March 16th 2016. Rainy day memories…

“Hands out. Thumbs up. Elbows in. Knees together. Bent down. Butt out. Head to the side. Tongue out.” These weird instructions are part of a weird song-game my uncle used to play with all the cousins when we were kids. We thought it was hysterical until we were old enough to be “too cool” and we just did it anyway to be nice (but secretly still thought it was a little funny). It really is a game; you can look it up here. It starts off with the music from Singin’ in the Rain, I suppose because it’s a rainy day game. So you sing that tune, and each time get interrupted by the leader with a new instruction, complicating the singing. There are a few YouTube videos of this, but honestly, they are painful to hear because they are trying too hard to have fun. (And also because the backing tracks are horrendous. Seriously, listen at your own risk but I’m not linking them!)

What I will link is this… the actual Singin’ in the Rain scene. Because it’s a classic and I love it. Gene Kelly shot this scene over and over again, to the point of illness, in order to have the definitively perfect version. Even knowing that, I still find his happiness 100% convincing and genuine. Today would have been my uncle’s 63rd birthday, but he passed away two years ago. I hope he’s proverbially singin’ and dancin’ in the rain, but really I’m sharing this because it’s so beautifully silly, and he absolutely loved silly. ♥

Listen here: Singin’ in the Rain * by Arthur Freed and Nacio Herb Brown (1929) * used in the movie of the same name (1952)

March 15th 2016. Beautiful, bountiful, blue!

“They say the sky high above is Caribbean blue.” I’m surrounded by so much blue. Well, we all are, but in my work as a voice teacher, it is fifth chakra city around here; blue all the way, all the time. Sound, communication, truth, expression, emotion, voices coming out of hiding, we see/say/hear/feel it all. I was reminded of the phrase “as above, so below” today, and came across this video. Caribbean Blue is an enchanting soundscape by Enya and this BBC video is overflowing with blue sea and blue sky footage. Aren’t we so blessed, we the life on earth, to be placed amidst all this gorgeous blue all the time? Above and below, Mother Earth reminds us daily to be open, clear, flowing channels of universal energy. With love, light, and song… ~Melissa~

Listen here: Caribbean Blue * by Enya * from the album Shepherd Moons (1991)

March 14th 2016. Just love choir!

Yesterday’s post reminded me that I haven’t shared much choral music yet. Then again, it’s only Day 14! I love choirs. I love listening to choirs, I love singing in choirs, I love coaching students who sing in choirs…as the video said yesterday choir! choir! choir! Making music by yourself is great, with a small group is grand, but with twenty, fifty, or a hundred other singers? It’s one of the best feelings in the world. They say singing every day, especially in choir, is amazing for your health, breathing, and mindset. I have also realized it goes beyond that to vibration. Not only are you giving your vibration through your own sound and energy to The Universe and others around you, you are receiving the vibration of the music-making all around you. The energy and vibration in a room full of choir singers is so powerful!

A few weeks ago my choir gave a performance of the Duruflé and Fauré Requiems, but we’re not on YouTube! This performance below is In Paradisum (Latin for Into Paradise), the final movement from the latter. This is the exquisite Vancouver Chamber Choir, and you can read a translation of the text here. Prepare to feel lifted by angels to the heavens! With love, light, and song… ~Melissa~

March 13th 2016. Loving the Universe!

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“Thoughts meander like a restless wind inside a letter box, they tumble blindly as they make their way across the universe.” Even on days that get me down, days when I invalidate the down-ness (making it even worse), and then feel guilty about it…. At some point even on my most obnoxious days, I finally stop, look around, inhale, and remember that everything is just as it is, as it should be, and that it’s not up to me anyway. I might not like it, but I can change how I react. And I can use music to elicit a more positive reaction. So on these days, I think I’ll post different covers of one of my favourite songs, Across The Universe by The Beatles. There are many covers of this song; and no wonder, given its beautiful melody and hypnotic text. I’ve read a few translations of the Sanskrit words “Jai Guru Deva Om”, but I like Wikipedia’s (likely inaccurate one) the best: “glory to the shining remover of darkness”. And whether you think that’s God, or the sun, a candle flame, your pet, or your human loved ones, well, it’s all the same, it’s The Light. “Limitless undying love which shines around me like a million suns it calls me on and on, across the universe…” Sending patience and protection to any and all who need it today, including myself. And so it is. ♥ With love, light and song… ~Melissa~

Listen here: Across The Universe * by John Lennon * from the World Wildlife Fund charity compilation album (1968) * as performed by Toronto’s Choir! Choir! Choir! (2013)

March 12th 2016. Happy, happy phantoms!

It’s time for Silly Saturday, which I totally made up…I think! After the heaviness of the week, here’s a preciously bouncy take on the afterlife by Tori Amos. Happy Phantom is song about freewheeling, fun-loving ghosthood, until you see your former beloved. Not only do I love listening to this song, it was one of the most fun songs to learn to play as a teenager, and it sure kept my upper register on alert! Woooohooooooo!!!

Listen here: Happy Phantom * by Tori Amos * from the album Little Earthquakes (1991)

NB: this performance is from the Live at Montreux concert series in 1992.

March 11th 2016. A memory day…

“Somehow I know, we’ll meet again. Not sure quite where, and I don’t know just when. You’re in my heart, so until then… wanna smile, wanna cry…” Some days this blog will have sad music. Today is one of those days. Today is the first anniversary of the passing of someone very special, and today is also the birthday of someone else very special who has already crossed over. The pain is fresh and burning for a dear loved one of mine. I wish I could take his pain away. I have advice; don’t we all. We can give it, but we know firsthand how hard it is to take it when we’re hurting. But is there any way to dig deep and remember that feeling the sad allows you to actually enjoy the happy when it returns? To dig deep and remember the memories mean you got to experience the person/event/feeling in the first place? Easier said than done… I know. ♥ Love you, Don. ♥ Crying, emoting, feeling, even screaming… honours the memory and allows you to open and release a little bit more of your hurt. When the channel is open and the tears have flowed, there’s a moment where love can swoop in and fill the space, like waves lapping the shore. Sadness out, love in, sadness out, love in, like breathing. To the two families I send love to, the two closest families in my life outside of my immediate own, I send love, love, love, love, love. Deep healing and deep peace. An angel message that came {through me for you} today offered the following advice: dig in and enjoy all happiness and pleasure that come your way, and release any guilt about it, because fun will bring balance back into your life. Lastly, one of the sweet freedoms I can personally finally experience as I awaken and reconnect to The Universe, is knowing that we are never truly separated from those we love, and we are deeply supported from beyond this earthly life. Our loved ones are watching over us and loving us every day. And so it is. ♥ With love, light, and song… ~Melissa~

Listen here: Saying Goodbye * by Jeff Moss * from the movie The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984)

March 10th 2016. Special visitor today!

I had the pleasure of spending most of today with my almost-four-year-old niece. The splendour of her smile cannot be oversold. We sang and laughed and played and coloured, walked in the rain with my wonderful husband and our dogs, baked cookies, tickled the ivories, and of course, watched Frozen. Disney’s epic mega-smash came out before she even turned two, but she knows it better than scores I’ve studied for years. Because that’s how little kid brains work, and that’s awesome. Now, if you haven’t heard any of the music from Frozen, please allow me to visit the rock you’ve been living under when I need a vacation spot. We also listened to a Disney Princesses CD that I love, as it features decades of those classic, beautiful Disney ballads. While it’s true there are other potential conversations here […feminism! independence! self-worth! those Disney Princesses are rife with controversial life choices…], it’s also true they sing some darn gorgeous music. Last week I came across this stunning video by vocal coach Evynne Hollens; it’s her incredible take on the vocal evolution of the Princesses. Over a million people have now seen this video, and this week she posted a follow-up on how she did it. Both are fantastic. Imitation isn’t something I focus on much in my teaching, but maybe if I follow along I can really impress my niece the next time she’s here! With love, light, and song… ~Melissa~

Up first: Evolution of the Disney Princess

This week’s follow-up: How to Belt like a Disney Princess

March 9th 2016. Rise, rise, rise!

spiritmusicFurther to yesterday’s post about our (super/eclipse/new) moonlight desires,  I wanted to share an article with you from Collective Evolution that offers more insight into the significance of this triad of lunar events:

“The next six months are a great time to work towards releasing old beliefs, wounds, anxieties, and traumas that are creating limitations in our lives. Gaining a new perspective on why we behave in certain ways can be valuable at this time. Spending more time in meditation, self-reflection, finding that inner peace, clarity, and centeredness can help us tremendously in being more productive and healthy.” Click here for the full article by Carmen Di Luccio.

It’s up to you whether or not to believe this has anything to do with the Earth’s rotation and the moon’s orbit and their combined alignment with the sun in the sky! But… it seems like a good idea to consider these intentions anyway!

On Monday I woke up feeling sick and gross, but I asked for help from my natural healing community. Yesterday I woke up with a major shift, but needed to continue resting to work it all out. Today I will rise with the intention to be productive and healthy. I will send love, healing, and peace to myself, my family, my friends, my community, my nation, my planet, and The Universe. So this morning is a great time to listen to, and meditate on, the hypnotic creation of Goddess Rising by artist, composer, and sound healer Jennifer Zulli. Enjoy! With love, light, and song… ~Melissa~

Listen here: Goddess Rising * by Jennifer Zulli * from the album of the same name (2014)

NB: The Sanskrit word shanti and the Latin word pace mean peace!

March 8th 2016. Super new moon!

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Did you know that during today and tomorrow we are living under the pull of a super new moon? That means the moon is in its closest position to Earth, and would appear at its largest if we could see it (new moons have dark faces). A solar eclipse is nigh. The moon is now in my birth sign of Pisces, which is a very emotional and artistic sign. A lot of people feel this phase is a remarkable time to manifest new creation in your life, to open your heart and head to birth and rebirth, and put motion and flow into your thoughts and ideas (particularly the Pisces new moon as it is the last one of the astrological year). “You’ve got ways to take hold of my thoughts, over-riding my senses…”

What do the moon phases mean to me? Well, I’m not an astrology expert so really what they mean to me are potential for migraines and whether or not I’ll be able to see well if I go out with the dogs late at night! On the surface those may seem like trite observations, but they are actually reminders of the moon’s power to illuminate our needs, and the moon’s direct influence on the ebb and flow of water in our bodies. I’m always going on about hydration to my voice students, and here I am, walking proof of how it affects us! “You stir my soul and whet my hunger and weave that spell that pulls me under…”

My 30-year love of Gowan holds strong; he’s an incredibly passionate and talented singer-pianist-songwriter, and Canadian to boot! As you decide what to manifest and create under the spell of the dark moon, enjoy this dramatic blast from the past. With love, light, and song… ~Melissa~

Listen here: Moonlight Desires * by Lawrence Gowan * from the album Great Dirty World (1987)