Welcome


Welcome to Renate's Baton. This blog is mostly for and about my choir, The York Region Community Choir.

But, While I'm holding the baton, I'm in charge. So, if I want to talk about other parts of my life, I will. :)

The choir itself is a community and I'm discovering that we have a lot in common with one another besides our love of music and singing.

When I go off on a tangent, there is always a crowd coming along. Join us!

Thursday, April 19, 2012

I'm sexy and I know it.

Hello Everyone!


Catchy title, isn't it? I'm talking about music, though, not about my attractiveness, my magnetism, my allure.


Ce qu’on ne peut dire et ce qu’on ne peut taire, la musique l’exprime. 
(Victor Hugo)


--Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.


So, when we want to say something, but can't, we can express it with music. Like, "I'm sexy and I know it!" (LMFAO-Loving My Friends and Others, not the Internet abbreviation, they say.)


Maybe Victor Hugo wasn't thinking of that, but music does liberate you, doesn't it? You will sing things that you wouldn't say, for sure. Don't we all love to prance around singing "I'm sexy and I know it?!" (Ok, if you don't, then just humour me with this one. I know other people besides myself who do. really.) 


I have been known to say similarly arrogant things when I'm holding the magic baton that turns me into "The Intrepid Choir Conductor." Fearless and reckless are related, right? My theme song "Ain't She Sweet" became my theme song because I always say to seniors when we're about to start singing it, "We're going to sing a song about me!"


Another recent example of singing something you wouldn't say is that Mumford and Sons song that I love, Little Lion Man. The chorus has the f-word in it. I'm no fan of cussing, but that song is awesome and I'll sing right along (when my kids aren't in the room). I do wish there was a clean version of it, but it I guess it would lose some of it's power, wouldn't it? 


There you go: it's power. Saying things you can't- shouldn't- say, things that are forbidden to say, is powerful. Even declaring your love for someone, or your pain, openly-out loud- is huge. And, we need to express our love and our pain, regret, loss, joy and celebration, and even our self-confidence.


Passionate expression is powerful. That's part of the magic of music!


Feel the passion when you sing, let it out, and share it!


Yours in harmony, 
Renate

1 comment:

  1. Oh, and I wanted to say that you should "Wiggle, wiggle" during Hail Holy Queen!

    ReplyDelete