In a time marked by global despair and personal loss, communal singing is emerging as a potent method for navigating grief and fostering a sense of agency. The practice, rooted in ancient traditions of lamentation, offers an alternative to the pressure to remain stoic or immediately move past difficult emotions.
Scholar of the Hebrew Bible Walter Brueggemann has described lament not merely as an expression of sadness, but as "the breaking of numbness by the admission of pain and loss." This ancient wisdom suggests that acknowledging and voicing sorrow is crucial for reclaiming hope and possibility. However, many find the act of grieving itself challenging, preferring to articulate their pain rather than fully inhabit it.
This dynamic was illustrated when a group of friends gathered for a monthly singing night. After a casual singing session, conversations turned to personal heartaches, including distressing news from the White House. As one friend began to sing his sadness, others found their own emotions surfacing, signaling a profound shift.
Ahlay Blakely, a grief ritualist and songwriter, notes that singing with others often serves as a gateway to deeper emotional processing. She explains that the inherent vulnerability in singing, particularly for those who feel their voices are inadequate, can open individuals to suppressed pain. Blakely emphasizes that the efficacy of singing lies not in its sound, but in the bodily sensation it evokes. Her work includes an album of grief songs designed for amateur singers and listeners, aiming to foster a sense of "re-enchantment of the human soul."
A 2014 study by musicologist Gunter Kreutz lends scientific weight to these observations. The experiment found that oxytocin levels, often called the "love hormone," increased significantly during group choral singing, but not during ordinary social interaction. This suggests that communal singing enhances well-being and strengthens social connections more effectively than conversation alone.
Blakely and Carla Fernandez, author of "Renegade Grief," advocate for embracing grief as an ally rather than something to overcome. Fernandez describes grief not as messy, but as "wildly fertile," a source from which relationships, solutions, and new ideas can emerge. This perspective reframes grief as the fertile ground for growth, rather than a destructive force.
The potential of collective singing extends into the political sphere. The "Singing Resistance" movement in Minneapolis has demonstrated music's power to mobilize people for collective action and bear witness to injustice, while sustaining hope and a sense of agency. One political candidate in Iowa has begun town hall meetings with a communal singing of "America the Beautiful" to emphasize shared values despite differences.
Heidi Wilson, composer of the anthem "Hold On," a staple of the Singing Resistance, states, "Grief is about feeling cut off from something, losing something, and singing is an experience of reconnecting." This re-connecting quality, proponents suggest, may be essential for moving forward, both individually and collectively.