A Society In Desperate Need of Harmony – Brian Eno on Singing as the Key to a Long Life
I came across an NPR Interview with Brian Eno on “Singing: The Key to a Long Life.” The article caught my attention primarily because I love music, singing, and have been involved in a choir since I was a child, either as an alto, a musician, or a choir director.
During the interview, Brian talks about the many benefits of singing. These include:
- Physical: breathing deeply and openly – your lungs get a good workout
- Psychological – provides a sense of levity and contentedness
- Civilizational – benefiting the good of society
Civilizational Benefits
Here, Brian Eno says,
“When you sing with a group of people, you learn how to subsume yourself into a group consciousness because a capella singing is all about the immersion of the self into the community. That’s one of the great feelings — to stop being me for a little while and to become us. That way lies empathy, the great social virtue.”
Later in the interview he goes on to say, “…if I were asked to redesign the British educational system, I would start by insisting that group singing become a central part of the daily routine. I believe it builds character and, more than anything else, encourages a taste for co-operation with others. This seems to be about the most important thing a school could do for you.”
This section on civilization benefits really spoke to me, especially after the horrid events last weekend by white nationalists in Charlottesville, Virginia. There is nothing civil about bias, bigotry, racism, and violence. The NPR interview got me thinking that maybe singing could be part of the solution toward reconciliation and healing throughout our nation.
For those convicted of crimes involving racism and bigotry, what if their prison sentence also included singing in a diverse, multi-racial, multi-generational, and multi-cultural choir? To serve your sentence, you have to sing in a choir and work at getting the harmonies just right. Or, what if state or city government offered tax incentives for those who sing in order to improve the quality of neighborhoods?
How can we live with the tension of our differences and still evoke a pleasing sound?
For me singing is about being part of a community. It is not about having a perfect voice. I sing with others, and we have a wide range of talent. The point of singing is about doing something outside yourself, your voice blending with the voices of others to make a sound greater than your own. And to sing a capella means to really listen to the voices around you, and that takes a lot of practice with other singers to get the harmonies in balance.
Speaking of harmony, it is defined as “the simultaneous combination of tones, especially when blended into chords that is pleasing to the ear.” (Dictionary.com) Harmony is also about living with the tension when singing different notes. The reality is that tension exists when singing harmony, and you have to work with other voices to evoke a pleasing sound. If the tension is too tight, you are sharp. If the tension is too loose, you are flat. When the tension is just right, the sound is not only pleasing to the ear, but can be transformative of soul and spirit.
How can we live with the tension of our differences and still evoke a pleasing sound?
Do you currently sing with others? If not, I encourage you to start by singing in your car or in the shower. Then, step out and join a choir or a singing group, or gather with friends to sing together. Even more, find people who are different than you, and sing with them. Learn from them, listen to them, and be part of building a community of empathy.
For those who are singers, keep singing. Our society is in desperate need of harmony.
Keep Singing
When I am searching, I sing.
When I feel my life is adrift in the unknown, I sing.
When I am overjoyed with blessing and goodness, I sing.
When I am lingering in struggle and pain, I sing.
In moments of doubt and suffering,
Sing.
In times of fear and misunderstanding,
Sing.
Sing,
For hope.
Sing,
For empathy.
Above all,
Sing for others.
Keep singing,
With others.
For today,
Just this day…
Sing.
Denise Pyles
Nedra Gallagher says
Love these ideas! And, for some reason, I am hearing in my head, “I’d like to teach the world to sing, in perfect har-mo-ny! 🙂
Denise Pyles says
Thanks Nedra! I also remember the Coca-Cola commercial from the 1970’s with this song – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ib-Qiyklq-Q