Reach for the Voice Beside You
Cath Parsons
Last night I sat in the back row of an Australian Military Wives Choir and sang.
The singer to my right was new. She was concentrating on reading the music and keeping up with a new part. As I reached for her sound and tuned my voice to hers, it was like the world faded away and our voices crossed over in the space between us. I reached further.
A little confronted by the intrusion into her sound space, it took a few phrases before we both relaxed and trusted each other. Our confidence increased until lifting and reaching we found that sweet harmony spot.
Imagine the line of singers tuning to the voices on either side of them. There is a point where this musical bridge connects the sound wave reaching from the heart, escaping through the voice, and transforming the space between you. This empathy between singers is what listening hearts feel.
The human body responds to this connection in a unique way. Recorded music is beautiful - it inspires and uplifts - but there is something transformational in a live voice reaching for the heart of another, reverberating between beings while reaching out to those listening in a matchless exchange.
At AMWChoir rehearsals, this is what we mean when we say, ‘First, we sing for our hearts’.
To find out more about singing with an AMWChoir near you click here.
Musical underscore, Build a Circle by Cath Parsons, Arranged by Sylvia Wang.