The Impact of Communal Singing

Sometime just before the Fall Equinox this year, a soulful group, curious about communal singing in the oral tradition, came together at Esalen for a weeklong workshop that uplifted their spirits and heightened their sense of belonging.

But Singing on the Edge, spearheaded by Esalen faculty Lisa G. Littlebird, also managed to illuminate something deeper: That something transformational occurs when we gather together, especially through song.

This was particularly evident during a one-day singing festival that took place during the week, which was open to the community.

In addition to illuminating what’s possible for any community gathering that holds a positive intention, it included a world-class lineup of community song leaders from around the country such as Lauren Cole, MaMuse, Melanie DeMore, Aimee Ringle, Barbara McAfee, Maggie Wheeler, Kate Munger, Emile Dyer and Heather Houston.

Attendees learned and performed songs, enjoyed newfound connections and experienced, first-hand, the vibration-raising after-effects.

“We’re living in a world where we’re the most technically connected and have the capacity to connect more than we’ve ever had. Yet, there’s a worldwide disease of feeling more disconnected more than ever,” says Lisa G. Littlebird. “To be in-person with one another, and gather and connect from the heart is deeply precious. For me, one of the most tangible gifts happens when we are in connection and looking each other in the eyes while singing.”

This was the second year in a row longtime Big Sur resident and firefighter Rayner Marx attended the entire weeklong workshop as well as the community event. He appreciated the inclusiveness, instruction, and the storytelling that accompanied the singing.

“It was great last year and I knew that if they were going to conduct the event for another year, that I was going to go,” Rayner says. “I came with no expectations and appreciated the variety of workshops and the span of talent of the workshop leaders. They each had their own style of music and ways of teaching.”

He says he noticed that the “normal” social barriers were lowered in the group setting.

“You also learn about other people’s cultural and ethnic background through song,” Rayner adds. “It’s a way to approach topics that may be charged or sensitive but through song, they are softened, and I think that offers us a way to relate more to those topics and to other people.”

The grand opus occurred by way of a community interactive concert in Esalen’s Leonard Pavilion after the day’s workshops. With the crashing surf of the Pacific accompanying them, a unique convergence took place as Lisa and others led the group in communal singing. It was here that Rayner was struck with another insight.

“You’re not just meeting at the post office or the deli. You’re on a different stage, in different circumstances, and the music and singing allowed us to communicate in another manner,” Rayner says. “It allowed us to break down barriers and get to know each other in a much different way.”

LaVerne McLeod, a Big Sur resident for 41 years, has been singing with Lisa for more than a decade. She appreciates everything from the variety of songs from various genres, the tones and harmonies to the international touch and the overall feeling of excitement that fills the air.

“I’ve been with Lisa since the beginning when there was just a handful of us in Big Sur. There’s more than 100 of us now in her chorus,” LaVerne says. “The best thing is that it brings people together in a way where you’re able to bond more deeply while these uplifting songs come right at you. You’re connected to the singing but also the feelings behind it. It’s an energy. We all find that we have similar things in common.”

Those kinds of connections can be pivitol for many of us. We live our lives and tend to our families and careers. Yet we may lose sight of how valuable connecting with other members within our community actually is. When we gather, we have an opportunity to realize the common bonds we share, whether it be to the well-being of our neighborhoods or the land on which we reside.

“Coming together in community is important for Big Sur residents because Big Sur is community,” LaVerne adds. “I don’t think people can stay here for a long period of time unless they were into ‘community.’

“It’s that unspoken thing. We live far apart, often on ridges, and in canyons, and maybe we haven’t seen our neighbors for a while and then you see them at an Esalen event. That’s important. You realize that connection is still there because we share a relationship with the environment.”

And, perhaps, to something even deeper.

“There is a systemic empathy that emerges in that field of gathering and we all feel ourselves as belonging to something greater,” Lisa points out. “I think that’s a deep human longing that all of us carry. Something like Singing on the Edge offers us an immediate way to connect that requires nothing in advance, except to show up and engage.”

Join Lisa G. Littlebird at Esalen for Living in Harmony: Singing Our Way Back Together February 21-23, 2020.

‍