Global Voices Blog 10/20/14

Last week we had some unexpected surprises. We started out with a small group, two regular members and a new Japanese man, however after awhile two other new people showed up. One is a Japanese man and the other is an American woman. It was nice having a few new people! It seems each week is a new adventure… Some regular people aren’t always able to make it, but then sometimes new faces show up and that’s exciting!

Each week I realize more things about how I’m leading Global Voices... Even though the main idea is to sing multicultural music, I haven't implemented any multicultural music yet - only American peace songs. Oh dear! So, I need to work on this, and get feedback from the members. Our German member suggested we sing multicultural winter holiday songs when December comes. This is a good idea. I'm realizing that we should do more lighthearted, familiar songs more often - for fun - so it's not always about world peace and other related topics, as that can get pretty heavy at times. And of course we should be singing more than talking...I’m still working on this! :) We get into such neat discussions about the lyrics and the meaning behind the songs etc., that I sometimes don’t devote enough time to singing. 

Last week we had a vocal warm-up time. I decided to implement this to help us warm up our voices and avoid causing any damage to our vocal chords while singing. This is a typical practice for most choirs. Even though I don’t consider our group to be a formal “choir”, we are still a singing group and it’s important to make sure we don’t cause our bodies’ any physical harm.

My goal for this week’s meeting is to continue to focus on more singing than talking, and to look for some multicultural songs for us to sing, as well as more familiar, lighthearted songs.

I’d like to reiterate that this group does not belong to me – it’s our group – so I always welcome feedback and suggestions, as I know you all have a lot to share about things I don’t know about! :) An important goal for this group is to share our countries, languages, and cultures with each other so that we can build a caring, supportive community and create greater cross-cultural respect and understanding in our group and our local/global community.

General Global Voices Information

Description of Global Voices:

The purpose of Global Voices is to provide a place for international and American adults in the surrounding communities of State College, PA to come together to enjoy singing and promoting peace through multicultural music. Global Voices is an opportunity to sing in a casual, friendly environment.  No prior musical experience is required! The group meets regularly to promote cross-cultural friendships and understanding by sharing our cultures, especially through the “universal language” of music.  It's meant to be a place where music is FUN - so there's no pressure!

Our meetings are held on Monday evenings from 7:00-8:30 pm at Faith United Church of Christ in downtown State College (no religious affiliation). Please come join us anytime! 

(If finding childcare is difficult, we welcome families to participate, as long as the children do not disrupt the meeting. Youth aged 14 and above are welcome to participate in the group.)

For more information, please contact:

Global Connections (Group Sponsor) at gc-cc@psu.edu

http://www.gc-cc.org/programs/global-voices/

Jennifer Miller (Group Leader) at jbmiller1205@gmail.com

“Music is the universal language of mankind” – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

“Where words fail, music speaks” – Hans Christian Andersen

 

Meeting Plan for 10-20-14

Meeting Plan for Global Voices – 10/20/14:

·         Hand out the outline for the meeting (with theme, quote, order of meeting, etc.)

-          Different style now – today will be a lot of discussing GV for the rest of the semester, but the following meetings will focus more on singing than talking

·         Hand out schedule for rest of semester (with themes for each meeting, etc.)

-          Each member can pick a date to teach us Hello, Peace, and Goodbye in their language (if they want to). Please tell me at the end of the meeting. Feel free to suggest songs from your country/culture that fit with one of the themes for each meeting. Please let me know ahead of time by sending me the recording & lyrics for the song in the original language, as well as a rough English translation.

·         Potluck on Dec. 15^th or weekend before? Sharing our country/culture/food/music etc. with each other – everyone comes prepared to briefly tell us about these things, give a music sample, etc.?

·         Discuss possible “sharing time” with others for Martin Luther King Jr. day in January? What might this look like?

·         Theme for this meeting: self improvement that leads to a more positive influence upon our community (family, friends, and wider local and global community).

·         Quotes about “keeping our own inner garden clean” and how that influences our inner peace and outward actions. Quote about our own personal perspective and worldview.

·         Show a video – discuss the choice we have to make a difference, starting with ourselves and then one-on-one relationships. Comments?

·         Read “The Starfish Story”

·         Reflect on what we can do ourselves to have a positive impact upon others (smile, be helpful, random acts of kindness, etc.)

·         Perhaps we can each try to do at least one random act of kindness before our next meeting and share it with the group (if desired).

·         Vocal warm up

S     Then sing:

·         “We Are The World” theme song

·         “Better Man” – from Playing For Change

-          Listen first and read the lyrics while listening

-          Read through lyrics aloud as a group, in segments (vocabulary, pronunciation, meaning, how it makes us feel, etc., discussion)

-          Sing along with recording

-          Break it into segments and learn it

-          Last time sing ourselves with recording playing softly in background

·         “Stand By Me” – regular version – if time

-          Pick it apart and learn it

-          Last time sing ourselves with recording playing softly in background

·         End with “We Are The World”  theme song

Global Voices Blog 10/13/14

Unfortunately this meeting was cancelled due to the members having other commitments.

Starting on Monday, October 20th our meetings will be a little different! :)

Global Voices Blog 10/6/14

Last Monday GV had its second meeting. We had a few new people show up, which was very exciting. After reflecting on our time together, I think I need to structure the group a bit more at this time. I was trying to let it be open and flexible, with more member input, but I think at this beginning stage I need to take on more of a leadership role. Even though I don't feel the group belongs to "me," I am the leader and need to help the group take form. I have many ideas and a strong vision for this group, so I believe it's time to take action on these things.

So far we've been doing more discussing than singing. I think the discussions about the lyrics of the songs are very insightful and beneficial, but I'm starting to realize that people are coming to GV to sing. That's why they are there. The other aspects and benefits will naturally arise, but I need to keep my eye on the ball, sort of speak, and make sure we have more opportunities to sing and actually learn the songs. This will be my goal from now on. In the midst of singing, discussing, and getting to know each other, we will achieve the main goal of developing better cross-cultural relationships and understanding.

However, even though I intend to take on more of a leader and facilitator role at this time, I still want the members to know that I always welcome their feedback and comments. What do you like about our meetings? What don't you like? What can be better? Do you have any ideas about what you'd like to do at our meetings? Please tell me! I really want every member to have a say in the development of this group.

I look forward to continuing to meet and developing the goals and purposes of GV together! :)

Thanks for your participation!!

Songs from this meeting:
"We Are The World"
"Imagine"
"Stand By Me"
"Don't Worry" (Playing For Change)