Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Sing a Song

This Semester We're restarting our blogs with Participation in Occupation ll.  We have all picked a occupation that we are already doing and then break it into smaller parts.  I have chosen to focus on my participation in the Hamilton Community Gospel Choir.  I will be looking at it through ergonomics, affordances, ambiance and practical considerations. 

Key Words
Singing in Gospel Choir
Thinking OT
Sing



Every Tuesday








Youngest



Range of cultures


Front
Soprano


Worship or Praise

Family





Chose
Enjoy
Value
·        I sing with the Hamilton community gospel choir

·        We meet at graceway church at 7pm every Tuesday

·        There are around 30-50 people in the choir, depending on the evening

·        I am currently the youngest member of the choir at 19yrs and the oldest would be around 70yrs

·        We come from a wide range of cultures

·        I sit or stand in the front row with the other sopranos

·        We sing worship or praise songs to and about God

·        We are a family who support each other through prayer, laughter, food, hugs and many other ways

·         I chose to go to choir because singing is something that I enjoy, and worship is something I highly value
Something someone who likes to sing could participate in

Potentially too late for some







Minimal age restrictions



No cultural restrictions






Could be spiritual barriers to participation


Good support network









Mindfulness in choir: 

As I sing as part of the choir I realise with this song I no longer have to think about to words I'm singing or the notes for my part.  This is a song that as a choir we have sung many times before and has now become automatic.  Not having to think about the notes or the words leaves my mind free to focus on other things.  I think about how I'm standing, do I have a good enough stance to be able to get the best sound? No probably not, I'll widen my stance just slightly, a subtle difference that others may not notice but I can feel the difference it makes. How about my breathing? Am I breathing with my chest or diaphragm? Diaphragm, good, another thing that is becoming automatic and requires less and less thought. 

2 comments:

  1. Hi Erin,
    I really like the way you explained mindfullness, it take me to times when I have been gardening and totally lost control of time. It so joyful!
    Do we get to see any pictures?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Heather,
    I'll see if I can find a few for my last post =)

    ReplyDelete