Please don’t stop the music
Live musical improv takes a break during COVID-19 pandemic
In the midst of a global pandemic it probably sounds a bit frivolous to say how much you miss singing. There is a lot going on right now and there are bigger problems that not being able to sing with other people. However, the power of music and the love of singing are important in millions of people’s lives. Singing helps to release pain-relieving endorphins, it improves mood and research shows that it is effective in bonding larger groups. When you add it to improv, it’s a powerful combination!
Many musical improvisers are struggling right now because one of the things that gave them community, laughter and self expression has been taken away from them. We make music to express and communicate emotions. We sing songs to relay ideas. Musical improvisers do something that is not only powerful and entertaining for others to watch, they are doing something that is personal and important to them.
That sounds terribly worth doesn’t it? Except we know that mental health during a pandemic is really important. So what can we do about all this? There are some serious barriers to overcome to make musical improv work online. Slowly but surely there has been progress in getting to a point where short improvised sets can happen or where adapting what we do to the circumstances mean we get to use our skills slightly differently.
On the latest Improv Chronicle podcast, I’d spoken to musical improvisers who have made online pieces (some improvised, some more constructed) that have helped them address the point of self expression. Finding ways to do this seems important as we adjust to this new reality and I hope the ideas in the podcast are inspiring and useful.
For me, nothing beats live but when live isn’t possible, I’m keen to work on whatever I can to be able to have fun, sing and do so with others. Until we get to sing with one voice in one room together, connecting our disparate musical dots and letting them find a place on the manuscript seems like the sort of endeavour that will be good for all of us.