Why We Should be Singing More: Politics of Participation in Communal Singing

Recently I've been thinking about the role that singing plays in our everyday life. Can you think about the last time you sang? I mean fully singing a song out loud. Were you alone in the car, or were you drunk, belting Justin Bieber’s “Maria” with your friends in a dive bar? Was it when you were singing happy birthday to a family member? It makes me wonder, why does singing have to be something that is reserved for special events or when you’re all alone, in a place where no one else can hear your voice? I think that we’re all a bit scared to sing, out of fear that we’re not good enough to sing, at least in the daytime, without the cloak of alcohol. If vocal elitism is taking the joy out of singing as community building, how do I convince people that the criteria for being a good singer doesn’t matter when you’re simply enjoying the benefits of having a voice?

About a month ago I began thinking about how people in the United States who have not been classically trained in music, are hesitant to sing in public settings. I consider myself to be one of these people, and I never thought about why that is. I started sifting through different explanations in my head. Is it that singing brings attention to yourself, which could possibly lead to an "embarrassing" situation? Is it the fear that others will be displeased by your singing, or deem you a “bad singer”? Or could it be a combination of those things and more? I am glad to share with you that I have devised some potential answers to the questions posed above.

Upon conducting my research for this particular inquiry I found myself discovering a field of study that I never knew existed:ethnomusicology. If you aren’t familiar with the term (like I was), The School of Music at UCLA describes the discipline as “the study of all kinds of music from all over the world, using a variety of disciplinary perspectives”. It can also be described as the anthropologic study of music. It is a field that observes the way that humans have been shaped by musical practices, and how those musical practices have shaped tradition and culture around the world. One of the books that I found central to grounding myself in this discipline is A Different Voice, A Different Song by Caroline Bithell. In this book, Bithell explores ethnomusicology through a variety of different lenses. She highlights various choirs around the world and the impact of choral singing. Her writing sheds light on important ways the choral singing and singing in general is beneficial to the untrained singer. To put it in her words, her research relates to “the democratization of the voice, the politics of participation, the liberatory dimensions of harmony singing, the transformative power of performance, and the potential of music making to sustain community and to contribute to intercultural understanding (1)”

One of my favorite points that she makes in the book is about the way that competitive singing shows like X- Factor, American Idol, and The Voice all play into the idea that singing should only be reserved for those who are truly talented at it. While talented singers are pushed into the spotlight, singers who are deemed less good are casted further into the shadows. Bithell says that “Series such as The X-Factor go even further in reinforcing many of the same timeworn values and preconceptions. Entrants aspire to a position of stardom that allows them to occupy centre-stage and bask in the limelight, while also enjoying newfound personal wealth and winning lucrative recording contracts. They can do this, however, only at the expense of the other contestants who must suffer rejection” (20). While this is a set-up that uplifts the singers who the panel and audience decide is worthy of stardom, it is simultaneously a public humiliation ritual for the rejected contestants. While the results of this rejection may not be detrimental to their career, it sends out a message to the general public that says, don’t sing if you’re not good. This message deprives Americans of the community and joy that comes with freely singing without the fear of being good enough. In The Cambridge Companion to Singing author John Potter says this:

“For thousands of years all over the world people have sung— to express joy, celebration and grief, to accompany work and devotion, to aid healing—without worrying about having a “good” voice or "getting it right”. Song has been a part of life, a way of binding the community together. We aim to recreate the sense that vocalising, singing and singing together is natural and open to all” - John Potter, The Cambridge Companion to Singing 

Singing has always been a part of us, starting from when we are very young. We are musical creatures at our core, partially united by the possibilities of our voice. Even when not classically trained, we have a desire to listen to and create music. Humming on the train or singing under your breath represent your desire to communicate through song. We Americans, as a collective, need to shed the fear of being accepted as great musical talents and embrace our natural voices as they are.

Lastly, I would like to point out that I don’t believe that the general American public isn’t singing at all. I believe that musicals are one of the contributors to that as they play an important role in American media. Musicals like Hamilton and Wicked have done great things for the world of free singing in recent years. I would also like to highlight Karaoke as a form of natural singing. Karaoke, which originated in Japan in the 1970 and 80s, was a mode of stress release for Japanese salary- workers. In Japan karaoke is often performed in private boxes either alone or with friends. In the United States the way that we enjoy karaoke is a bit different. It is a public affair, mimicking the performance of a traditional stage. This mimicking goes back to the ideas of American stardom and the desire to perform in front of audiences for social approval, but I would argue that karaoke is a step towards free and natural singing.

My reason for writing this is to encourage you all to sing more with friends and family and to embrace your natural voice despite arbitrary social standards. Singing is for everyone, always.

Sources:

https://schoolofmusic.ucla.edu/academics/ethnomusicology/

Bithell, Caroline. A Different Voice, a Different Song : Reclaiming Community through the Natural Voice and World Song. Oxford ; Oxford University Press, 2014. Print.

McLucas, Anne Dhu. The Musical Ear : Oral Tradition in the USA. Farnham, England ; Ashgate, 2010. Print.