Last week I stopped by my parents and no one was around; perfect conditions for me to sit down at the baby grand I grew up learning on and see if I remember how to play 😂
I pulled up the chords to "The Great Noel" and struggled through-- It's rough, it's out of time, it's unfiltered and it's also genuine... a sing-song for the sake of singing which a the end of the day, is probably most what the spirit of Christmas is all about.
Spontaneous joy, unbridled praise, abundant gratitude
There's lots of bible verses about the importance of praise & singing but there is one in particular that I'd like to share here today--
But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a great earthquake,
so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were loosed.
Acts 16:25-27
Whether you consider yourself a christian or affiliated with another religion or not -
I think this is an important verse to ponder (even if just through the lens of the bible as a historical text)...
because it highlights what I believe to be a universal truth about music: It frees us.
"Studies have shown that when people sing, endorphins and oxytocin are released by the brain which in turn lowers stress and anxiety levels." -Sing Up Foundation
When we sing (in tune or otherwise) it opens our heart, frees our mind, unlocks our soul. I believe that because I continuously experience first hand & fundamentally is why I continue this journey.
So here is a video of me singing as rawwww as it gets, and in the second half I'm just playing piano: something for you to sing-a-long, hum to, express yourself with so that we can feel tethered to each other and something bigger than ourselves all while gaining a deeper insight into how FREE we actually are as we embark closer into this Holy holiday.
Happy Caroling
<3 LL