by Beth Styles | Jul 1, 2023 | Around the Globe
By BETH STYLES | Producer, Composer, Artist
As the world takes another ‘tour’ around the sun, choirs and a multitude of musical artists are still waiting for theirs… since health warnings still loom for public gatherings, and especially singing. There was a glimmer of hope before Omicron, and as the director of a community choir, I know how much the group was looking forward to reuniting for some jubilant outdoor holiday singing after canceling last year. Fondly known as the “Street Angels” annual event, the choir traditionally takes a spin around town on a yellow school bus, singing for seniors, serenading at the Stamford Town Center, and jingling at the Palace Theater as children gleefully emerge from the Nutcracker. This has always been a special outing, where the choir is not under pressure like at a concert venue, doing what they love, and having the unique opportunity to share joy and surprise passersby – a gift that never gets old.
And then, once more, heartbreak set in, as we needed to cancel yet again. Of course, this melancholy postponement can never be compared to the despair of Covid’s real life losses, or to urgent issues such as addressing the emotional toll of isolation on children and/or seniors. And while isolation for any and all of us impacts society as a whole, this is more of a reflective “note” on how when this beloved musical treasure seemed indefinitely missing, the human spirit rose up with clever solutions to conquer this saboteur, or musical “Grinch” if you will.
I’m speaking about the new world of “virtual choir videos”. When the ban of public singing sank in, taking a million breaths away… like many other producers, I donned my parachute and took a leap of faith into this new world – even launching a new division of my production company called “Virtual Sanctuaries”, to help support music directors and choirs across the country. By now most folks have likely seen this phenomenon on social media – and for sure, it really helped soften the blow, providing some refuge for the time being. Choirs met on Zoom to practice, albeit muted, but at least connecting, and working together on music to record. Ok, alone… in a quiet room… but then VOILA! Modern technology brings it all together… and before you knew it, in an unexpected harmonious twist, virtual choir videos slowly became a new powerful, inspirational tool used by choirs worldwide. Kind of like a new era of “MTV”… choir version.
Perhaps well said by the now world famous “virtual choir” genius Eric Whitaker, “the virtual choir would never replace live music or a real choir, but the same sort of focus and intent and esprit de corps is evident in both, and at the end of the day it seems to me a genuine artistic expression.”
If you’ve ever had the experience of singing in a choir, you’re not a stranger to its power. And/or if you happen to be an admirer of this art form, you’ve likely been moved in the presence of its majesty – be it Gospel, American Classical or Pop, Theater ensembles, or Mormon Tabernacle-ish, just to name a few. So what is this power magnifique? What is this Je ne sais quoi ingredient that brings on the goose bumps? The words I’ve most often heard to describe this experience by both choir and audience, be it secular or religious repertoire, is deeply “spiritual”. And I’ve come to understand that people use this word to describe that which is indescribable. And, perhaps, if we had to name it, we might describe it as universal love.
Music, can spontaneously transform an unbearable moment of despair into an unexpected joy. And, in particular, expressed by a chorus – young and older, can shine a light on the glorious connection that is innate in human beings. Here’s to the wonder of it all – and the hope that we get to experience that spiritual, indescribable, magic up close and personal in this new year!
by Beth Styles | Jul 1, 2023 | Around the Globe
By BETH STYLES | Producer, Composer, Artist
Over the holidays you might have caught the new satirical science fiction film called “Don’t Look Up”, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence as two American astronomers who find themselves having to go on a giant media tour, trying hopelessly to warn humanity about an approaching comet that will destroy civilization… all the while our government (Meryl Streep plays the POTUS!), is wayyyy out to lunch.
The film has a fun, tongue and cheek tempo to it, attempting to use this metaphorical meteor plowing towards earth (i.e. climate change?) while we’ve been slowly spiraling hypnotically into the depths of a redundant, mundane, social media pseudo cyber world, and governments seem not to hear or care, despite the pleading of doctors and scientists around the globe for us to “just look up” as the actual, factual, visual, physical proof is RIGHT IN FRONT OF OUR EYES. Sigh… Hence the insane movie title – reflecting the shouting chants among the conspiracy theorists “don’t look up”. Which is funny, not funny… as here in “real life” we may have the luxury of a few more minutes and another bucket of popcorn before impending doom ensues… or do we?
Since Covid emerged, I’m sure I’m not alone in feeling as though a giant comet hit the world; my world – impacting life and the day to day rhythm of just about everything I didn’t realize I took for granted. That said, there have been a few, pleasantly surprising, meaningful, pearls of wisdom.
As a producer, composer of spiritual music and director of a community interfaith choir, most of my work got put on hold indefinitely, basically blasting a big intergalactic hole in my annual calendar of ‘feel good’ events. Throughout the year, I would normally be collaborating with diverse houses of worship, clergy and local government leaders to gather people of many backgrounds together. I miss hearing the choir sing songs about love and world peace, watching the interaction between them and the community – and the sharing of a uniting, inspirational experience. Boo. But then.. it happened. One evening, sitting outside on a rock.. I ‘looked up’.
Gazing at the stars, taking in nature and the universe… I sat quietly, becoming deeply present to the majesty all around me. I also thought about how I loved astronomy, reminiscing about the courses I took in college, but have since not paid attention to it, not really – and I began to fall newly in love with science. Wow… so much has happened since I was 12.. ;)!! Suddenly, I found myself listening to podcasts and immersed in YouTube videos of some of the great thinkers of our times. I even began to challenge some of the foundational ideas I’ve based most of my life on – and consider, that perhaps I have been so focused on my ‘good deed doing’ and choral sheet music, that I too, had slowly become oblivious to the world around me; that it was time for me to expand my view – and yes, I probably would’ve missed a giant meteor coming towards me. And maybe this was an unexpected gift that I so needed.
Through the years, I’ve engaged in myriad conversations on spirituality with individuals from many walks of life. That said, since my events are known as ‘interfaith’ gatherings, and since the choir members and concert attendees are usually connected to various faiths whether they are observant or not, most describe their experience of spirituality as a meaningful connection to something greater than themselves and typically use language such as their ‘connection to God’ or a ‘Divine energy’, or a ‘higher power’. The spectrum is wide… so I thought, but I now realize (here comes the comet…), that I have been ironically ‘tone-deaf’ to a segment of people who are equally devoted to world peace, moral integrity, love and compassion – yet express spirituality sans a ‘supernatural’, or ‘cosmic’ power as the source. I’m speaking of the estimated 14% of human beings who identify as secular humanists, atheists, free thinkers to name a few; (thank you Sam Harris* for your exquisite writing, teaching and inspiration for this blog/reflection) – people who I have overlooked and inadvertently excluded for years, all the while intending to be the most inclusive, multi faith, multi-cultural, LGBTQ, safe space for all people to come together “in the name of love and unity” … dang it! So, full speed ahead, the wording of “interfaith”, is ready for it’s overdue face-lift. Thank you unexpected, humbling, metaphorical meteor for helping us draw this new, hopeful, authentically inclusive, spiritual line in the sand. As we set sail into 2022, here’s to looking forward, and looking up.
*Sam Harris – philosopher, neuroscientist, podcast host, author, and a leading intellectual voice of our time.
Beth Styles is an award winning composer/producer/artist, whose work has been celebrated in diverse houses of worship across the country and performed by some of the great artists and cantors of our time.
by Beth Styles | Jul 1, 2023 | Around the Globe
By BETH STYLES | Producer, Composer, Artist
If you’re a fan for life of “The Wizard of Oz” like me, you’re probably familiar with the ‘big reveal’ (spoiler alert…), that moment – when Dorothy’s little dog Toto discovers an inconspicuous booth (how did we not see it earlier?) in the corner, exposing the “man behind the curtain” aka, the “Wizard” (‘Great & Terrible’ Oz) aka an ordinary man (ok, he was a circus magician…) from Nebraska, whose air balloon sailed off course into a land that had never witnessed such a spectacle. Alas, he found himself being worshiped as a great sorcerer, and then painfully doing his best to sustain the myth. Maybe it felt euphoric to be so admired at first, but keeping up the charade had to feel increasingly lonely and bleak… it’s no wonder he morphed into a frightening version of himself… Anyway… THEN… miraculously, Toto steps in as protagonist at this major turning point, barking to the rescue, saving our beloved foursome, the land of Oz, the Wizard, and all of us, if we’re up for it…
Perhaps this ‘historical’ metaphor begs the question, what’s behind the “curtain” for each of us? What possible myths or burdens are we carrying? Maybe the physical masks we grew accustomed to wearing over the past few years helped us sneak and ‘hide out’ more easily… but chances are, we were already skillful in our very own styles of ‘sorcery’ ;). While the lists of possible errs we may torture ourselves with replenish ongoingly, some of what we may be withholding are our biggest, brightest, and highest dreams. If we could only get beyond that ‘curtain’… (where’s Toto?!).
For those who are experiencing a space of healthy mind and spirit, ready to invent new possibilities and adventure in life, here’s what could be a fun perspective on loosening up that “curtain”. Many top life coaches, philosophers, and transformational self-help education courses note, that recognizing the ‘background’ chatter in our minds; our thoughts and feelings – both positive and negative, is one of the first steps in clearing the way for manifesting our highest dreams. And so, as we rise and do our best to shine each new day, tackling our ‘to do’ lists and fulfilling our commitments at work, home, and to ourselves… what’s in the background?
The first step is to recognize the phenomenon itself, that the brain has an ongoing background ‘conversation’, basically on automatic, reacting to whatever stimuli pops up, every waking hour. Sometimes described as the “little voice” in our heads (if you’re saying to yourself “what voice?” you just found it…), it ironically has a mind of its own. In a nutshell, we may not be thinking our own thoughts. But don’t panic… there’s excellent news!! That background chatter is not the actual representative of who we really are. Toto will help us reveal who that is in a moment…
The pickle we find ourselves in as human beings, is that without recognizing the background chatter AND keeping an eye on what it’s saying, our little voice can sometimes go rogue and play a bit of a saboteur. It may have ‘good intentions’ to protect us, and of course we must listen and trust our gut about real danger – but being the rascal that it is – it can often wind up judging life, others, ourselves – misinterpreting the meaning of past experiences, and developing “theories” about the world, that don’t serve our best interests. Without noticing, our background theories can potentially become the lens through which we view all of life. Imagine putting on a pair of glasses with emerald green lenses. After a while, if we forget we have them on, theoretically, we might begin to believe that everything we see is emerald green. If our saboteur has its way, this emerald view of life might have us feeling like we’re stuck in a glop of… SLIME? However, when we give ourselves the lead voice, our view can be a clear path to the Emerald City itself, while sipping a shiny Shamrock Shake!
Becoming aware of what’s in the background – intervening, and showing our chatter who’s boss, can make way for the most freeing, new and bold experiences of our lives. We will continue proving our theories right, but they can be the theories we design. Anything becomes possible. Segue back to Oz… At last – we become our inner Toto, pulling back the curtain… Huzzah!
