"THE HISTORY OF A PEOPLE IS FOUND IN ITS SONGS" [George Jellinek]


There is no better feeling than singing with others.  We cannot deny the place irreplaceable position that hymns hold in our musical heritage. "Songs of Praise" still occupies its slot on TV every Sunday and after 40 years shows no sign of disappearing from our screens.

 Every landmark in our lives is marked by a hymn which was usually sung standing side by side with our dearest companions and family members. No wonder then, that hymns are so embedded in our hearts and minds. Even if we are not religious the tunes move us and the words inspire us and most of all, they bring back cherishes memories.

I like to think of each hymn as being like a chocolate. it is coated with a familiar and comforting shell. Bite into it and you find a rich, deep centre full of shared memories, happy or sad and packed with recollections of our most glorious and tragic moments as individuals, groups or nations.

 I grew surrounded by hymns and my family sang them at every occasion. Most magic of all was standing in a little Wesleyan Chapel on the North Norfolk coast , holding my Grandmother's hand and singing "For those in peril on the sea". The words were brought new meaning by the fact that outside, the crab fishermen were lashed by wind and rain hauling their boats up sea pounded shingle or the eerie sound of the fog siren was moaning its warning from somewhere far out on the dangerous sands. So many memories wrapped up in one song.

Recollection is so important for the elderly. It means what it says. It enables a "RE-COLLECTION" of identity as the changes in life, sometimes enforced, threaten to strip them of all those little things that affirmed their lives in so many ways. Community hymn singing can unite us in shared memories in a safe and supportive environment. It can re-empower and uplift us  even enable us to shed tears, release pain  and fill the present day with the richness of the past . Best  of all , through uniting in song, we can find common ground with strangers.




                                   "HYMN SINGING WITH SENIORS"

ARTICLES                                                                               http://http//www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1126738,00.html      MUSICTHERAPY

                                                                                                       "MUSIC  THERAPY IN BEREAVEMENT"