I am in need of music that would flow
Over my fretful, feeling fingertips,
Over my bitter-tainted, trembling lips,
With melody, deep, clear, and liquid-slow.
Oh, for the healing swaying, old and low,
Of some song sung to rest the tired dead,
A song to fall like water on my head,
And over quivering limbs, dream flushed to glow!
There is a magic made by melody:
A spell of rest, and quiet breath, and cool
Heart, that sinks through fading colors deep
To the subaqueous stillness of the sea,
And floats forever in a moon-green pool,
Held in the arms of rhythm and of sleep.
By Elizabeth Bishop, American (1911-1979)
from: http://www.poemhunter.com/elizabeth-bishop/biography/
Thanks Deb for sharing this with me! C~
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Monday, April 4, 2011
notes of grace moment
Grace Notes has sung at the same nursing home three times over the last five weeks while my volunteer coordinator contact at the hospice was in transition. The sweetest thing about this has been observing some of the subtle and sometimes not so subtle changes in those we see.
Four weeks ago, we sang for a gentleman who was hunched over in a wheelchair, hardly lifting his head. Two weeks ago we sang for him and he met our gaze with an energetic tongue. Though it was a bit disturbing, we sang a few songs to him with our usual unswerving kindness and love.
Tonight, we found him in bed. He seemed relaxed and glad to see us, willingly turned off the TV with his remote and quietly encouraged us to learn Danny Boy and When Irish Eyes are Smiling. My fellow singer and I sang only part of a song to this gentleman, because his roommate was on the phone reporting that his roommate had minstrels! I think the roommate was envious that he didn't have musical visitors. Our gentleman gently gave us the non-verbal cutoff sign and apologized for his roommate's behavior. He seemed to enjoy our visit, even though it was short. I have enjoyed seeing him more engaged each visit.
That's tonight's top Grace Note. Stay tuned for more stories...
Four weeks ago, we sang for a gentleman who was hunched over in a wheelchair, hardly lifting his head. Two weeks ago we sang for him and he met our gaze with an energetic tongue. Though it was a bit disturbing, we sang a few songs to him with our usual unswerving kindness and love.
Tonight, we found him in bed. He seemed relaxed and glad to see us, willingly turned off the TV with his remote and quietly encouraged us to learn Danny Boy and When Irish Eyes are Smiling. My fellow singer and I sang only part of a song to this gentleman, because his roommate was on the phone reporting that his roommate had minstrels! I think the roommate was envious that he didn't have musical visitors. Our gentleman gently gave us the non-verbal cutoff sign and apologized for his roommate's behavior. He seemed to enjoy our visit, even though it was short. I have enjoyed seeing him more engaged each visit.
That's tonight's top Grace Note. Stay tuned for more stories...
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
You're invited to FEAST!
Do you like art in its various forms? (or just particularly supportive of hospice choirs)?
Do you really like food? (or just need to eat from time to time)?
Then you'll like FEAST! Pencil it on your calendar: 6-9 p.m. on Sat, Mar 5, 2011 at the Eagles' Club in South Minneapolis, (25th and 25th)
FEAST stands for ...
Funding
Emerging
Artists with
Sustainable
Tactics
and is a public dinner where attendees like you get to eat with a few artists while learning about their community art project du jour. Before the night is over you get to vote for your favorite community art project from a field of ten. The winner of the most votes takes home the admission proceeds (a pay what-you-can, suggested donation $10-20, though no one is turned away for lack o' funds structure) to apply to their project and returns to the next FEAST to give a report on how their funds were used. Cool, huh?
Grace Notes, the Points of Lights Music project hospice choir in partnership with AseraCare Hospice, is one of the 11 community art projects slated for the March FEAST. Come on out and support this hospice choir -- we need all the help we can to do well at this democractic event so feel free to extend the invite to co-workers, family and friends interested in the arts and/or sustainable programs.
Do you really like food? (or just need to eat from time to time)?
Then you'll like FEAST! Pencil it on your calendar: 6-9 p.m. on Sat, Mar 5, 2011 at the Eagles' Club in South Minneapolis, (25th and 25th)
FEAST stands for ...
Funding
Emerging
Artists with
Sustainable
Tactics
and is a public dinner where attendees like you get to eat with a few artists while learning about their community art project du jour. Before the night is over you get to vote for your favorite community art project from a field of ten. The winner of the most votes takes home the admission proceeds (a pay what-you-can, suggested donation $10-20, though no one is turned away for lack o' funds structure) to apply to their project and returns to the next FEAST to give a report on how their funds were used. Cool, huh?
Grace Notes, the Points of Lights Music project hospice choir in partnership with AseraCare Hospice, is one of the 11 community art projects slated for the March FEAST. Come on out and support this hospice choir -- we need all the help we can to do well at this democractic event so feel free to extend the invite to co-workers, family and friends interested in the arts and/or sustainable programs.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Points of Light Music awarded MRAC grant
[Apologies to all for the belatedness of this announcement...]
In December 2010, the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, http://www.mrac.org/, awarded Points of Light Music a $5,000 Community Arts grant to run a hospice choir project between January and May 2011. Points of Light Music is one of 63 organizations to recieve awards that demonstrate strong artistic quality and a response to community's needs.
This activity is funded, in part, by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund as appropriated by the Minnesota State Legislature with money from the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008.
More updates will be forthcoming about the project's progress. To read about the call for singers, see http://pointsoflightmusic.blogspot.com/2010/12/invitation-to-join-hospice-choir.html.
In December 2010, the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, http://www.mrac.org/, awarded Points of Light Music a $5,000 Community Arts grant to run a hospice choir project between January and May 2011. Points of Light Music is one of 63 organizations to recieve awards that demonstrate strong artistic quality and a response to community's needs.
This activity is funded, in part, by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund as appropriated by the Minnesota State Legislature with money from the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008.
More updates will be forthcoming about the project's progress. To read about the call for singers, see http://pointsoflightmusic.blogspot.com/2010/12/invitation-to-join-hospice-choir.html.
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