The joy of musical resistance: Singing strengthens bonds, invigorates community

It was silent in the yoga studio that early Sunday morning, as about a dozen of us sat in meditation. After a certain amount of time, that silence cracked open when one of the women broke into song. While I don’t remember her name or what she was singing, I do remember the impact of her voice raised in song in that setting. It honoured the group and invited the collective to move from silence to active connection.

It was quite something — in the moment and, as my memory attests, it remains so in my mind and my heart all these decades later.

I can't really hold a tune, myself, but I love music and song, and I have been reminded of the power of both by watching what has been happening in Minneapolis. People are resisting in many ways, including by singing, which lifts my heart and moves me to tears.

A community organizer in Minneapolis was being interviewed by CNN’s Anderson Cooper about Singing Resistance, a group that organizes groups to sing together on the street and in public places. She broke into song to sing a brief excerpt of one of the pieces they sing. Oh, to have both the sweet voice and the glorious confidence to do that in a national television interview.

Locally here in Winnipeg, one university recently hosted a sister Singing Resistance event, in solidarity with Minneapolis. They acknowledged: “When the world feels unsteady, people gather to sing as an act of hope and solidarity … traditions of faithful voices choosing community over violence and hope over despair — part vigil, part community chorus ... the community coming together to raise voices in the face of injustice, fear, and the uneasy times we are living through. Singing Resistance is an open invitation to remember that even when things feel out of control, our voices still matter. And so does being together.” In a radio interview, one of the organizers said, “Signing together is a collective action; raising our collective voice is a physical thing, an embodied experience. It helps us process things.”

In the US, Bruce Springsteen wrote, recorded and released “Streets of Minneapolis” over just three days from start to end, then performed the song at the second Friday General Strike in that city last week. The video has already been viewed more than five million times.

Canada has our own songs of resistance, about which I know too little. You can listen to some here.

And then there is my perennial favourite with Patti Smith singing “People Have the Power” with Canada’s Choir! Choir! Choir! and a packed room of joyful-in-resistance singers. 

I still can’t sing on key or in tune, but I understand why raising my voice in song is both a viable way to resist and an important one.

NOTE: Winnipeg and Minneapolis are sister cities. Our Premier Wab Kinew and our mayor Scott Gillingham have both reached out to offer support to their counterparts across the border.

#iceoutnow 

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Land acknowledgement: I respectfully recognize that I live on the original lands of Anishinaabe, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota and Dene peoples, and on the homeland of the Métis Nation.

Photo by Олег Мороз on Unsplash