Vijay Gupta is both a violinist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and a dedicated advocate for the power of music to change lives and reconnect us to our shared humanity. In 2011, he founded Street Symphony, a non-profit organization dedicated to engaging musicians in performance and dialogue with marginalized communities of people experiencing poverty, homelessness and incarceration.
In preparation for publishing a series of community engagement case studies, we asked our members to share their own experiences with community engagement. The responses we received represent choruses of many types and sizes, from all over North America. They show the many different ways choruses are leveraging the power of choral music to impact their communities.
Humans have a special ability to learn songs and change them over time—a skill that is useful in treating neurological problems and may help support overall brain health. Researcher Aniruddh D. Patel explains.
Conducting Hope tells the inspiring story of the East Hills Singers at Lansing Correctional Facility in Kansas. Producer and director Margie Friedman talks about the only men’s prison choir in the country to perform outside prison walls.
Prison choirs help inmates reconnect with their self-worth and build a sense of community –both inside and outside prison walls.
For singers with sore throats or other vocal ailments, these herbal remedies may do the trick - naturally.
Professional singer Justin Montigne has found that yoga improves "everything about his instrument." As a voice and yoga instructor, he shows others how to integrate the two practices. Here he demonstrates the five yoga poses that he finds most helpful for singers.
A singer discovers that while life can be hard, singing is heartening. And singing with other people, in particular. Excerpted from Imperfect Harmony: Finding Happiness Singing With Others by Stacy Horn.
Making time to incorporate movement exercises during rehearsal can be a challenge, but a number of conductors are finding that it makes a real difference in the way their groups sing.
