We have all been there. Limiting our options, thinking we can’t do something we want to do because we aren’t able to do it, aren’t good enough to do it, or not worthy enough to even try …. and the list goes on. We get stuck in limiting belief patterns. Recently, I have had the opportunity to explore my own limiting beliefs and to open up to possibilities. I’ve learned to say, “Yes, and…!”
I sing with One Voice Mixed Chorus. I am also an accredited T’ai Chi Chih (TCC) teacher. I’m not currently teaching, but I try to stay connected to the community. This summer the annual TCC teachers conference was in Minneapolis, but it was during the dates of One Voice’s concerts and tech rehearsals. I was meeting with my friend, Laurie, who was one of the conference planners and lamenting the fact that I would be missing the conference and thus not seeing all my TCC friends. Laurie said, “You know you could just come for the day on Friday.” (As life would have it, Laurie and I were meeting because she had come to see my piece “Walking Together” about immigration, migration, and ethnicity. She was hoping to program one of my songs for the TCC conference! She was very moved by “Walking Together” and is currently working on getting it programmed locally this year. More on that soon!)
I did decide to go to the conference on Friday. And then I added Saturday — then Sunday. Then, decided to stay at the hotel, and finally, two days before the conference, I added Thursday afternoon! And it worked — I did both! I wasn’t at the full conference, but I was there enough to connect with friends, to get to morning practice, and to listen to some talks. I reconnected to this beautiful community of people. And being at the conference helped my focus at the concerts. The one thing I was sad to miss, due to a tech rehearsal, was CoVoce singing my piece, “The Path You Walk Upon.” Yes, and…! Laurie brought a choir to the TCC conference to sing on Friday night and they did end up singing a piece of mine, which was her reason for coming to hear “Walking Together” in the first place.
Every time I let myself think “Yes, and…” it broadens my mindset and makes it easier to think outside the box the next time. Each time it sets me up for thinking bigger. Which does not mean that I don’t go back to being trapped in limiting thoughts and smaller thinking, but each time I think “Yes, and…” spins off a few more “Yes, ands….”
One of the spin-offs this time is big and it involves you! We are going to have a World-Wide, Year-Long Premiere of my new piece, “Praise Gaia.” It’s one of those pieces that just begged to be written, and written now. I want choirs all over the globe to Send Love to Gaia! I think we would all agree she needs it.
Here is where you come in! Here is the link to the score on my website. Are you a choir director, please consider programming this piece between Sept 2019 – Sept 2020. Everyone, spread the word to anyone you know who you think might have a connection to a choir. They can order the score from me or their favorite sheet music store. All the choirs who sing it this year will have their name on the inside cover of the score! Let’s fill the page with names of choirs and fill the air with love to Gaia.
I plan to have versions for SSAA and TTBB out very soon!
Singing about Gaia is good. To me, singing is like sending a prayer or meditating on a thought. It carries our thoughts out into the world. It also can raise awareness in the singers, audiences and congregations that hear it. With regards to Gaia, Mother Earth, it might help us think more about how we can be better stewards of our planet. I know we are all doing a lot already, but I’m always thinking about how I can do better.
Photo by Jonas Vincent on Unsplash