching out to others – taking the risk to show that we care – is outside of the comfort zone of many. Hopefully, the more we can encourage the boys to notice and to act, the better we will become as a society at coping with things.

This week, it is Middle School's turn. There will be Chapel and assembly items, as well as the opportunity to make 'R U OK' stickers.

We Will Rock You

The Senior School production is always one of the highlights of the year and this year I think it has been even more special, given how fortunate we are to even be able to put on such a show at all. I have loved watching the cast rehearse and I have been reminded of just how much work goes into performing successfully at such a high standard. I congratulate everyone involved. Seeing and hearing the performance filled me with pride and joy.

The story revolves around the importance of individuality, of being true to who you are. But it is also a story about individuals working together – literally in chorus, in harmony. There is something very special about hearing voices in harmony. We should always encourage our young people to work out who they are and to be individual, but that individuality should always be used for the benefit of the whole. Human societies function best when individuals have the freedom to be themselves for the common good. Queen's music was very much about individuality and the willingness to express that. The warning inherent in the musical is for us to guard against conformity and group-think, and to resist the power of the musical's villainous corporationGlobalsoft. It comes down to being conscious of who has control over our lives.

Senior School House Singing

Since 2013, we have run a House Singing competition in the Senior School. This week will see the heats again being run during Chapel, with the final to be held at Friday's assembly. I often think that the time spent rehearsing as a group is where the real benefit lies, although there is an extra dimension to performing in front of a crowd – especially if they are your peers! This year has made a challenging task a little trickier, but I am looking forward to seeing every boy in Senior School perform at least once this week.

It is my hope that in the not-too-distant future we will be able to run something similar in Middle School. It is also my hope that we will be able to stage a whole school event where every student in the school comes together to sing.

1 Vickhoff, B. et al, Music structure determines heart rate variability of singers, 2013, Frontiers in Psychology

2 Kawakami, A. et al, Sad Music Induces Pleasant Emotion, 2013, Frontiers in Psychology