Florida State University Libraries
Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations The Graduate School
2013 Womansong: Healing in a Communal Musicking Village Felicia K. Youngblood
Follow this and additional works at the FSU Digital Library. For more information, please contact [email protected] THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF MUSIC
WOMANSONG: HEALING IN A COMMUNAL MUSICKING VILLAGE
By
FELICIA K. YOUNGBLOOD
A Thesis submitted to the College of Music in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Music
Degree Awarded: Spring Semester, 2013
! Felicia Youngblood defended this thesis on April 12, 2013. The members of the supervisory committee were:
Margaret Jackson Professor Directing Thesis
Denise Von Glahn Comittee Member
Michael B. Bakan Committee Member
The Graduate School has verified and approved the above-named committee members, and certifies that the thesis has been approved in accordance with university requirements.
ii For my family, friends, y Corazón. Thank you for being my village.
iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I am grateful to the members of Womansong for allowing me to share in a piece of their communal musicking village and for being open, honest, and kind throughout our interactions. In particular, Althea Gonzalez has been a wonderful source of knowledge and support throughout this project.
The professors in the Musicology faculty at The Florida State University made this project possible. Their willingness to share their knowledge and explore new areas of study and their relentless efforts to shape me into the best scholar possible have not gone unnoticed. I am forever grateful to Meg Jackson for taking me on in her first year of instruction and for allowing me to keep my creativity while pushing me to sharpen my scholarly sensibilities; Denise Von
Glahn for helping my early ideas about this project come to fruition and for inspiring the manner in which I think about women and music; Michael Bakan for having faith in this project from the very beginning and for signing on as temporary advisor before Meg Jackson joined the faculty;
Douglass Seaton who pushed me to learn more than I ever thought possible in the span of one semester; Sara Nodine for giving me the tools of research and spending time in her office talking with me; and to Frank Gunderson for creating a fun and effective learning environment which reminds me of why I first became passionate about ethnomusicology. I am also grateful to my colleagues at FSU, particularly Alex Carrico, Brian Wilcoxon, Mia Gormandy, Vane Navarro,
Heather Paudler, and Catherine Williams.
iv TABLE OF CONTENTS
List of Figures ...... vi Abstract ...... vii INTRODUCTION ...... 1 Background ...... 1 Main Thesis ...... 3 Review of Literature ...... 3 Methodology ...... 10 Theoretical Approach ...... 11 Thesis Structure ...... 15
CHAPTER 1: GENDER ...... 18 Big Legged Woman: Seventy-Five Female Bodies ...... 19 I Come from Women: Feminism and Womansong in Context ...... 25 Arise!: Men in Relation to Womansong ...... 32 Gaia Medley: Nature and Spirituality in the Village ...... 37 Helmet: Homosexuality and Protection in the Village ...... 45
CHAPTER 2: COMMUNITY ...... 52 You’ll Never Walk Alone: What is a Village? ...... 52 True Colors: Identity, Shared Experiences of Loss, and the Benefits of Communal Musicking ... 58 Heal Me: Communitas, Belonging, and Leadership in the Village ...... 68 I Will Carry You: Concepts of Care in the Village ...... 74
CHAPTER 3: CONTRIBUTION ...... 80 Old Fat Naked Women for Peace: Raising Awareness, Music, and Social Movement ...... 80 The New Start: Womansong’s Charitable Arm ...... 87 Everybody Got Her Own: My Experience of Healing in the Village ...... 91
CHAPTER 4: CONCLUSION: SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW...... 96 APPENDICES...... 100 A. Videography ...... 100 B. IRB APPROVAL AND INFORMED CONSENT LETTER...... 101 C. SONG ATTRIBUTIONS ...... 104
BIBLIOGRAPHY ...... 105 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH ...... 109
v LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1.1: Nonsense syllables in the soprano line ...... 20
Figure 1.2: The final word of “Big Legged Woman” ...... 21
Figure 1.3: Womansong members form a kick line and a blow-up doll (top left) joins the choir .23
Figure 1.4: Holly (bottom left) at the twenty-fifth anniversary concert ...... 25
Figure 1.5: Linda Metzner, far right, with Womansong in 1988 ...... 28
Figure 1.6: The final stave of “Arise!” ...... 35
Figure 1.7: Allijah and Althea enjoy a moment together ...... 36
Figure 1.8: The masked dancer ...... 38
Figure 1.9: Repeated eighth-notes on “Gaia.” ...... 42
Figure 1.10: The dancer has removed her mask and braid; Debbie asks the audience to join ...... 43
Figure 1.11: Sharron (front and center, with the calculator) and other members of Womansong enjoy the outdoors ...... 45
Figure 1.12: Jean’s partner, Va Boyle (left), dawns her helmet in the twenty-fifth anniversary concert ...... 47
Figure 1.13: “Bananananananana” into “Badadadadada.” ...... 49
Figure 1.14: The altos continue singing nonsense syllables ...... 50
Figure 1.15: The members of Womansong dawn their helmets ...... 51
Figure 2.1: High notes on the “eh” syllable in measures 56 and 58 ...... 54
Figure 2.2: Sue Curtis sings at the twenty-fifth anniversary concert with Mirra Price (on the stool) watching in the background ...... 60
Figure 2.3: Shiner ASL interprets for the twenty-fifth anniversary concert ...... 63
Figure 2.4: The introduction to “True Colors.” ...... 67
vi Figure 2.5: Dramatic pauses after “afraid” and “show.” ...... 67
Figure 2.6: Liz Preyer ...... 71
Figure 2.7: Susies (middle) sings with the choir in the twenty-fifth anniversary concert ...... 72
Figure 2.8: Lytingale plays and sings “I Will Carry You.” ...... 75
Figure 2.9: Jean (middle), Jan (to the right of Jean), Va (to the right of Jan), and Sue Ford (far right) perform Jean’s song “Everybody Got Her Own at the twenty-fifth anniversary concert .... 77
Figure 2.10: Debbie Nordeen ...... 79
Figure 3.1: Dotted rhythms and “WooWoo!” ...... 85
Figure 3.2: Womansong members throwing lingerie ...... 86
Figure 3.3: The catchy, danceable chorus melody ...... 87
Figure 3.4: Debbie Nordeen (left) and Linda Metzner (right) ...... 89
vii ABSTRACT
This thesis focuses on the growth and healing experiences of seventy-five women in
Womansong—an all-female community choir that is based in Asheville, NC. Founded in 1987,
Womansong celebrated its 25th anniversary with a concert in November, 2012, performing musical selections that were emblematic of the group's collective identity and aspirations. My work begins with an analysis of this symbolic event and relates it to both the experiences of individual choir members and to concerns shared by the entire group. Among these concerns are music, feminism, community, health and healing, and social contribution. An investigation of each selection performed at the anniversary concert offers a microscopic look into the experiences of individual Womansong members and relates them back to broader concepts of music and healing, communal musicking, and women's music. Aided by insights gained through participant-observation and ethnography, I will then assess how Womansong's village-inspired design provides an environment in which healing through music is possible. Finally, I will examine the ways Womansong's programmatic choices are intended to incite social change by making others mindful of feminist concerns. My focus on women's psycho-physical transformation and well-being through communal musicking will work to make intelligible the ways internal growth in the village effects external growth in society. A video file of
Womansong's twenty-fifth anniversary concert has been included with this manuscript. Please refer to Appendix I for song selections and times.
viii INTRODUCTION
There is inherent value in singing together. Nothing is as uplifting and beautiful as people joining in music. Singing together benefits the individual, it benefits the whole group, it benefits society.
- Debbie Nordeen, Womansong's Artistic Director
Background Founded by Linda Metzner in 1987, Womansong is a seventy-five member women's community choir in Asheville, North Carolina. Metzner created the group at the encouragement of female friends; since its inception, the choir has grown exponentially and become an influential force in the lives of its participants and the broader community.
Womansong began as a group of younger women who wanted to sing together, share in a supportive environment, and contribute to the surrounding area of Asheville. When the choir's current artistic director, Debbie Nordeen, joined Womansong there were sixteen members. In the past seventeen years Womansong's membership has grown to seventy-five, the majority of whom are middle-aged or older. The women are socially liberal, politically outspoken, and predominantly Caucasian;1 approximately half of the choir's members identify as gay. While men do occasionally volunteer to help sell concessions or work product tables at concerts, all choir members and technical staff are female. Despite the relative homogeneity of the members' ethnic, economic, political, and gender experiences, each woman is her own cultural landscape.2
1 The choir may be predominately Caucasian but there is no discrimination and I have heard members state that they wish Womansong was more ethnically diverse. 2 In the Oxford Handbook of Medical Ethnomusicology, the editors stress the centrality of the individual within the larger sphere of culture. They claim that each individual is a "unique cultural landscape that can be best understood on its own terms." Koen, Benjamin D. Ed. 2008. The Oxford Handbook of Medical Ethnomusicology. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. 11.
1 The musical repertoire that Womansong sings is stylistically diverse. It includes popular music, world music, show tunes, spiritual songs, pieces that reference issues related to gender, and original compositions by Womansong members. Western classical music rarely makes its way into the choir's repertoire, but that does not keep Debbie from focusing on technical ability and style refinement. Some of the choir's members have sung their entire lives while others only sang in the shower before joining Womansong. All participants, whether trained or new to the art of singing, are concerned with creating the best sound possible but are also just as concerned with enjoying communal musicking.
I first attended a Womansong performance in the summer of 2011 at the invitation of
Althea Gonzalez, a co-assistant director of the choir and the mother of a dear friend. At a dinner after the show I heard several women speak about how happy they were to sing together and be supported by each other in the village.3 I heard stories ranging from Womansong members accompanying each other to chemotherapy treatments to women claiming that the choir provided them a freedom of self and a safe space for personal expression and growth.
Many of these stories reminded me of my own experiences as a chorus participant.
Within my first year of undergraduate studies I was diagnosed with a heart condition and encountered numerous challenges due to my illness. However, I was a choral singer from a tight- knit music department and my ensembles were a major source of support. I was grateful for the opportunity to create music with my friends and for the guarantee that, if I needed it, any choir member would accompany me to the hospital after an episode. I believe that my involvement in chorus helped me heal in several ways. Though I had little experience with Womansong, I
3 "Village" is a self-referential term used by Womansong members to describe their community. I unpack this term and its articulations in Chapter Two of this thesis.
2 immediately became interested in the choir because it seemed there was a correlate between my
undergraduate choral experiences and the stories that I heard from members at the after-concert
dinner. I was also particularly intrigued by the choir's female-only membership and was curious
as to how that environment affected the processes of communal musicking and healing.
Main Thesis The purpose of this thesis is to explore how Womansong's communal musicking village creates an environment of health and healing for its members and for the external community of
Asheville, North Carolina. The choir celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary with a large-scale
concert in November, 2012 at the historic Diana Wortham Theatre in downtown Asheville. The
concert was a symbolic event that represented Womansong's past, celebrated its present, and
looked toward the future. Because the program included music that is emblematic of
Womansong's collective identity and aspirations, I have chosen this event as the central
organizing thread of my thesis. Each chapter is dedicated to a specific song and theme that the
piece addresses. I describe several songs from the twenty-fifth anniversary repertoire, analyze the
music and lyrics, and relate these analyses to personal and shared experiences of Womansong
members and to literature on women and music, medical ethnomusicology, and communal
musicking. This allows me to take advantage of the choir's own tool, music, to demonstrate how
members of Womansong experience health and healing in the communal musicking village.
Review of the Literature Gender Studies
Sara Evans' Tidal Wave: How Women Changed America at Century's End is a guiding text on feminism. It provides an historical summary of second wave feminism in the United
States and explores the factors that led to the movement. The book offers historical perspective
3 and insight on aspects of the movement that contribute/have contributed to its longevity. Evans argues that there was a revival, rather than a decline, of feminism in the 1980s through new modes of involvement. Womansong exemplifies a form of feminist revival during the 80s and, due to its flexible nature, has built upon and expanded its services and organizational design so that it can continue responding to the changing needs of feminists.
Sowards' and Renegar's "The Rhetorical Functions of Consciousness-Raising in Third
Wave Feminism" argues that the structure of female consciousness-raising groups has changed since they were first developed in the 1970s. They claim that the change in structure is a response to "shifting social conditions" and examine how this new context has shaped women's needs and reactions to their environment. Additionally, Sowards and Renegar claim that new modes of consciousness-raising groups in contemporary society allow for a more public forum on gender inequality. I consider Womansong as a musical consciousness-raising group that performs in the public sphere; my thesis provides insight into how this new mode of consciousness-raising was made possible.
As a sub-discipline, gender studies in music matured in the late twentieth century, burgeoning in the 1980s. This is roughly two decades later than the development of gender studies in academic areas outside of music. Historical musicologists such as Susan McClary and
Marcia Citron have used their research to demonstrate why this late growth occurred and to address the nearly invisible or forgotten place of women in Western music history. With Ellen
Koskoff’s Women and Music in Cross-Cultural Perspective and with publications from ethnomusicologists such as Jane Sugarman and Jennifer Post, the body of gender studies in ethnomusicology also saw growth in the late twentieth century. These works have provided me
4 with a way to think about the relationship between gender and music and they have shaped my general approach to this project. In its current iteration, women’s studies and music strive to articulate women’s lost place in music history as a result of difference rather than oppression.
The sub-discipline further celebrates the accomplishments of women and music in their own right, rather than as opposed to, or to the detriment of men and music. Womansong is an organization that strongly believes in celebrating women in terms of their difference and accomplishments. Though they often perform music that pokes fun at gender roles, they strive to support women through celebrating their contributions and providing them new opportunities rather than through criticizing or blaming men.
Marcia Citron, in her book Gender, Professionalism, and the Musical Canon, discusses musicology as a field that has traditionally been more interested in objectivity than subjectivity.
While feminist studies have their roots in the personal, it was hard for feminism to make its way into the scholarly field of musicology. The research discussed above—in addition to several contributions by other musicologists such as Susan C. Cook, Denise Von Glahn, Ruth Solie,
Jennifer Post, Karin Pendle, Eileen Hayes, and Marian Wilson Kimber—are a testament to the success of musicology and women’s studies. Marian Wilson Kimber's publication on Fanny
Mendelssohn influenced me to look at women's experiences in context rather than to focus on female victimization. Eileen Hayes's Songs in Black and Lavender helped to shape my approach to concepts of diversity and homosexuality within women's music. Denise Von Glahn's overall approach to women's studies and music, which takes advantage of fieldwork in addition to more traditional historical methods, has been an inspiration to how I chose to conduct my research.
5 Ethnomusicology and Sociology of Music
To date, ethnomusicological research on choral music has focused on South African
Graaf-Reinet church choirs, Prespa Albanian song communities, Sorbian choruses, and singing within the Marshall Islands, among several other studies.4 Marie Jorritsma's discussion of women's meetings in South African Graaf-Reinet church choirs was particularly helpful to my conceptions of freedom of self and play in women's music settings. However, there is a lack of ethnomusicological literature on women's community choirs in the United States. I intend to use this study as an opportunity to help fill a gap I have observed in ethnomusicology and generate more discussion in the area of American women's community choirs, communal musicking, healing, and gender.
Thomas Turino's Music as Social Life is another resource upon which I have drawn. His overall theoretical approach, which claims that music "...refers to fundamentally distinct types of activities that fulfill different needs and ways of being human," is balance-centered, and looks closely at the concepts of identity, shared identity, and shared experience. This approach requires inquiry into what makes music meaningful to those who experience it and how communal
4 Please see: Jorritsma, Marie. 2011. Sonic Spaces of the Karoo: The Sacred Music of a South African Coloured Community. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.
Sugarman, Jane C. 1997. Engendering Song: Singing and Subjectivity at Prespa Albanian Weddings. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Statelova, Rosemary. 2004. "The Contemporary Sorbian Choral Movement: Horizons of Meaning by Singing Sorbian Songs." in Hemetek, Ursula Ed. Manifold Identities: Studies on Music and Minorities. Buckinghamshire, UK: Cambridge Scholars Press.
Schwartz, Jessica. 2012. "Resonances of the Atomic Age: Hearing the Nuclear Legacy in the United States and the Marshall Islands, 1945-2010." PhD diss., New York University.
6 musicking experiences are effective at individual and group levels. Music as Social Life is an important resource for analyzing what makes Womansong meaningful to its members and how it contributes to their lives as human beings.
Mark Mattern's Acting in Concert: Music, Community, and Political Action is a politically-oriented text that focuses upon music's ability to inspire community movement. The book is concerned with popular musics (especially Cajun, Native American, and Chilean songs) but discusses overall concepts of music and community that can be applicable to any musicological study. In the text, Mattern problematizes community as a necessary aspect of music and social movements and claims that music would not be effective as a mobilizer without an already-established community. Mattern's discussion of community and music relations corresponds to Womansong's activism-based concert repertoire and to my analysis of
Womansong's shared communal musicking experiences.
Medical Ethnomusicology and Music Therapy
The Oxford Handbook of Medical Ethnomusicology and especially its introduction are guiding sources for my approach to health and healing. “Introduction: Confluence of
Consciousness in Music, Medicine, and Culture,” by Benjamin D. Koen, Gregory Barz, and
Kenneth Brummel-Smith frames the sub-discipline of medical ethnomusicology, and introduces medical ethnomusicology as an area of study that takes advantage of an interdisciplinary and integrative approach to problematize concepts of music, medicine, and culture. The chapters that follow present a number of case studies that reveal how medical ethnomusicology has been performed in the past and highlight the directions that the discipline can take in the future. The
7 introduction also discusses how the Handbook, in its entirety, focuses on the individual as the central member of a broader collective and utilizes the socio-cultural interpretation of health and healing with the perception of health as a desirable state of holistic balance.
Several articles, from both medical ethnomusicologists and music therapists, have contributed to my understanding of music, health, healing, community, culture, identity, and avenues of healing outside of traditional, allopathic studies. My methodology involves constant engagement with interlocutors. One of my interlocutors’ partners, Regina (who was a former member of Womansong), was diagnosed with dementia and subsequently cared for by the village. Alicia Ann Clair's article, “Music Therapy Evidence-Based Outcomes in Dementia Care:
Better Life Quality for Those with Alzheimer’s Disease and Their Families,” contributes to my definition of health and healing by approaching healing as the cultivation of a better quality of life. Furthermore, Clair's essay clarifies my understanding of the experience of those involved in
Regina’s care and provides me with a better comprehension of how music was important to the healing process of Regina’s close friends and family.
Theresa A. Allison’s, “Songwriting and Transcending Institutional Boundaries in the
Nursing Home,” which is based on the communal healing experiences of the elderly in a Jewish-
American retirement home, is a good example of how communal musicking, especially in a community of older American adults, can be a beneficial tool for health and healing.
Brynjulf Stige's "Practicing Music as Mutual Care" contributes to my thinking on communal support and care in the Womansong village. In this article, Stige problematizes concepts of care within choral communal musicking environments. He claims that being involved in a choral music environment necessitates care for one another by nature of
8 involvement and that this care can be, and is often, taken into the choir's external community.
Once this care is extended beyond the internal community, it becomes a catalyst for social change. Stige's concepts are taken a step further in "Conclusion - When Things Take Shape in
Relation to Music: Towards an Ecological Perspective on Music's Help" (this is the conclusion to a book of music therapy essays called Where Music Helps: Community Music Therapy in Action and Reflection) when he and other editors discuss how healing experiences within communal musicking groups can translate to healing experiences of a larger community and vise versa. I explore this micro/macro symbiotic relationship in Chapter Three of the thesis when I discuss
Womansong's contribution to the surrounding community of Asheville.
General Health/Healing
Health and Healing: Understanding Conventional and Alternative Medicine, by Andrew
Weil, M.D., surveys concepts of health and healing through the study of medical history and conventions across branches of health studies. More than anything else, Weil's definition of health as a positive state of holistic balance that is located simultaneously within mental and physical spheres has inspired my personal definition of health. Weil's approach to health and healing provides my work with a conceptual framework of how health and healing are perceived by the public, how the concepts can be alternatively defined, and how individuals understand and experience health and healing.
! In "Religion, Spirituality, and Healing: Research, Dialogue, and Directions," Harold G.
Koenig, M.D., explores the relationship between health and spirituality based on his own experience and the research of other scholars and practitioners. He concludes that there is a
9 correlate between spirituality and health. I explore this correlate as it relates to the spiritual
aspects of communal musicking in Womansong in Chapter One of the thesis.
House Calls: How We Can All Heal the World One Visit at a Time, by Patch Adams,
M.D., is a major guide in my approach to health and healing. This book was designed as a
training kit for those who plan to visit the ill; therefore, Adams provides readers with a number
of ideas and practical tactics related to positive health and healing experiences. In problematizing
topics from humor, to self-esteem, to belonging, among others, Adams describes how medicine
should involve more than pills and tests because healing is a balanced process that requires much
more in the way of human interaction.
Methodology I began my fieldwork with Womansong in Asheville, North Carolina during the summer
of 2012. A three-fold framework defines my methodology. The majority of my research was
gleaned from personal interviews. Interviewees were asked to share thirty minutes to one hour of
their time but were interviewed longer if they preferred. I asked questions concerning their
personal backgrounds and their past and present experiences in Womansong. Participant-
observation constitutes the second level of my methodology. I participated in Womansong
rehearsals every Monday evening, attended select performances and social gatherings, and
observed their 25th anniversary performance in the fall. Finally, I spent some time exploring and developing the Womansong Archives at Pack Library in Asheville, North Carolina.5 These
archives include pictures of group rehearsals, performances, benefits, and social gatherings,
posters and flyers for concerts, produced CDs and cassette tapes of Womansong recordings,
5 These archives were created and maintained by Womansong.
10 videos of the group, and clippings from local newspapers and online articles about individual choir members and the group as a whole.
Theoretical Approach The nucleus of my thesis is a blend of stories from my interlocutors, descriptions of music performed at the twenty-fifth anniversary concert, and discussion on these topics as they relate to my and other scholars' theories on health and healing, gender, and communal musicking.
"Medical ethnomusicology" was first referred to in Stephanie Thorne's 1999 master's thesis, "A Cultural View of Music Therapy: Music and Beliefs of Teton Sioux Shamans, with
Reference to the Work of Frances Densmore." Her thesis explores music, religion, and healing in relation to Densmore's research—which explored healing associated with Teton Sioux dream songs—as a form of medical ethnomusicology. Thorne concludes her thesis with the suggestion of future studies on music, culture, and healing that are holistic and inclusive in nature.6
In the early twenty-first century, ethnomusicologists and some music therapists began exploring medical ethnomusicology and producing research about health concerns from a broad range of geographic areas. Some results of this new sub-discipline came to fruition in 2008 in
The Oxford Handbook of Medical Ethnomusicology where the editors defined medical ethnomusicology as, "...a new field of integrative research and applied practice that explores holistically the roles of music and sound phenomena and related praxes in any cultural and clinical context of health and healing." They also discussed the interdisciplinary nature of
6 Thorne, Stephanie B. 1999. "A Cultural View of Music Therapy: Music and Beliefs of Teton Sioux Shamans, with Reference to the Work of Frances Densmore." Master's thesis, Butler University.
11 medical ethnomusicology.7 This integrative approach is demonstrated by their inclusion of case studies from ethnomusicologists, physicians, music therapists, clinical researchers, and psychologists. I find this inclusive approach essential to the study of music and healing and have therefore used resources and methodologies from both historical musicology and ethnomusicology, gender studies, political science, and movement studies as the bases of my own interpretation on musicohealing processes.
I classify this project as a study in medical ethnomusicology. While the young sub- discipline of medical ethnomusicology continues to grow and change, for the purposes of this study, I define it as an inclusive approach to music, culture, health, and healing. There is a difference between music therapy and medical ethnomusicology—mainly due to the fact that the former is more bio-medical and allopathic and the latter is more sociocultural and holistic.
However, I draw from both bodies of scholarship to add depth and breadth to my study. This allows for an inclusive approach.
In her thesis, Stephanie Thorne describes the Teton Sioux belief that health is a balanced circle that includes multiple aspects of one's physical and psychological being, a view I share.
This view is echoed in Andrew Weil's Health and Healing: Understanding Conventional and
Alternative Medicine. In this book, Weil discusses the Western trend of portraying health in negative terms as a lack of illness.8 By approaching health as a balanced circle or whole rather than as a lack of illness, the general conception of health is organically more positive and wide-
7 Koen Ed. The Oxford Handbook of Medical Ethnomusicology. 4. 8 Weil, Andrew. 1983. Health and Healing: Understanding Conventional and Alternative Medicine. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
12 reaching. When framed in this manner, the individual who is dealing with some form of illness may be perceived as a whole being. He or she is neither only healthy or only sick but rather experiences compromised normative function in one aspect of his or her life. In this case, even individuals with highly developed cancer may be portrayed as relatively healthy if other areas of life (such as emotions, interrelationships, shelter, and support) are positively contributing to the circle.
This positive consideration of health as a balanced circle of both physical and psychological factors is also tied to the mindbody concept, which states that the mind and body are irrevocably connected. This concept is a facet of the Alexander Technique, which is an approach to awareness of the mindbody that is meant to lead to a healthier use of one's faculties and a better understanding of the connection between self and environment.9 Stage performers often use the technique to improve their skills at both mental and physical levels. As a stage performer, I encountered the Alexander Technique long before I became interested in health studies. When I began my research in medical ethnomusicology, the mindbody approach was useful to my definition of health and healing as a simultaneously physical and psychological phenomenon.
If health is a balanced circle that includes multiple aspects of the mindbody's existence, healing is then anything that positively balances that circle. Therefore anything that contributes to one's well-being and provides for a better quality of life can be considered healing.
9 The technique was invented at the turn of the twentieth century by F.M. Alexander as a method of improving a performer's awareness of his or her body and activities. For further discussion on the Alexander Technique and the mindbody concept, refer to: Alcantara, Pedro De. 2009. The Alexander Technique: a Skill for Life. Marlborough: Crowood.
13 Throughout this thesis I examine healing from multiple levels. Sometimes healing takes the form
of a shy woman finding her voice and expressing it as a musical solo for the first time in her life
because of her involvement in Womansong. Other times it takes place in the form of social and
physical support when members rally around one of their own who has been diagnosed with a
debilitating illness and needs friends to sit with her through treatments or to cook for her family
meals. Healing also takes place in the Womansong village when homosexual members are not
supported by the state but are accepted for who they are and are free to love whom they love in
Womansong. One additional form of healing is described by a member as happening weekly at
each rehearsal when her sense of energy and vitality is renewed by singing with her sisters.10
The concept of women's health is also important to this project. While men and women often face the same struggles or encounter illness in different forms but with similar intensity, there are several issues that I consider to be especially relevant to health as it pertains to the members of Womansong. This may be due to the fact that the issues can physically only affect women, that they manifest themselves in different and sometimes more harmful ways in women, that women receive less support when confronted with those specific issues, and/or that they involve more negative social consequences for women. I address many of these issues within this document but I encourage more exploration of the following topics in future medical ethnomusicology studies:
• Cancers of the female reproductive organs—breast, cervical, uterine, and other such cancers
• Causes and symptoms of female depression
• Sexually transmitted viruses such as human papillomavirus (which can lead to cervical cancer)
10 Sisters is a symbolic self-referential that is used by Womansong members on a daily basis.
14 • Rape and other forms of assault and abuse
• Low-self esteem—which can lead to other health problems such as eating disorders, depression, and the likelihood of succumbing to physical or emotional abuse
• Lack of economic support—women are generally paid less than men and are less likely to be placed in high-ranking jobs that come with benefits of health insurance
• The scapegoat paradox—a term I define as the act of socially blaming and punishing a woman for experiences which she may or may not have chosen to take part in (i.e. "She wouldn't have been raped if she was wearing a longer skirt" or "The fact that she became pregnant is a shame on this family and she should be left to fend for herself")
• A lack of outlets to express emotions and ideas—women have often been shamed for expressing their emotions and sharing opinions. In fact, they have been portrayed so negatively that men and boys are often threatened with the idea that they are behaving like girls when they share their feelings or cry.11
• Motherhood—health complications during pregnancy, birth, postpartum depression, and expectations to be the sole caretaker of children
Several of these health issues were discussed in my interviews with Womansong members. In most situations, they were connected to stories of love and support from other chorus participants. My goal is to share as many stories and discuss as many of these issues as possible in order to demonstrate how Womansong's communal musicking environment leads to a better quality of life and, therefore, the healing of several sisters within the village.
Thesis Structure In Chapter One, I focus on gender as it is articulated through the experiences of
Womansong members and its impact on health and healing. I discuss the choir in relation to feminism and feminist ideals. I analyze how Womansong's gendered environment helps to provide women with a space of acceptance, play, connection to nature and spirituality, protection,
11 For views on this issue, from both a man and woman's standpoint, view TED Talks from Tony Porter and Eve Ensler. Links are posted in the bibliography.
15 and freedom of self. I problematize how these factors lead to the health and healing of
Womansong members.
In Chapter Two, I explore how Womansong's communal musicking village provides members with a positive environment for health and healing. In Kay Shelemay's article, "Musical
Communities: Rethinking the Collective in Music," she reveals that the concept of community— once popular within ethnomusicology but which declined in the 1990s—is being reclaimed as scholars both within and outside of musicology are exploring music's place within social processes.12 Publications such as Thomas Turino's Music as Social Life: The Politics of
Participation13 and Mark Mattern's Acting in Concert: Music, Community, and Political Action14
problematize how community involvement makes sound and experience more meaningful to its
participants. In Chapter Two, I problematize how being part of the village makes musical
involvement more meaningful to Womansong's members and how their communal environment
allows the women to cultivate a shared identity. This shared identity leads to their
interconnection through shared experiences and an overall sense of belonging. I analyze how
belonging in the village and communal musicking are healing to Womansong members.
Finally, contribution is another important concept in Womansong. In Chapter Three, I
explore how Womansong members contribute to the external community of Asheville, North
Carolina by sonically embracing audience members, performing for the benefit of other
12 Shelemay, Kay Kaufman. 2011. "Musical Communities: Rethinking the Collective in Music." Journal of the American Musicological Society 64(2): 349-390. 13 Turino, Thomas. 2008. Music as Social Life: The Politics of Participation. Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press. 14 Mattern, Mark. 1998. Acting in Concert: Music, Community, and Political Action. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers UP.
16 organizations throughout Asheville, raising awareness of social causes, and awarding grants and scholarships to women through the choir's New Start Program. I examine the ways Womansong's programmatic choices are intended to incite social change by making others mindful of popular concerns. In Chapter Three, my focus on women's psycho-physical transformation and well- being through communal musicking will work to make intelligible the ways internal growth in the village effects external growth in society.
17 CHAPTER 1
GENDER
In this chapter, I analyze gender as it is articulated by Womansong members and consider its impact on health and healing. Each section is structured around the analysis of a song presented at the choir's twenty-fifth anniversary concert. Through the song, "Big Legged
Woman," I investigate how Womansong provides women with an environment of acceptance. In this setting, choir members feel comfortable to express themselves, have fun together, and take pride in who they are. Involvement in this space allows them to cultivate a more positive self image that ultimately leads to a healthier, more balanced life. In "I Come from Women:
Feminism and Womansong in Context," I explore how and why women's shifting concerns necessitated new modes of involvement in the feminist movement during the late twentieth century. I consider Womansong as a modern consciousness-raising group that allows its members to actively pursue liberation through communal musicking. In "Arise!: Womansong in Relation to Men," I problematize the role of men in relation to Womansong. I reveal how Womansong is still sensitive and caring toward men while celebrating and supporting the achievements of women. I analyze how female connections to nature and spirituality are articulated in
Womansong in "Gaia Medley: Nature and Spirituality in the Village." I discuss ecofeminism and the connection of Womansong to the goddess or divine feminine through music. I examine how this relationship provides Womansong members with a positive environment for health and healing. In "Helmet: Homosexuality and Protection in the Village," I explore the concepts of protection, freedom of self, and support through the lens of sexual acceptance in Womansong. I
18 take advantage of my interlocutors' voices to demonstrate that there are health benefits in
providing a community of protection and support.
Big Legged Woman: Seventy-Five Female Bodies
You walk in the bathroom, you step on the scale 'Cause I'm a big legged woman, big legged woman You read the numbers, you weep and wail A big legged woman, big legged woman But don't cry darlin', you must realize A big legged woman is a good kind of woman to be That when God made woman She made hips and thighs You know we all wanna be just a beautiful as we can She made a big legged woman, big legged woman be Made a big legged woman, big legged woman But you're beautiful already, just take it from me A big legged woman is a good kind of woman to be Stand up tall, put a smile on your face And walk those big legs all over the place I'm watchin' the TV, it makes me so mad 'Cause you're a big legged woman, say it loud! To see all those women built like boys in drag A big legged woman, sing it proud! When out on the street honey, what do I see? A big legged woman is such a good kinda woman to There's a whole lotta women look a lot like me be!15
At the twenty-fifth anniversary concert, Womansong provided an introduction to each of
the pieces on the program. In the introduction to "Big Legged Woman," one member stepped
forward and talked about the impossible standards that women must meet in order to be
considered beautiful by Western society. She said that if Barbie was a real person, she would
have impossible proportions. As the Womansong member described this, a projection of herself
appeared on the scrim behind the choir. With each description of Barbie's body the picture was
altered so that, by the end of her speech, the Womansong member looked akin to a creature from
outer space. "Big Legged Woman" and its introduction are the perfect starting point for
understanding the concept of acceptance in Womansong. Choir members feel comfortable to
express themselves, have fun together, and take pride in who they are in part because they
perform music that encourages positive self image; higher self esteem ultimately leads to a
healthier, more balanced life.
15 All song attributions are located in Appendix III.
19 "When I first joined WS Debbie asked, 'Is there anyone who would like to choreograph
Big Legged Woman for our Fall concert?' and my hand went up!" explained Holly Simms, a thirteen-year member of Womansong with bushy brown hair and a warm, sweet smile. "I felt somehow, deep inside, safe enough to do that. I worked with two other women and we choreographed it and it went over really huge with the chorus and with the audience both nights.
It was exhilarating for me!"
It is obvious why Holly was exhilarated by their reactions when the members of
Womansong laugh and play together throughout their rehearsal of "Big Legged Woman." The women let loose and enjoy themselves with no boundaries or concerns of what others might think. I believe that Womansong provides a space in which women can do this as they perform songs like "Big Legged Woman," which involve a great deal of play. The women have the freedom to "jazz up" their approach, sliding into notes or singing nonsense syllables with highly percussive hits. Those syllables are not notated in the lyrics above because they begin in the second verse as accompaniment to the main lyrics. The sopranos sing "Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-baaaa ba- baaaa!" in support of the alto melody and then repeat the same syllables and pitches in a higher
Figure 1.1: Nonsense syllables in the soprano line. octave. Later in the song there are several "ooh-wah-ooh"s that the sopranos also sing on pitch but with a certain kind of freedom in their approach to each note. On the last word of the song
20 (be!), the pitch goes repeatedly up and down by half steps to an eighth-note rhythm while the women turn to the side and shake their hips with each pitch change.
Figure 1.2: The final word of "Big Legged Woman."
Marie Jorritsma discusses this kind of "play" in South African women's church music societies in her ethnography Sonic Spaces of the Karoo: The Sacred Music of a South African
Coloured Community. She explains that being an all-female church group allows the women to take more liberties in personal creative expression and gives them the freedom to play with their singing style. She further discusses the sense of joy that seems to be inherent in their singing as a result of this freedom to play within their non-threatening, female-only group.16 This same sense of joy is perceivable in Womansong's sound and on the faces of members during their performance of "Big Legged Woman."
One of the many reasons that members, like Holly, feel safe to play in Womansong is that the village is an environment of acceptance and support. Jean Cassidy has been a member of
Womansong since 1996 and suggests that the choir's non-judgmental nature allows her freedom of self. "People always say to me, 'Oh, how do you work in a women's group? Isn't it catty?'...I find that I resent that attitude," Jean explains. "I love the fact that we can work in a way that
16 Jorritsma. Sonic Spaces of the Karoo: The Sacred Music of a South African Coloured Community. 114-16.
21 counters that perception about women in groups because it's not true. It doesn't have to be."17
In addition to an overall sense of camaraderie between the women, Womansong's musical messages strengthen women's self esteem and encourage non-judgment. In "Big Legged
Woman," women are told to cherish their bodies and value their appearance in spite of the popular conception that they have to look a certain way to be beautiful. Societal pressure to be thin and/or "attractive" comes from a number of sources and various studies have indicated resulting negative health outcomes associated with that pressure.18 In Womansong's performance of the piece, one of the members steps forward mid-song and delivers a speech to the audience:
"Now I know that each and every one of you who can hear the sound of my voice wants to be the most beautiful person you can possibly be. So believe me when I tell you that you are all truly beautiful just like you are, right now, this very second!"
Afterward, the members throw their arms in the air and sing, "Stand up tall, put a smile on your face"; they slap their thighs while exclaiming, "Walk those big legs all over the place!"
Simultaneously, the front row forms a kick line and someone in the back row holds a blow-up
17 I have no idea where the perception of cattiness in women's groups comes from. This perception is both bothersome and untrue according to my experience of women's collectives. 18 Irving, Lori M. 1990. "Mirror Images: Effects of the Standard of Beauty on the Self- and Body-Esteem of Women Exhibiting Varying Levels of Bulimic Symptoms." Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology 9(2): 230-42.
Heinberg, Leslie J. and J. Kevin Thompson. 1995. "Body Image and Televised Images of Thinness and Attractiveness: A Controlled Laboratory Investigation. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology 14(4): 325-38.
Siegel, Judith M. et al. 1999. "Body Image, Perceived Pubertal Timing, and Adolescent Mental Health." Journal of Adolescent Health 25(2): 155-65.
22 doll in the air and sways her body to the rhythm of the song. The fun spirit of play that can be heard in the music and seen in the choir's actions on stage encourages the audience to laugh and clap along. At the conclusion of the song the audience breaks into thunderous applause while the choir members giggle together. It takes a full minute before the auditorium has settled enough to move on to the next song.
Figure 1.3: Womansong members form a kick line and a blow-up doll (top left) joins the choir.
In his book House Calls: How We Can All Heal the World One Visit at a Time, Patch
Adams, M.D., writes "There is a reason for the phrase 'comic relief.' When suffering is great, there is a call for relief." One of Adams's criticisms of Western medicine is that—while several studies reveal the power of laughter to relax, ease pain, and heighten immune systems—the
23 medical field has forgotten the importance of humor in doctor-patient interaction and treatment.19 "Big Legged Woman" exemplifies the ways that Womansong provides comic relief to its members. The song's lyrics, upbeat tune, and animated choral movements make "Big
Legged Woman" the perfect vehicle for health and healing for choir and audience members.
Terri Crosby, a newer member of the group who sports strawberry-blonde hair and a wide smile, is upbeat. She remarks that Womansong is a worthwhile experience because it is fun:
It's a joyful place and if it wasn't I'd be out of there in a minute...When you sing a a joyful song, the vibration from the sound just washes through you. It's like a happy wind that comes by and takes away all the things that aren't really you in the first place and it just leaves you standing there so that you feel more pure.
In the vein of gaining a greater sense of self from joyful music performance, "Big Legged
Woman" also addresses the health issue of low self-esteem. Adams claims that, "One of the most important factors for good health is self-esteem: liking yourself in a friendly way and being glad you are you."20 Womansong's supportive and non-judgmental environment, in addition to its programmatic choices such as "Beg Legged Woman," empowers women, gives them a greater sense of self, and ultimately leads to their healing.
"Womansong's music is very uplifting. I always leave [rehearsal] feeling healed and glad that I went," remarks Holly at the end of our interview. This healing is a result of the acceptance that is offered by Womansong. This acceptance cultivates an environment in which Holly and other members can be expressive, delight in comic relief, and enjoy a sense of self-freedom. In a society where women are expected to look and act in a manner that is akin to that of a silent,
19 Adams, Patch. 1998. House Calls: How We Can All Heal the World One Visit at a Time. San Francisco: Robert Dr. Reed Publishers.14; ix-xiii. 20 Ibid. 84.
24 disproportionate, plastic doll, the freedom to dissolve those expectations can lead to a healthier,
happier, and more balanced life.
Figure 1.4: Holly (bottom left) at the twenty- fifth anniversary concert.
I Come From Women: Feminism and Womansong in Context
I come from women who gave up their power I come from women who vowed to do better I come from women who gave up their name I come from women tall and strong And I come from women who know nothing ever And I come from women who taught me I must stays the same always sing my song
I come from women tender as roses Women of wisdom, women of tears I come from women strong as stone Women who stood and embraced their fears And I come from women who know no one ever Women of struggle, women not free walks alone Women who passed the torch to me
Women of wisdom, women of tears So daughters everywhere raise fire high Women who stood and embraced their fears Lift your voices up to the sky Women of struggle, women not free Mothers and sisters of the earth Women who passed the torch to me Shout your name, reclaim your worth
I come from women who rocked their babies I come from women tender as roses I come from women who slept awake I come from women strong as stone And I come from women who guarded the fires And I come from women who taught me no one for children's sake ever fights alone
As the auditorium darkened at the twenty-fifth anniversary concert, a strong, feminine voice filled the space. She spoke about the reverence of her family for her grandmother's strength. She discussed how hard it was for her grandmother, who was a first-generation freed slave of African and Cherokee descent, and how much she looked up to her. She admitted that, as
25 she is now the eldest woman in her family, she has big shoes to fill. She finished her speech and
stepped back into the shadows with Womansong as the drums began beating to signal the
beginning of "I Come from Women."
In order to understand how gender is articulated through Womansong, it is important to
examine the choir in relation to feminism and the women's liberation movement in the United
States. In the 1980s, when Womansong was founded, shifting feminist concerns had necessitated
changes in participation in the women's liberation movement. One of these new modes of
involvement was Womansong—a place in which women could raise consciousness about
gender-related concerns and actively pursue their liberation through communal musicking.
The first wave of the women's rights movement commenced in the mid-nineteenth
century. The Seneca Falls Convention took place in 1848 at the leadership of Lucretia Mott and
Elizabeth Stanton, among others..21 It began to fade when (white) women were granted the right to vote through the nineteenth amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1920 due to the relentless efforts of women's liberation leaders such as Alice Paul and Lucy Burns. The second wave began swelling in the mid-1960s, with activist efforts on behalf of Betty Friedan, Glorida Steinam, and a number of radical and conservative women, and debatably continues into the present. Sara
Evans, feminist scholar and author of Tidal Wave: How Women Changed America at Century's
End writes that there are, "...some distinctive characteristics of [the feminist] movement as it has ebbed and flowed between the mid-1960s and the beginning of the twenty-first century."22 Due
21 All references to the women's rights movement, women's liberation, and the feminist movement focus on the movement as it has taken place in the United States. 22 Evans, Sara M. 2003. Tidal Wave: How Women Changed America at Century's End. New York, NY: Free Press. 3.
26 to these differences, some feminist scholars disagree with the continuing second wave model and
claim that a third wave of women's rights began in the mid to late-1980s.23 This thesis considers
bodies of literature that use both second and third wave feminism to describe the Womansong
era.
When discussing women's rights, it is important to note that inherent within gender
identities are multiple, even competing personal ideals concerning the feminist movement. As I
explained in the preface, Womansong is mainly composed of white American women. But what
about women who aren't white? In her ethnography Songs in Black and Lavender: Race, Sexual
Politics, and Women's Music, Eileen Hayes writes, "The women's culture of the 1970s held
meaning for countless women...yet to date, scholars have not offered a framework for thinking
about black women's collective presence in women's music."24 The feminist movement and feminism was not and is not the same for all women—especially for minorities and other marginalized groups. In view of its non-white members, but also in consideration of the diverse backgrounds of each choir member, I cannot say that the choir's views and interactions with feminism would be the same across the board for all of Womansong or for other women's choirs.
In the 1980s the Reagan administration was concerned with promoting "family values" and fought to derail feminists and their "radical" ideals by placing antifeminists in high
23 For further discussion on third (versus a continuing second) wave feminism refer to: Heywood, L. & J. Drake Eds. 1997. Third Wave Agenda: Being Feminist, Doing Feminism. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
Dicker, R., & A. Piepmeier. 2003. "Introduction." in Catching a Wave: Reclaiming Feminism for the 21st Century. Boston: Northeastern University Press. 24 Hayes, Eileen. 2010. Songs in Black and Lavender: Race, Sexual Politics, and Women's Music. Chicago: Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 1-2.
27 administrative positions. Evans writes, "The force of the backlash made feminists more invisible in the media and even to themselves in the 1980s, yet feminism not only persisted but flowed into new channels".25 Shifting concerns and problems, brought on by a changing socio-cultural environment, called for a change in activism and new modes of involvement with women's rights. Women found distinct modes of expression, used nuanced vocabularies to describe their experiences, interacted with technology and changing work environments, and responded to media classifications of feminism in differing manners. In the case of Womansong, this new mode of involvement is music rehearsal and performance. For artists and authors such as Eve
Ensler, poetry and play-writing have guided feminist responses. In politics, more women have gained seats in congress or the senate to promote female agendas. Social media has also provided feminists with modernized means of participation. Organizations such as Miss Representation often use Facebook to post encouraging feminist messages, links to news articles concerning women's health, and political reports on feminine strides and setbacks in liberation.
Figure 1.5: Linda Metzner, far right, with Womansong in 1988.
Womansong emerged as a response to the changing social landscape of the 1980s. When asked about why she founded the choir, Linda Metzner said, "Song gives people courage, it unifies them, it brings communities together. The time was right for a burgeoning of women's
25 Evans. Tidal Wave: How Women Changed America at Century's End. 176.
28 consciousness about our unique contributions to society and there was a need for women's voices to be heard." Womansong provides women with the kind of environment in which members can raise consciousness and feel safe enough to express their voices. While several members may feel safe in Womansong because they can have fun and play, there are several other reasons why women feel supported when they are with the choir. Almost every one of my interlocutors brought up the concept of "safe" during our interviews:
• "It’s a place where people feel safe to try things and feel affirmed and validated for trying them." - Althea Gonzalez
• "It’s a safe place. It’s a place you can just be a girl and you can be any version of girl you like." - Terri Crosby
• "It’s empowering for all of us because we all nurture and support each other. We provide a safe environment for personal expression." - Roberta Newman
• "It’s such a safe place to just be who you are. There is no pretense." - Winnie Barrett
I witnessed what these women described in every rehearsal this past summer. Members use openings, announcements, and the closing circle to express their creativity through songs, poems, and other artistic outlets and/or to share their feelings on intimate issues and relay personal challenges to the choir. I have observed choir members sharing a wedding announcement for a lesbian union, expressing sadness over the death of a loved one, asking for parental advice, and articulating gratitude for receiving help from Womansong in a life-long struggle with depression. Similar to a consciousness-raising group, I realized that choir members use Womansong as a vehicle for personal expression about a wide range of issues that affect them as human beings and, more specifically, as women. In the 1960s and 70s, consciousness- raising groups (or CR groups) were small women's circles—usually formed under the guise of other organizations such as book clubs or knitting groups—that were designed for women to
29 form relationships in an environment where they could share personal concerns and raise women's awareness of their individual and collective power.26 These groups were modern off- shoots of mid-nineteenth century quilting bees in which women would meet for the purpose of quilting but would be freely allowed to share in an all-female, communicative environment.
Even in current times, women participate in quilting bees and use them for consciousness-raising purposes.27 In this sense, Womansong is a modernized CR group that uses communal musicking and its village design to provide women a safe space for expression.28
However, one important difference between earlier CR groups and Womansong is that, while earlier groups were private and informed, Womansong brings consciousness-raising into the public sphere with performances of pieces that problematize women's struggles. In "I Come from Women," for example, women's struggles are primarily discussed in the past tense. The choir members are honoring their female ancestors by sharing the hardships their elders went through so that today's women could continue to grow and survive. However, those problems are suddenly brought to the present with the bridge: "So daughters everywhere raise fire high...Shout your name, reclaim your worth." In this instance, women's issues of the past are suddenly transformed into women's issues in the present and women in the present are now the ones who must be "tender as roses," "strong as stone," and "women of wisdom" who "embrace their fears"
26 For more information on CR groups during the second wave refer to: Sarachild, Kathie. 1973. "Consciousness-Raising: A Radical Weapon." Feminist Revolution. New York: Random House. 27 Roach, Susan. 1985. "The Kinship Quilt: An Ethnographic, Semiotic Analysis of a Quilting Bee." in Jordan, Rosan A. and Susan J. Kalcik Ed. Women's Folklore, Women's Culture. United States: University of Pennsylvania Press. 28 For more information on modern-day iterations of CR groups see: Sowards, Stacy K. and Valerie R. Renegar. May 2009: "The Rhetorical Functions of Consciousness-Raising in Third Wave Feminism." Communication Studies 55(4): 535-552.
30 so that life can be more fruitful for future generations of women. This passing of the torch signifies that there is still much work to be done regarding a variety of women's issues.
Womansong furthers the feminist movement in a direction that is beneficial to its members while raising audience awareness of women's struggles that still require persistent work toward freedom. In this manner, it is very much a part of the third wave of the women's liberation movement. At the twenty-fifth anniversary concert, the choir shared its feminist concerns with the audience in a very powerful way with the performance of "I Come from
Women."
The percussion in "I Come from Women" is consistent and strong. The piano accompaniment is fairly simple and fortifies the vocal lines. This reinforcement adds a thicker texture to the music and fills the room with a certain measure of intensity. When the choir begins singing, the volume is piano and they sing the lyrics with percussive, but light, hits. With each verse, the choir raises its volume and heightens the percussive attacks. By the bridge, it sounds as if the women are shouting as they "lift [their] voices to the sky." While Debbie conducts, she is rocking back and forth and throwing her arms through the air. As the song nears its close, different sections sing the phrases, "I come from women" and "FREE!" repeatedly. Debbie then lowers her arms and calms her movement and the choir begins to lower their volume until each voice in every section slowly dies out. The song cuts off and the members of Womansong are left standing with their mouths closed, their brows furrowed, and their eyes narrowed until the lights fade. There are at least ten seconds of tense silence until someone in the front of the auditorium bursts into applause and the rest of the audience follows suit.
31 "If you are internally conflicted about one thing or another, you feel you have to be on guard. You can’t really be yourself," remarks Winnie Barrett, a seventeen-year Womansong member. "To be in an environment where everyone is accepted and no one is chastised...Wow, how powerful it is." Winnie's reference to the empowering nature of Womansong is not surprising because the choir has demonstrated itself as a force for women's liberation. The choir's music and village design—which support feminist messages through consciousness-raising in rehearsal and through public performances—reveal a true concern for the health, good-will, and advancement of the modern woman.
Arise!: Men in Relation to Womansong
Arise, then women of this day From the bosom of the devastated earth Arise all women who have hearts A voice goes up with our own Whether your baptism be of water or of tears Disarm! Disarm! Arise In the name of womanhood and humanity Our men shall not come to us Let us solemnly take counsel with each other Reeking of carnage for caresses and applause As to the means whereby the great human family Our sons shall not be taken from us Can live in peace To unlearn all that we have taught them of The great and gen'ral int'rests of peace Charity, mercy, and patience Arise, then women of this day We women of one country will be too tender Arise all women who have hearts To those of another country to allow our sons Whether your baptism be of water or of tears To be trained to injure theirs Arise!
In one of my first presentations on Womansong, an audience member asked a question that I had not anticipated: "What about men?" I swiftly explained that Womansong is sensitive and caring toward men while celebrating and supporting the achievements of women. The choir members do not hate men and men are generally supportive of Womansong. It is my hope that this discussion allows readers to understand how and why Womansong is a choir that places male involvement and well-being among its feminist concerns.
32 At the beginning of second wave feminism, there was disagreement among several
women's organizations about how they should fight for their own liberation. For example, when
the National Organization for Women officially endorsed abortion, women who were displeased
with the decision branched off to form a more conservative group entitled Women's Equity
Action League. In other instances, the new feminism—which was endorsed by "radical"
organizations such as the Chicago-based West Side Group—pledged to reject traditional
women's roles. Other women, such as members of Women's Strike for Peace (WSP), disagreed
with West Side Group and felt that it was best to embrace their roles as mothers, wives, and
sisters in order to fight against injustice to women and to protest issues that affected both men
and women, such as war. This often angered the radical feminists because they believed fighting
against war in the name of motherhood was more for mothers'—not women's—rights. By
fighting for mothers' rights and embracing traditional roles, opponents to this line of thinking
argued that women ultimately classified themselves as subordinate to men.29
While I sympathize with the modern feminist view that women should not use traditional
roles as their sole means in the fight for liberation, there is a component of the traditional view
that I support. Celebrating motherhood demonstrates a sensitivity and care for men which can be
quite tangible and advantageous to the female cause. Some early feminists received a negative
rapport and were less effective in their efforts because people believed that they hated men.30
However, feminism's current iteration strives to argue women's struggles as a result of difference
29 For a more in-depth discussion on the struggle between traditional and modern feminist groups in the second wave refer to: Evans. Tidal Wave: How Women Changed America at Century's End. Chapter 2. 30 In Tidal Wave, Evans claims that the stigma of feminism throughout the 1980s and early 90s left women who still cared about feminist concerns feeling defenseless and isolated.
33 rather than oppression. Rather than victimizing women—which undermines the feminist cause by portraying them as weak—females are celebrated for their accomplishments in their own right.
The fact that Womansong added "Arise!" to its twenty-fifth anniversary concert program reflects that the group cares deeply about men.31 The song's lyrics encourage women to exercise their rights as matriarchs in keeping families together: "Our men will not come to us reeking of carnage...Our sons will not be taken from us to unlearn all that we have taught them...We women of one country will be too tender to those of another country to allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs." The music is organized in a four, and sometimes five, part hymn style. It includes moments of unison, phrases of rich harmony, and the occasional poignant statement of dissonance. At several moments in the piece, this word-painting strengthens the message of the song. In measures 30-31, for example, the vocal parts are in unison while singing the lyrics, "In the name of womanhood." In measure 36, the words "great human family" are also sung in unison. However, in measure 38, the word "peace" is dissonant, which implies that while these mothers are fighting for peace, it has not yet been reached. The consonant harmonies in the last line (measures 45-46) on the words, "Whether your baptism be of water or of tears," gently flow into unison on the syllable "A-" and a strong, fortissimo G-major chord on "-rise!" As a whole, the song builds strength from the first note through the last. Womansong begins singing in a soft and restricted manner. The choir seems to be filled with sweet, quiet women who are sharing a story rather than supporting a message. As the song builds, the choir's volume and articulations also build. By the time Womansong reaches the words "Disarm! Disarm!" the choir's message is
31 While renouncing war is also an important component of Womansong's identity and beliefs, I've chosen to reflect on that topic later in the manuscript.
34 clear. The manifesto is further strengthened as the tempo, volume, and articulations are increased through the last note.
Figure 1.6: The final stave of "Arise!"
"Arise!" allows the choir to put forth a feminist agenda that promotes peace between men and women. The choir realizes that it can still celebrate women in terms of their differences and accomplishments without having to criticize or blame men. In turn, the men in Asheville are generally supportive of Womansong. Attendance at Womansong concerts is mixed between men and women and men are often part of the Womanstrong volunteer team at each performance. At the twenty-fifth anniversary concert, I volunteered in concessions and at the product table with men who enthusiastically worked shifts before, during intermission, and after each show.
Other men such as Althea's (Womansong's co-assistant director) son, Allijah, have grown up with mothers who are in Womansong and attended concerts and social gatherings since childhood. Being exposed to Womansong has contributed to his growth and positive personal experiences. He explains his (near) life-long relationship with Womansong to me in a couple of simple sentences, "They are insane and fun and boisterous and really loving. They have been a wonderful support system for me throughout my life. Womansong members have helped me find
35 jobs, places to stay, donated money, and given me rides. They are a great example of how to treat people that you love."
Figure 1.7: Allijah and Althea enjoy a moment together.
There are other men, who don't have a direct connection to Womansong through family bonds, that simply enjoy concerts and choose to go in support of the choir. Jean Cassidy, featured in the previous discussion on "Big Legged Woman," writes and arranges music that is sometimes performed by Womansong. She shares one of her most meaningful after-concert experiences with a man who had an intense reaction to her song, "It Depends on Love":
There was this big guy in line with a crew cut, his sleeves rolled up, and tattoos on his arm and I thought, “Oh, he hated it and he’s gonna chew me out.” He got up to me and whispered very low, “I write too. I hadn’t done anything in so long and you’ve inspired me to write more music and more songs. Thank you very much!” He was so sweet and he had tears in his eyes.
Sharron St. John is an older member of the choir with big, round glasses that just barely help to hide the laugh lines on her face. Her Michigan accent reminds me of my grandmother. She shares a story about her interaction with a man at one of Womansong's shows:
I remember one time there was a younger fellow in the audience and I observed him while we were singing at the concert. I just thought, “I wonder what brought him here?" At the break I got in conversation with him and he says, “My
36 girlfriend dragged me here kickin’ and screamin’, but I sure am glad I came.” We’re reaching an audience of younger and older, men and women, and it touches people’s hearts.
"Arise!" reveals how and why Womansong is a choir that places male involvement and
well-being among its feminist concerns. From husbands and sons, to local male volunteers, and
unknowing male audience members, men are embraced by Womansong's wide-reaching arms.
My interlocutors' comments demonstrate that Womansong extends its communal, loving spirit to
men and women equally.
Gaia Medley: Nature and Spirituality in the Village
Oshun, Oshun, Oshun Mother of abundance, mother of healing I humble myself to your mystery Oshun, Oshun, Oshun Oshun, Oshun, Oshun I humble myself to your mystery I humble myself to Oshun Oshun, Oshun, Oshun Mother of the river, mother of the dance I humble myself to Oshun
The "Gaia Medley" demonstrates Womansong's connection to nature and spirituality.
This female connection with nature and nature spirits, or goddesses, became intertwined with
female concerns in the last half of the twentieth century to form ecofeminism. In this section, I
use the "Gaia Medley" as a vantage point from which to discuss ecofeminism and the connection
of Womansong to the goddess or divine feminine through music. I examine how this relationship
provides Womansong members with a positive environment for health and healing.
The opening of "Gaia Medley," "Oshun," is slow and almost trance-like. The
instrumentation features the piano and rain stick with a legato melodic embellishment that is
played by the violin. The choir sings rich, consonant harmonies in a pacifying, chant-like fashion
above the instruments. The vocal line, which also leisurely descends in pitch and dynamic,
prompts me to feel as if I am floating downward into a dreamy, storybook fantasy. During the
twenty-fifth anniversary performance, the lights are dim and Shiner softens her movements in
37 response to the tranquil music and in reverence for the goddess Oshun. Downstage, there is an
improvised dance solo by a performer who is clad in a flowing dress, neck scarf, and goddess
mask. Her long blonde and silver braid swishes back and forth as she manipulates her limbs in
slow and controlled but seemingly effortless extensions. The light and simple layered vocal
harmonies provide lyrics that convey Oshun's qualities and the choir's reverence for her natural
connections with the river and abundance.
Figure 1.8: The masked dancer.
While sitting with me on her back porch during a sunny mid-June afternoon, Sharron St.
John explains a deciding factor in her move to Asheville. "I've always loved the woods, the
mountains, the rivers. The woods and nature here just completely surround me. It's..." her speech
trails off as she sighs and looks from the porch to a butterfly that is flitting between flowers in
her garden. Sharron is not the only member of Womansong who enjoys communing with nature.
In fact, several other choir members relocated to Asheville because they feel a close connection with the lush mountains that surround the city.
38 "Oshun" was composed by Womansong founder, Linda Metzner, and evokes a female
relationship to nature. The instrumentation, lyrics, and dancer combine to paint a picture of a
deep and spiritual connection between women and the earth. Sara M. Evans discusses this
heightened relationship between women, spirituality, and nature in her book Tidal Wave: How
Women Changed America at Century's End. She explains that as a result of growing and changing needs within the feminist movement, the movement broke off into several kinds of feminisms in the United States during the 1980s. One of those branches was "ecofeminism."
Evans writes that ecofeminists, "asserted that women had a unique vantage point from which to speak out against both patriarchal domination and ecological devastation." She also draws attention to early ecofeminist writings which claim that men are destroying both women and nature, women must defend nature, and nature and women are one in the same.32
Ecofeminism has taken its own form within musicology. Denise Von Glahn discusses the
various connections between women and nature in her book Music and the Skillful Listener:
American Women Compose the Natural World. While she does not claim that women enjoy a
closer relation to nature simply by virtue of their ability to carry children, she does believe that
women were traditionally more appreciative of the smaller aspects of nature, or the "intimate
relationships that bind humanity and the greater natural world." She discusses these intimate
relationships in her book but also traces a line of transition from earlier to present female
composers. She demonstrates that earlier women were often restrained within a domestic sphere
and therefore wrote about aspects of nature that were closer to home such as flowers and
32 Evans. Tidal Wave: How Women Changed America at Century's End. 207-09.
39 butterflies. As women's access to nature expanded their compositions reflected larger subjects such as waterfalls and canyons.33
Regarding intimate relationships, Va Boyle articulates her connection to the mountains with a different kind of love in mind. Va and Jean live in a hilltop homestead that was designed by the women themselves. After their interview, they walked with me outside to say goodbye and
I commented on their home's natural surroundings. Va leaned in with a smirk and said, "The mountains are so beautiful." She held her hands up in the air, curving her palms downward so that they seemed to replicate the mountain view and laughed, "They're like breasts! No wonder I love it here!"
***
After the choir's last extended note on "-un" of "Oshun," the lights come up on two of the choir's members, Jane Stanhope and Barbara Newman, who begin singing a duet. The second movement of the "Gaia Medley," "Kodesh Eema," has the slow adagio pace of the Brahms'
"Lullaby" combined with the kind of sweet and flowing harmonized blend that one would expect to hear in the Delibes' "Flower Duet." The melody is embellished by a call and response relationship between the violin and the vocalists. As the soprano and mezzo gently back away from the notes at the end of each phrase, the violin lightly steps in to remind the audience of the soft but powerful vocal statement. The background noise includes gentle, crooning consonant
"ooh"s that repeatedly reach upward and then descend so that the choir seems as if it's floating in the air behind the featured duo. The lyrics focus on the abilities of Kodesh Eema and the reverence of the musicians for her divinity:
33 Von Glahn, Denise. 2011. "American Women and the Nature of Identity." Journal of the American Musicological Society 64 (2): 399-403.
40 Kodesh Eema, Holy Mother So here you will enter and make us all new We invite you, we adore you, welcome And in this way, enlighten us Shekinah Our Shekinah, Queen of Heaven So you will be a sign of hope to all people Light your spark of hope unto all people Kodesh Eema, Holy Mother We open our minds and hearts to you
This reverence for female goddesses, such as Oshun, Kodesh Eema, and Gaia,34 is an important aspect of ecofeminism. Evans describes how the sub-movement became tied with a feminine spirituality initiative that valued female divinities:
For many ecofeminists it was important to evoke an earlier time, only hinted at in the archaeological record, when societies were less patriarchal, when divinities were female as well as male, and when human beings coexisted with nature in a more harmonious way than in the modern Industrial Age.35
Linda Metzner saw herself as subscribing to this set of beliefs in the late 1980s: "To me [the feminist movement] was taking a more spiritual aspect and that was the avenue that I was going toward. I was heading in the direction of not only political and social change but consciousness of the goddess and the divine feminine." Because of the broader movement and her own spiritual leanings, Linda began composing and arranging more songs about nature and spirituality for
Womansong. This ultimately lent to the creation of the "Gaia Medley."
Though the choir does not support any one religion in particular, many of its members believe in spirit, energy, and the ability of music to interact with the divine or to function as a conduit between positive spiritual energy and individuals. Debbie comments on her belief in this relationship: "Before words were written, song gave voice to the expression of the spirit and praise of God, the goddess, and creation. It still continues to do that, individually and
34 For discussion on the origins of these goddesses, who they are, and what they signify, refer to: Agha-Jaffar, Tamara. 2004. Women and Goddesses in Myth and Sacred Text. US: Pearson. 35 Evans. Tidal Wave: How Women Changed America at Century's End. 209.
41 collectively." This comment touches on both concepts of spirituality and nature and embodies the essence of "Gaia Medley."
***
The little girl behind me says, "ooooh," as the lights lift into a warm orange and the piano begins to accompany the flute introduction in the last movement of the "Gaia Medley." The flute's balmy timbre matches the warmth of the lighting and the dancer's affectionate expression as she retakes the stage without the goddess mask; her hair hangs loosely below her shoulders.
The flute provides listeners with a preview of the vocal melody that follows. The song has one verse and it is repeated several times:
Come breath with us Gaia As we walk connected to you Rise up and sing within our hearts Never more to part
The flute rests during the first verse while the choir sings the lyrics in unison. In the second verse, Womansong explodes into colorful harmonies and the piano and flute continue their accompaniment in the background. The dynamics are louder and the song's steady 4/4 meter begins to gain more power. Throughout the first three iterations of the verse, the vocal lines in each part become more ornamented so that by the third mention of "Gaia" the word dances through the air on a repeated eighth-note rhythm.
Figure 1.9: Repeated eighth-notes on "Gaia."
By the fourth repetition, Debbie turns to face the audience and throws out her arms to signal that Womansong wishes everyone else to join them. The lyrics are suddenly projected on
42 the screen and the audience sings, causing the texture and volume to rapidly increase. Below the
projected lyrics and behind the choir is a soft pink light that continues to glow brighter and take
up more space on the scrim until Womansong is enveloped in a hot pink, glowing sunset. The
growth and intensity of the light matches the music as the song nears the last iteration of the
verse. Debbie turns back toward the choir and their volume continues to grow. The meter slows
in anticipation of a big finish and the lyrics of the medley come full circle with the choir
incorporating the names "Oshun" and "Kodesh Eema" into the background before the final line.
The melody reaches upward, as if climbing toward Heaven, and the choir hits a full, strong,
dissonant chord before resolving with a brighter consonant harmony on the word "part."
Figure 1.10: The dancer has removed her mask and braid; Debbie asks the audience to join.
There is literature on the power of spirituality to heal by relieving a patient's suffering and
providing them with comforting hope for a cure or for less pain in the "afterlife." In House Calls,
Patch Adams discusses a difficult situation in which spirituality helped relieve the suffering of a family:
When I was a medical student, I remember being in an emergency room and having to pronounce to a family that their son had died as the result of a car
43 accident. In reviewing his chart, I noticed they were Christians. I had been given no tools in my education to help ease suffering other than pills. I knew that pills were no answer in this situation. I decided to suggest that we pray. To this day, I'm amazed at the power that this gesture had in relieving their suffering. Since then I have insisted on understanding the particular faith of my patient. Whenever patients are suffering I like to encourage them to get in touch with their faith.36
Other physicians have become interested in the relationship of spirituality and health and are beginning to encourage more interdisciplinary research on the topic. In "Religion, Spirituality, and Healing: Research, Dialogue, and Directions," Harold G. Koenig, M.D., explores the relationship between health and spirituality based on his own experience and the research of other scholars and practitioners. He concludes that spirituality can have both positive and negative effects on health but that, either way, there is a definitive connection between the two.
He suggests that physicians learn how exploration of spirituality can, if appropriate, contribute to their practice. He also encourages more interdisciplinary scholarship in health and spirituality studies.37
The testimonies of Womansong members, such as Debbie and Sharron, reveal that spirituality contributes to their comfort and sense of balance. "Womansong is definitely a spiritual comfort. That and the woods are my church," says Sharron when discussing the healing abilities of nature, spirituality, and music. The lyrics, music, and choreography of "Oshun,"
"Kodesh Eema," and "Come Breathe with Us Gaia" describe the relationship that Debbie discusses between nature and the divine. By referencing Oshun as goddess of the river and mother of healing in the lyrics, mimicking a rise to Heaven/the divine in the melody, and
36 Adams. House Calls: How We Can All Heal the World One Visit at a Time. 106. 37 Koenig, Harold G. 2008. "Religion, Spirituality, and Healing: Research, Dialogue, and Directions." in Koen, Benjamin D. et al Ed. The Oxford Handbook of Medical Ethnomusicology. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
44 expressing through movement a balanced relationship with the earth, Womansong uses performance to highlight the importance of nature and spirituality in the circle of health. Through
"Gaia Medley," the intimate relationship between women, nature, and spirituality is displayed in ways that several Womansong members—including Sharron, in her reverence for backyard nature and Va, in her reverence for the mountains and female shapeliness—can appreciate.
Figure 1.11: Sharron (front and center, with the calculator) and other members of Womansong enjoy the outdoors.
Helmet: Homosexuality and Protection in the Village
I can remember how it started But how can they argue with true serenity? I followed the firemen, I dreamed of the If they would only try just once to wear a helmet astronauts The world would be a better place They looked so happy in their shiny metal headgear Come try my helmet on I knew that inside they were smiling Nothing can do you wrong Come try my helmet on I've got my helmet on Ya dop ba dop ba dop ba dop bah Nothing can do me wrong I've got my helmet on In shining rows they sit in every beauty parlor Ya dop ba dop ba dop ba dop bah Down in the coal mines lighting the way From distant battle fields to the tiniest motor My mother feared I was abnormal scooter I'd take out the colander and put it on my head There is peace on every single face People are happy when they know they are protected Come try my helmet on Just let me tell you why I'm smiling Nothing can do you wrong Come try my helmet on My friends all tell me I'm retreating Ya dop ba dop ba dop ba dop bop, Bah!
45 We moved [to Asheville] and shortly after that there was an add in one of the alternative papers that said something like 'Woman’s Chorus Seeks Director.’ Part of it made me a little concerned, thinking, ‘Do I have to be a bra-burning feminist?’ I'd always thought of myself as a feminist in the general sense of equal rights but I wasn’t out burning bras and that sort of thing. However, I called the person doing the search and she explained, ‘Oh no! It’s not that you have to be a radical feminist it’s just that we wanted to attract the kind of person that was open-minded to women’s rights and women’s issues—not a close-minded sort of person who wouldn’t accept some of the members in our group.’ Later I found out it was because some of the members in the group are lesbians. I’d always had friends that were lesbians so it was never an issue with me but there was, and still is, quite a bit of discrimination in society against gay people. All they were trying to do was make sure that whoever was there was open enough to accept all women. - Debbie Nordeen
Protection, freedom, and support are important to Womansong. In this chapter, I explore
these concepts through the lens of sexual acceptance. Debbie's story demonstrates that, for
Womansong—half of whose members are gay—sexual acceptance is necessary. My interlocutors
demonstrate that Womansong provides a protective and supportive community for all of its
members and that this environment encourages happy, healthy living.
In Tidal Wave, Sara Evans discusses the gulf between lesbian and straight feminists in the
1960s and 70s and refers to it as a "focal point for divisions within the women's movement."38
These divisions were due to a number of issues including general discrimination toward lesbians, the fear that lesbianism would make feminism's arguments less viable, and concerns with family politics.39 When discussing Womansong and homosexuality, Womansong member Jean Cassidy brought attention to this issue, "There has been such a big split between straight and lesbian
38 Evans. Tidal Wave: How Women Changed America at Century's End. 53. 39 Family politics involve issues surrounding marriage, childbirth, and other such domestic concerns. Ibid. 49-54.
46 women in our history, especially in the late '60s and early '70s, but in Womansong I have to look
around and consciously think of who's who and that's nice."
Figure 1.12: Jean's partner, Va Boyle (left), dawns her helmet in the twenty-fifth anniversary concert.
In Womansong, members are not banned from disclosing their sexual orientation nor are
they pressured to make it a topic of discussion. They are allowed the freedom to be who they are
and love who they love without drawing attention to it unless they choose. In other words, while
several members may identify as homosexual, they choose not to define themselves by that
single characteristic. In this context, homosexuality is a natural, rather than a controversial, way
of life. This perspective was new to Winnie Barrett, who is a woman with short, graying hair and
a round face.40
I had never spent any time around lesbians before I came to Womansong. I knew a few but we weren't really friends. I was a mental health professional for twenty years and was trained in an era when they thought that being gay was pathological and something to be gotten over. I wouldn't say I was homophobic—just cautious because of lack of experience. But Womansong just shattered all that, which was wonderful. In Womansong, there is such a breaking down of barriers so that you really do feel like you’re part of a whole. It's not them and us, [gay and straight], and that's so refreshing.
40 Her demeanor reminds me of the Beauty and the Beast character Mrs. Pots. This might be because we had our interview over high tea near the Biltmore Estate.
47 Womansong is not unique in its tenet to accept members regardless of sexual orientation.
This kind of support for sexual freedom is common within non-religious American choral settings. I have performed with community and college choirs across the United States and discovered that many groups provide a nurturing environment to members of all sexual preferences. The reason why I've chosen to highlight support for sexual freedom within
Womansong is because it is a good example of the kind of protection that the choir offers its members. Homosexuality may not be a regular topic of discussion but if it were to become one, in a negative way, Debbie's story (above) reveals that the choir would be supportive and protective of its members in any way necessary.
In May of 2012, Amendment One was passed in North Carolina. Among other restrictions, this amendment banned homosexual marriage in the state. Jan Mallendine is a ten year member of Womansong with square glasses, a hearty laugh, and a generally positive attitude. She explains to me how she felt about the amendment and how Womansong has provided her with an environment to express her love no matter what North Carolina's laws require:
In Womansong, we all listen with love and understanding. It's a safe space. The directors make sure that it's safe. When time came to propose to Beth [Jan's partner] I couldn't think of anywhere else that I wanted to do it. I knew that Womansong would be a safe, wonderful place that would surprise her.
When we got engaged I didn't even know that Amendment One was going to exist and as the voting started we were already planning the wedding. It was surreal planning this incredible wedding with 250 people and having our pictures in different papers but yet having this other hate-filled stuff going on as well. I'm on a committee to educate people on Amendment One and sometimes I just sit back and say, "How does the rest of the world not get this? How do they not get it?"
I was married to a man, he died in a scuba diving accident. We had children together. I know what love is, I know what commitment is, and the same feeling
48 that I have for Beth is the same feeling that I had for Dale. They're different individuals but why is one ok and the other not ok? Womansong is a place that showed its love and support all the way through my relationship with Beth. It is a very healing place for me.
At the twenty-fifth anniversary concert, the supportive and loving choir members that Jan speaks of suddenly pull decorative headdresses from behind their backs and place them on their heads. The audience laughs at this group of seventy-five women with anything from colanders to giant stuffed horses atop their heads. The altos begin a percussive, repeated eighth-note vocal accompaniment on "banananananana" that leads into a fun chorus of nonsense syllables. Within the first fifteen seconds the audience is roaring with laughter and the choir members are smiling uncontrollably.
Figure 1.13: "Bananananananana" into "Badadadadada."
The score of "Helmet" is simple. The song is in common time and sung at a walking pace. With the exception of a few seventh chords, the harmonies are fairly consonant. What really gives the piece its character—besides the seventy-five women in goofy headgear—is the vocal percussion and nonsense syllables. Most of this takes place in the alto line, which also gives the piece a fuller, deeper sound. In fact, the only words that are in the alto part for the entire song are "way" and "on every single face." Another uncomplicated characteristic of
Helmet is repetition. The structure of the piece is verse, chorus, verse, chorus, verse, bridge,
49 chorus, chorus. The song is memorable because of this quality in conjunction with the clear vocal line. "Helmet" occupied the middle position on the program, but even after the concert was over audience members left humming or whistling the song's melody.
Figure 1.14: The altos continue singing nonsense syllables.
While the music to "Helmet" is fairly simple, and its presentation highly comedic, the message of the song is clear: "People are happy when they know they are protected." By being a member of Womansong, women are automatically offered protection. They are free to be who they are and to express themselves in whatever manner they would like. Whether this expression takes form in the sharing of a poem, offering opinions, or declaring love for another woman, choir members are able to wear Womansong as their proverbial helmet and to enjoy the benefits of unconditional support.
While literature exists on the compromised health of homosexuals who lack societal support,41 little material exists on the benefits of being accepted within a communal environment
41 Refer to the following articles on the negative health outcomes in homosexuals as a result of non-acceptance: Ryan, Caitlin Et al. 2009. "Family Rejection as a Predictor of Negative Health Outcomes in White and Latino Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Young Adults." Pediatrics 123(1): 346-52.
D'Augelli, Anthony R. and Scott L. Hershberger. 1993. "Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Youth in Community Settings: Personal Challenges and Mental Health Problems. American Journal of Community Psychology 21(4): 421-48.
D'Augelli, Anthony R., Neil W. Pilkington, and Scott L. Hershberger. 2002. "Incidence and Mental Health Impact of Sexual Orientation Victimization of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Youths in High School." School Psychology Quarterly 17(2): 148.
50 in which members are supported whether they are gay or straight. Research on health benefits for lesbians in communal musicking environments is virtually non-existent. While there is literature on women's music and sexuality, such as Eileen Hayes's Songs in Black and Lavendar: Race,
Sexual Politics, and Women's Music and Cynthia M. Lont's Women's Music: No Longer a Small
Private Party,42 none of it directly explores the positive health benefits of sexual acceptance in a communal musicking environment. My interlocutors, however, have demonstrated that there are positive health benefits connected with membership in Womansong. I suggest more systematic research on this subject and more collaboration between gender studies, queer studies, and medical ethnomusicology in the future.
Andrea Davis, a member of Womansong since 2002, says, "The culture of Womansong is one of love and acceptance. We are a mainstay of each other's support, we're interconnected, we're there for each other." This environment has allowed choir members to be who they are without repercussions and to love who they love without restrictions. This leads to health benefits for members of all sexualities.
Figure 1.15: The members of Womansong dawn their helmets.
42 Hayes. Songs in Black and Lavender: Race, Sexual Politics, and Women's Music.
Lont, Cynthia M. 1992. "Women's Music: No Longer a Small Private Party." in Garofalo, Reebee, Ed. Rockin' the Boat: Mass Music and Mass Movements. Cambridge: South End Press.
51 CHAPTER 2
COMMUNITY
Chapter Two is dedicated to the exploration of communal musicking and the "village" concept. Continuing with the analysis of music from the Anniversary concert, in "You'll Never
Walk Alone: What is a Village?" I examine Womansong's village concept, as articulated by its members, and the choir's mission and principles. I analyze how communal musicking provides participants with a sense of belonging that contributes to their health and healing. In "True
Colors: Identity, Shared Experiences of Loss, and Communal Musicking in the Village," I explore how choir members create their own social memories and meanings through communal musicking in Womansong and how they integrate shared experiences into individual and group identities. I further problematize how common experiences can relieve suffering and provide members with a greater sense of belonging and, consequently, more balanced health. In "Heal
Me: Communitas, Belonging, and Leadership in the Village," I consider how communitas is experienced through communal musicking in Womansong. I analyze how the choir's strong but humble leadership combines with communitas to create a healthy sense of belonging in the village. In "I Will Carry You: Concepts of Care in the Village," I synthesize concepts of self and mutual care in the village as they are experienced and articulated by Womansong members.
You'll Never Walk Alone: What is a Village?
When you walk through a storm, hold your head Walk on through the wind up high Walk on through the rain And don't be afraid of the dark Though your dreams be tossed and blown At the end of the storm, is a golden sky Walk on, walk on with hope in your heart And the sweet silver song of a lark And you'll never walk alone
52 Womansong's village concept is a pillar of the choir's existence. The choir's mission and principles often incorporate the term or concept of "community" and refer specifically to
Womansong's community as a village. Womansong's village is unique in that it is designed around communal musicking. In this section, my interlocutors relay that partaking in
Womansong's communal musicking village provides participants with a sense of belonging that contributes to their health and healing.
During the early stages of my fieldwork, I was already planning on investigating the sense of community within Womansong but, after hearing members repeatedly refer to the choir as a village, this self-referential term prompted me to add another question to my interviews
—"What does the word 'village' mean to you?" Some answers that I received were:
• It means everybody pitching in to create a worthwhile experience. - Terri Crosby
• We are not just a chorus. It’s a communal effort in a traditional sense—it’s about survival. Whenever anything happens that is significant in someone’s life people are there cheering them on, or offering condolences, or bringing food, or taking them to the doctor. - Shiner Antiorio
• A village is a community that strives for wholeness and unity amongst its members so that, even if there is conflict, the goal is harmony. - Karen Smith43
• It means that we’re there for each other. It doesn’t mean that all of us have to be there for everybody but it means—especially now that we’re as big as we are—that there are enough people there for each one who has a need. I think a functional village is one where you have fun, where there’s not a lot of gossip or back-biting, where you help each other out when it’s needed, where you celebrate each other’s joys, and Womansong really does all of that. - Sharron St. John
• We have a village that's very supportive and empowering. It's not just a chorus—it's almost like our own culture. - Mirra Price
The above quotes about the village reveal that involvement in Womansong is communal on various levels. "You'll Never Walk Alone" is a piece that musically describes this communal
43 This name has been changed at the request of my interlocutor.
53 environment. As compared to some of Womansong's other musical selections, such as chants and rounds with one melody line, "You'll Never Walk Alone" requires extensive effort in pitch blend, vocal range, and breath support. Choir members often enjoy this piece because of its message and its challenging vocal parts. Linda Newman is a petite 9-year Womansong member with curly black hair who has performed in a variety of venues. She excitedly explains that "You'll Never
Walk Alone" is one of her favorite pieces because, "I get to be a full-fledged soprano and sing all the high notes!"
Figure 2.1: High notes on the "eh" syllable in measures 56 and 58.
The song not only requires effort on the soprano part to hit the high notes but is composed of complicated harmonies. These harmonies require Womansong members to hold their parts while simultaneously blending with the pitches of other voices. In measures 56 and
58, the vocalists sing some of the highest notes in the piece on the word "never." It can be particularly hard to blend pitch on the "eh" syllable and the singers have to garner a strong senseof focus and use communal effort to produce a unified sound. It truly takes a village to perform an arrangement of this magnitude.
In addition to the score, members like Susan Bird enjoy singing "You'll Never Walk
Alone" for other reasons. "I like the more serious ones," says Susan. "I love 'You'll Never Walk
54 Alone' because of the message." The lyrics are effective in terms of promoting the communal
mission of Womansong. The lyrics to this piece are supportive and empowering: "Walk on
through the wind, walk on through the rain, though your dreams be tossed and blown." At the
height of the music's complexity, the part which requires the most communal effort, the subject
of the song is not just walking on but moving forward with the support of outside forces: "Walk
on with hope in your heart and you'll never walk alone." This song reveals that Womansong's
village, in addition to existing through members' behaviors and interactions, exists in the choir's
repertoire.
Womansong's official Mission and Guiding Principles are an important representation of
the choir's goals, concerns, and beliefs. I've listed them here and interwoven my interlocutor's
comments that reinforce its main points. The mission and principles are in bold while comments from Womansong members are non-bold typeface:
MISSION:
• Sing together for joy and the creation of community. When I say village it means a community that gathers for more than one purpose. I think that’s why I like to call it a village. In a village you have your little separate huts but then you come together as a community to work on projects together and to support one another. - Debbie Nordeen
• Provide a safe, nurturing environment for musical expression and creativity. It's a place where there are friends that help and support each other. - Susan Bird
• Support local women in need through our New Start Program. Refer to Chapter 3 for more discussion on the New Start Program.
• Perform quality music that elicits joy and affirms social justice and unity. To me, it’s closeness, it’s a community...people helping other people out, people feeling comfortable that you can ask for help and give help. Just having fun with them. Being able to know them and love them. Like an extended family, basically. - Claudette Wren
55 PRINCIPLES:
• We value Womansong as a nurturing village and a high-quality performance group and we cultivate both. We’re a village of women, we’re a village of hearts, we’re a village of singers. We celebrate with each other, we mourn with each other, we grow with each other. - Althea Gonzalez
• We value the power of music and believe that our singing uplifts, inspires, unites, and heals. It's so enriching, it's good for my soul. It's an amazing community. I'm a bit of a lone wolf in many respects but to be a part of a group, like Womansong, that's so nurturing, caring, loving, and produces so many good things together...it's just been life changing for me. - Annie Doucette
• We value community and believe that care and respect for each other are key ingredients of our work. Everyone has their own job in our village. We all need to do these jobs on a volunteer basis in order for this village to function. We all have a role to do and it takes all of us to pull off something of this magnitude.We can be very different in terms of who we are as individuals, but we all contribute for the betterment of the village. - Jan Mallindine
• We value the empowerment of women, and we support women in improving their lives. It’s a group of people who know each other and who live together. We celebrate our happy occasions together, we support each other in sickness and in health, we celebrate weddings or the birth of a child or grandchild. We’ve had babies that have grown up in Womansong. We have social occasions, pot lucks, and times when we get together. - Roberta Newman
• We value diversity and believe that accepting and respecting individual differences enriches us, our music and our community. I see it as a group of people who aren't necessarily all like-minded or all the same but we come together to support one another, to encourage one another, and to learn about those differences and work with them in a harmonious way. - Liz Ference
• We value joy and believe that laughter heals and fosters spiritual connections. Village means a group of women that not only you can count on but you have a lot of fun with. - Diane Hammar
56 • We value excellence and believe that each member’s efforts and dedication are essential to Womansong’s success. I am not in a position of leadership and I don’t choose to be in a position of leadership because that's just not me. Yet I feel just as accepted and as valuable a member as those who really take the leadership position. - Holly Simms
• Love is the heartbeat of our music and our Womansong community. A village is commonality, working together for a common purpose, support, caring, nurturing, and loving. - Rebecca Corwin
Theresa A. Allison’s article, “Songwriting and Transcending Institutional Boundaries in
the Nursing Home,” is based on communal healing experiences of the elderly in a Jewish-
American retirement home. Her case study is an example of how communal musicking,
especially in a community of older American adults, can be a beneficial tool for health and
healing. In the article's prelude Allison writes, "As an ethnomusicologist, I return again and again to the importance of music in creating a sense of community and in enabling people to transcend their everyday lives."44 My original interest when I began this work lay in studying the "sense of
community" in Womansong. My understanding of community involvement deepened as I
explored Womansong's self-referential "village" concept. My interlocutor Andrea Davis—a tall,
robust, short-haired woman who works as a nurse practitioner in Asheville's VA hospital—
unknowingly corrected the "sense of community" concept in her interview. When asked what
village meant to her, Andrea began by saying, "Some people refer to a sense of community in
Womansong. I wouldn’t even say there is a sense of community because it is a community, not
just the sense of one." This statement reveals the intense association that members have with the
term "village" and the deep connection they feel to Womansong. The choir does not merely
44 Allison, Theresa A. 2008. "Songwriting and Transcending Institutional Boundaries in the Nursing Home." in Koen, Benjamin D. Ed. The Oxford Handbook of Medical Ethnomusicology. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc. 219.
57 provide Womansong members with a sense of community. It goes a step further by allowing members to belong in the village.
In House Calls Patch Adams discusses community in terms of a village. He writes that there is a lack of villages or "tribal communities" in the present and that people commonly have to rely on themselves in the absence of tribal life support. He asserts, "I think that our society's high level of anxiety is due to this loss of belonging."45 Womansong's village offers a way to counteract that anxiety by allowing its members to belong to a supportive community. The choir's mission and principles are reinforced by my interlocutors. The choir members' individual definitions of "village" reveal that partaking in Womansong's communal musicking environment provides participants with a sense of belonging that contributes to their health and healing.
True Colors: Identity, Shared Experiences of Loss, and the Benefits of Communal Musicking
You with the sad eyes, don't be discouraged Show me a smile, then, don't be unhappy Oh, I realize it's hard to take courage Can't remember when I last saw you laughing In a world full of people you can lose sight of it If the world makes you crazy and you've stood all all you can bear And the darkness inside you can make you feel You call me up, because you know I'll be there small And I'll see your true colors shining through But I see your true colors shining through I see your true colors, and that's why I love you I see your true colors, and that's why I love you So don't be afraid to let them show So don't be afraid to let them show Your true colors are beautiful like a rainbow Your true colors are beautiful like a rainbow
Sue Curtis, a member of Womansong with a slender figure and curly brown hair, joined the choir six years ago. She began arranging "True Colors" for Womansong in September 2011 and it was eventually chosen to be on the twenty-fifth anniversary program. Sue shared some of her thoughts on her arrangement and experience with "True Colors" in Womansong:
45 Adams. House Calls: How We Can All Heal the World One Visit at a Time. 44.
58 "True Colors" has been on my "List of Songs I'd Like to Do" for a really long time. (Yes, I actually have a list called that!) I've loved the lyrics of this song ever since the well-known Cyndi Lauper radio version from the 1980's. To me, it's one of the best songs ever written about friendship...It's always a thrill for me to get to perform a song from my list, or hear others perform a song I've arranged. "True Colors" has given me even more, though. It became clear that Womansong members really liked singing it, which was an added source of satisfaction.
"True Colors" has also come to be an anthem in the gay community, and a number of Womansong members have told me they found additional meaning and solace in singing it when North Carolina passed Amendment One, banning same-sex marriage. The song continued to take on additional significance for me. I taped a May 2012 Womansong rehearsal version of it, and listened to this recording frequently in the first few weeks of my June 2012 heart surgery recuperation in Michigan. It was one of my three "get-through" songs, and it fed me deeply to hear the voices of my Womansong sisters singing it.
Deb always reminds us to "think of who you're singing to" before we perform a song. Although I always thought of "True Colors" as a friendship song, the person I always think of before singing it in concerts is my daughter, Anna. She is the person I know best—and "see" most clearly—in the world. When I mentally dedicate this song to her, I mean every single word, with all my heart and soul.
Womansong's communal musicking environment allows a sense of commonality between its members that helps them to bond over shared experiences and offer support and understanding in times of suffering. In this section, I explore how members of Womansong—a cultural formation with additional cohorts—take part in similar experiences which provide them with shared social memories and meanings. These shared experiences provide choir members with an improved sense of belonging and contribute to their overall health as individuals.
This summer, a few of my interlocutors explained that they enjoyed making music with other women in the village because it involved a feeling of commonality. "We are all women, we have a lot of things in common," says Jan Mallindine. "Music bonds us all together...we're very
59 attuned to each other." Mirra Price, a self-proclaimed activist for equal rights, anti-war, and anti- nuclear campaigns, explains:
It's a really powerful feeling to be able to look at another woman and think, "Wow, she is the same as I am. We may look different, we may be different ages, we may come from different places but there is something that is the same. We are both women. We have shared a lot of the same kind of experiences and, therefore, we have that bond."
Figure 2.2: Sue Curtis sings at the twenty-fifth anniversary concert with Mirra Price (on the stool) watching in the background.
Thomas Turino discusses this feeling of commonality while creating music in Music as
Social Life: The Politics of Participation. He explains that one of his purposes in performing with others is to create a bond so that all participants feel and react to the music in the same way.
Similar to what Mirra said, Turino claims, "...what happens during a good performance is that the
multiple differences among us are forgotten and we are fully focused on an activity that
emphasizes our sameness as well as our direct interaction."46 In Acting in Concert: Popular
Music and Community, political scientist Mark Mattern echoes Turino's concept of sameness. He claims that music can provide participants with social spaces that encourage interaction and
46 Turino. Music as Social Life: The Politics of Participation. 18.
60 necessitate "...meaning and the creation of commonalities of identity." He further describes
music, and especially popular music, as a phenomenon that contains social memories and
meanings that are similar for participants of like backgrounds.47 As most of Womansong is
composed of older females who were raised primarily or partially in the United States, many of
its members were exposed to the same popular music. Singing pieces such as "True Colors,"
"You'll Never Walk Alone," or "Bridge Over Troubled Water" carries significant meaning and
memories for most members and allows them to bond over their commonality. Mattern also
writes, "As different people identify with a particular kind of music, they internalize some of its
meaning, and it becomes part of their identity."48 Therefore, choir members are creating their own social memories and meanings through communal musicking in Womansong and integrating these pieces and experiences into their identities as individuals and their identity as a group.
In Music as Social Life, Turino also speaks about shared identity in terms of cultural
formations and cultural cohorts. "I use the term cultural formation," writes Turino, "to refer to a
group of people who have in common a majority of habits that constitute most parts of each
individual member's self." He states that these shared habits guide the thoughts and actions of
each member. Smaller groups, in which members share the same general habits as the larger
group but emphasize and develop more of their own selective habits, are referred to as cultural
cohorts.49 Under this classification, Womansong is a cultural formation. The increasing size of
47 Mattern. Acting in Concert: Music, Community, and Political Action. 16-17. 48 Ibid. 19. 49 Turino. Music as Social Life: The Politics of Participation. 112-16.
61 the choir allows participants to form cohorts within the larger formation. Sandi Krecioch speaks about a cohort in which she is involved:
There's five of us that get together and we've become really close friends. When I came into Womansong I was pretty depressed. We moved here in '05 and I lost my mom in '04 and everything seemed to happen within the first year of moving here. It was hard being brand new to an area and not knowing anybody. Womansong really helped me, it was like an extended family...The five of us met just after I joined when we offered to do the filing for Debbie. I guess we bonded because we spent so much time with each other. Since then, we meet at each other's houses for two to two-and-a-half hours once a month. We rotate the houses, bring our own lunch, and whoever is the host for the day makes a dessert. The five of us share and laugh and cry and everything together. We call ourselves "The Divas!"
Sandi's story demonstrates that cohorts make it easier for members to bond in a more intimate environment than what might be provided by the total formation. Additionally, cohort involvement can further complicate a member's identity but in a positive manner. As previously stated, sameness or commonality forms a shared identity which can improve one's sense of belonging. If cultural formations (Womansong) imply shared habits, and cultural cohorts (such as
"The Divas") imply even more specific shared habits, the members of the cohort can identify with a wide range of shared habits which can provide them with an even more significant sense of belonging. This sense of belonging can lead to health and healing by providing members with intimate support groups, such as "The Divas."
Common identity also implies common experiences. Members feel less isolated and better understood and supported as individuals when they comprehend that the larger cohort or formation has shared in similar experiences. One of the most common experiences that I encountered through my communications with interlocutors this past summer surrounded the loss of loved ones. Because Womansong participants are middle-aged or older, several members have dealt with the loss of a parent, friend, romantic partner, and/or children. Members recognize
62 that their struggles are common within the choir and feel supported in sharing their concerns.
Further, receiving support from other choir members and engaging in song with them becomes a coping mechanism for several members. Katherine Day,50 a four-year member of Womansong, relates the support she felt from the village during a time of loss:
Even before my husband passed, a lot of the music I wanted to listen to was Womansong's. Those songs were really healing to me over time. When my husband passed away, a lot of the support I got was from Womansong. After he died people brought food, made cards, and came by. They came [to my house] the day after he passed, made a circle, surrounded me, and sang. It was very moving.
Shiner Antiori also felt supported by the choir in her time of loss. Even as a brand new member, she realized how valuable the support of the village was in helping her cope:
Before my first concert I had just ended a relationship and it was not an easy thing for me. I was stressed and dealing with the emotion of it. After the concert, two of the women were having a party so I went and I was embraced as part of the group. There was no outsider feeling. When I left, I got out to my car and —God I have chills just saying this—I felt so much lighter! I felt an incredible lifting off of the weight of my emotional upheaval. That's just how it is with Womansong and I was the recipient of the choir's support in a very innocuous way. It wasn’t that they were focusing specifically on me but it was an amazing gift and it was really clear to me that I was going to be with them. And I have been since!
Figure 2.3: Shiner ASL interprets for the twenty-fifth anniversary concert.
50 This name has been changed at the request of my interlocutor.
63 Another form of loss that is commonly dealt with by Womansong members is more ambiguous. This kind of loss is experienced when a caretaker—usually a family member, lover, or close friend—loses a loved one to a mentally debilitating illness such as memory loss or psychosis. In "Music Therapy Evidence-Based Outcomes in Dementia Care: Better Life Quality for Those with Alzheimer's Disease and Their Families," Alicia Ann Clair discusses the benefits that music can provide to patients and families confronted with dementia and demonstrates how music can be a bridge of social interaction between caregiver and patient:
Music therapists empower family members to remain central to the care of their loved ones through using music...When family members experience positive behavioral changes in their loved ones who respond to their music, they are energized to carry on in their role as caregiver. To know that they can make a difference, even when it is very small, provides the motivation and encouragement they need to remain a viable part of their loved one's life.51
When Sharron St. John's partner, Regina, was diagnosed with dementia, they both received care and support from Womansong that helped Regina function normatively for as long as possible:
My partner Regina and I moved to Asheville in April of 2001 and joined Womansong in January of ’03. Regina was diagnosed with dementia one year later. From the beginning of the diagnosis people were really supportive of both of us. A couple members of Womansong made a habit to take Regina out for lunch so she could have time with them by herself and so I could have time because as the dementia progressed I couldn’t get anything practical done—she needed me with her all the time. After a few years Regina wanted to go to a day care program, so we did. There were some people that helped with her transportation. Regina continued going to Womansong for a while—and she was in the alto section—so somebody from the altos would sit next to her and help her keep track of the music. It was wonderful. But it got so that was even too hard for Regina. She needed to stay home and I would hire someone to stay with her so that I could go to Womansong.
51 Clair, Alicia Ann. 2008. "Music Therapy Evidence-Based Outcomes in Dementia Care: Better Life Quality for Those with Alzheimer's Disease and Their Families." in Koen, Benjamin D. Ed. The Oxford Handbook of Medical Ethnomusicology. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc. 213.
64 In addition to physical support from the village, Sharron also explains how communal musicking helped her through her this particular loss:
You know, with music if you’ve got some emotions going on inside of you— whether they’re fun and you’re ready to laugh or sad and you’re ready to cry— you’re going to break open. I would go to rehearsal and be determined to keep a stiff upper lip. It wouldn’t be but maybe three or four songs in, or it could just be the first song, and I would be totally undone and dissolve in tears. People on each side and from the back would put their arms around me. Then, at the break, a whole group would come. Womansong really carried me through the worst years of the worst grief. The music was a comfort and the Womansong members were so supportive emotionally and functionally.
Finally, I needed to place Regina in a nursing home in 2009. The grief was pretty bad, especially during that first year while Regina and I took time to adjust. People were there for both of us. Womansong went several times to the nursing home to sing to Regina. A couple of members continue to go visit her there.
It's been eight years since the diagnosis and, for the most part, my grief isn’t right out there except in a situation where I’m really addressing it. But members still continue to ask me periodically, “How is Regina doing?” I know they care. And I know that they also know that sometimes it’s just nice to be in a place and forget. They’ve been incredibly helpful and I’m very sure that my own mental health and maybe even physical health have improved because of their care and support. For me the grief was so overwhelming that I didn't think that anybody would even be able to understand anybody having all this overwhelming grief but there were people that did. I’m tellin' ya, I’m probably alive today because of how Womansong helped me through that struggle.
In addition to the loss of a family member, friend, or romantic partner, I also heard stories from women who felt like they had lost themselves. These women often explained that joining
Womansong allowed them a chance to find themselves again or to discover what was missing in their lives. Joining Womansong allowed them to identify with a group, and sometimes with additional cohorts, and to feel as if they belonged.They often explained to me that being a member of the choir strengthened their personal identity. Sue Curtis, whom arranged "True
Colors" and was introduced at the beginning of this section, shares with me how she lost herself
65 in what she called "the dark years" and how Womansong unexpectedly helped her find herself and push through her struggles:
At a recent alto social gathering, I was reminded that many women join Womansong primarily for the sense of community, with the music being of secondary importance. For me, the singing has always been primary. I joined to sing, period.
Yet, over time, the community aspects of Womansong have become life-savers for me. The "dark years" I mentioned earlier began with, in quick succession, the break-up of my marriage, the death of my father and step-son, family estrangement, economic free fall, the derailment of my professional and personal connections, debilitating health problems (with no help in sight), isolation and loneliness, and the inescapable humiliation of watching my ex-husband's "dream life" unfold in front of me in our small town. The two remaining cornerstones in my life were, and are, my daughter Anna and Womansong.
Womansong sustained me through my worst times. It gave me something good to do and somewhere to show up and feel okay for two hours. Deb encouraged me and missed me when I didn't show up. Doing music with others kept me connected and gave me something to care about. At the alto tea I mentioned, others shared that they, too, had Womansong to thank for helping them through their dark times, depression, and break-ups. Just being able to show up every week and do something so soul-feeding with like-minded, supportive women made all the difference to them, as it did to me.
Womansong is the most powerful example I've experienced of true community, sisterhood, and connection. I've sung in many other community choruses, and the culture and leadership are simply not the same as Womansong's. In a thank-you note I wrote to Deb after last November's concerts, I told her how moved I was to return to Womansong after my heart surgery. On my first night back, I gazed in wonder at all these individuals who cared what happened to me, had emailed me, sent me cards, and prayed for me. It mattered to me so much that I mattered to them.
Sue's arrangement of "True Colors," similar to Cyndi Lauper's version, is slow and soulful. The song begins with each voice part singing the introduction to the first verse on nonsense syllables and with colorful harmonies on syncopated rhythms. The dynamics of the first two verses and choruses swell, moving to a controlled height, and slowly spin back down.
66 Figure 2.4: The introduction to "True Colors."
The choir sings in a near whisper during the interlude, which is an altered version of the introduction. On the next line, "If the world makes you crazy and you've stood all you can bear, you call me up, because you know I'll be there," the dynamic grows rapidly and the tempo heightens, leading into the last iteration of the chorus. Dramatic pauses are after the words
"afraid" and "show" at the height of the chorus's vitality. After "show," the dynamic and tempo quickly shift down and the sound becomes more transcendent on the last line: "Your true colors are beautiful like a rainbow." The piece closes with a brief reprise of the introductory material and a calm, but bright-sounding G-major chord.
Figure 2.5: Dramatic pauses after "afraid" and "show."
For members like Sue, "True Colors" is a song of friendship and a "get through" song.
The lyrics state that one need not be afraid to be herself because her true identity is naturally beautiful. The song further communicates that the singer will support the subject under all circumstances: "If the world makes you crazy and you've stood all you can bear, you call me up,
67 because you know I'll be there." The above stories about coping with loss demonstrate that communal musicking in the Womansong village allows women to identify with themselves as individuals and to strengthen their identity as members of a group. As part of the choir and its cohorts, they encounter shared experiences, such as loss, which further solidify the feeling that they are understood and supported in their hardships. "I wish all women around the world knew about the songs we sing. They are so empowering and so sensitive. They say, 'You're not alone.
We share your experience.' That's what's healing to me," remarks Holly Simms. Thus, communal musicking through Womansong allows members space for understanding through shared experiences and health and healing during their "dark years." For members like Sue, whose darkness seems to have finally come to an end, Womansong continues to offer healing, even in the light.
Heal Me: Communitas, Belonging, and Leadership in the Village
Heal me, I am listening Heal me, I have heard Please relieve me in this struggle I am grateful, I am humble I have felt your timeless presence I am offering myself In the silence, in the knowing My old patterns, they will crumble I am with you in my laughter In my crying, in my growing Cleanse my soul, let new hope begin Let me embrace all the love within Cleanse my soul, let new hope begin Help me believe I am whole Let me embrace all the love within I'm singing! Help me believe I am whole I'm singing! Heal me I am listening I am listening Heal me, I am listening Listening Heal me, I have heard
Sue Ford, Womansong's former assistant director, wrote "Heal Me" during her extended time with the choir. It has now become an anthem for choir members who retreat to music during their roughest times. At the twenty-fifth anniversary concert, this piece was sung with such a
68 sense of heart and reverence that many of the singers began crying halfway through the piece.
The soft dynamic, consonant harmonies, and flowing rhythm of "Heal Me" are warm and
relaxing. Sue explains her inspiration for the song:
I wrote this song when my job was being a full time homeschooling mother of three daughters. I was recovering from an ear infection that left me with a busted ear drum on one side and reduced hearing on the other side. This was very scary for me since I was a musician and couldn't imagine life without hearing. I first wrote the words in my journal as I waited in the car for my daughter to finish play practice. My journal was my constant companion and the words came very quickly as a prayer for my ears to heal. I took the song to Debbie Nordeen who sat down with me to write it all out. She was crucial to the development of the song, especially in writing the harmonies. I eventually fully recovered from the ear infections and, like the song says, "I am grateful. I am humble. I am listening."
In the previous section, I discussed Turino's concept of communal bonding and Mattern's
ideas about commonality in creating shared identity, memories, and meanings. Throughout his
writings on communal experiences, Turino regularly references anthropologist Victor Turner's
concept of communitas.52 In The Ritual Process, Victor Turner refers to communitas as a state of being that takes place during ritual processes.53 In Womansong, communitas is experienced
through communal musicking. In combination with the choir's strong but humble leadership,
communitas helps to create a healthy sense of belonging in the village.
When communitas is achieved in Womansong, members embrace each other's uniqueness so that they may experience an ephemeral moment of pure oneness, strictly on the basis of their human nature. In Womansong, communitas happens when the members become involved with the phenomenon of organized sound in the process of communal musicking. Part of communitas,
52 Turino. Music as Social Life: The Politics of Participation. 118-19. 53 Turner, Victor. 1969. The Ritual Process. Chicago: Aldine Publishing Company.
69 and therefore part of communal musicking, is the feeling of belonging together. Belonging together and being in the "seamless synchrony"54 that is musicking can provide multiple health benefits for participants. Womansong members often enjoy these benefits through their involvement in the communal musicking village.
Liz Preyer had only been a member of Womansong for six months by the time we interviewed. She explained to me how she came to Asheville specifically looking for an environment in which she could experience communitas and found Womansong:
I had been living in Brevard...for the last 15 years. I taught something called nia— which is a form of healing movement (it was a total joy and passion in my life!) and I was a massage therapist. I love dance and movement madly and I couldn’t imagine life without it because I use it as therapy. I would teach huge classes and it was a great delight for me. It uses Eastern and Western arts and a lot of vocal expressions and martial arts combined with dance, so it’s just enormously liberating...but several things happened.
I’ve had Crohn's Disease since I was young. That had been under remission. I thought I was healed because I’ve used all kinds of alternative ways and I was very proud of myself. But, in fact, having Crohn's damaged my liver and gallbladder. I was given the news two years after my husband died that I had this awful diagnosis that’s progressive and leads to liver failure. I sort of shut down. I went into denial because I didn’t know how to process that because I had just come through a death. I had had two years of life learning to live on my own and enjoying it and teaching and feeling good but then I was told, “You’re going to have a very short life, if one at all.”
Then, after that happened, my hips began to hurt a lot and I discovered I have a congenital hip problem. It got to the point where I was in so much pain I couldn’t teach nia and I couldn’t massage because I couldn’t stand up that long. I went into —I didn’t know it—but I think it was a kind of depression because I kept very busy. Eventually, I pulled myself together and I thought, “Okay, I can do this thing.”
I was in a small town, many people knew me, and I was involved in a lot of stuff. I thought, “I need to move to a smaller house where I can’t garden anymore.” So I
54 Turino. Music as Social Life: The Politics of Participation. 119.
70 moved to Asheville. I also thought, “How can I keep joy in my life if I can’t do the things that brought me intense joy?” I love bodies, I think they’re just fascinating and I love dancing. I remembered singing in high school. That was my favorite thing. It was a very heavy-duty academic high school but we had this wonderful chorus director. I thought about singing and said, “I'd like to sing and I’d also like a community.”
Once Liz found Womansong, she realized that she could sing and have that community all in one place. Liz explains that the communitas she found in the village has benefited her personal health and well-being:
I looked up Womansong and was totally, instantly like, “Ah, this is it!” I got the courage to audition and was entered. I’ve only been in it six months but it opened new doors in many ways. I’m now doing water nia instruction at a saltwater pool and I’m also singing. I’ve had this whole new world just open up for me. Before Womansong, I was emptying my house. I was really preparing to die but now there’s a sense of, “Let’s live really well, while I can.” And interestingly, I’ve stayed steady.
This disease really progresses quite rapidly but I figure as long as I stay in joy and music and move a little bit I will be okay. In Womansong, I’m beginning to meet unique people. I love the sweetness of the group dynamic. Womansong has really given me back my sense of life.
Figure 2.6: Liz Preyer.
! As described above, an important aspect of communitas is shedding differences and simply belonging by virtue of being human. In communitas, one belongs without question. Susie
St. Clair, a member of Womansong since 1988, has been legally blind since birth. She explains
71 that she is often judged unfairly because of her disability. However, she values Womansong's communal musicking village as a space where she is not defined by her physical abilities. In
Womansong, all judgments about her difference melt away and she can just belong to the group by virtue of being another female human being. Susie describes to me the range of her vision and how Womansong members have encouraged and understood her ability to function normatively, without question:
I have some vision and I have very good color vision. I see enough to see objects but I had no idea that was you out there in your truck until you spoke. But now, because I know what you have on, I'll recognize you. I usually can't recognize people unless they speak.
My husband brings me [to rehearsal] but for the past twenty-five years someone from Womansong has always taken me home. Everyone has always been a wonderful guide for me. When we walk on stage I usually hold someone's hand or arm. I have never felt that my inability to read music has been an issue in any way.
I think one of the more hurtful moments I've had was when I read a poem in braille at one of our concerts and a woman came up to me afterwards and said, "Isn't it wonderful that they let people like you be part of the chorus?!" On one end of the spectrum, people are amazed if I can do anything (like cook, get married, or even have a husband who is not blind like me!) All the way to the opposite end of the spectrum, people put me on a pedestal and think I'm doing something extraordinary when it's something that people do in every day life. It's really nice to be in Womansong, where the fact that I can't see isn't the factor of my being.
Figure 2.7: Susie (middle) sings with the choir in the twenty-fifth anniversary concert.
72 The nonjudgmental environment that is offered by Womansong is partially a result of communitas. However, an environment of belonging involves much more than spontaneous moments of shared identity through communal musicking. Especially in a group of seventy-five people, it takes strong leadership to create an environment in which all members are respected and accepted. In the majority of my interviews, my interlocutors praised the leadership of
Womansong. I heard countless tales of how Debbie is a model of love and acceptance, Sarah would help anyone with anything they needed, and Althea inspired members to connect with each other.
In the case of dealing with unconventional behaviors or situations, my interlocutors often referred to Debbie as a model leader. Womansong members express admiration and gratitude for the manner in which Debbie handles larger gestures, concerning cohesive action on behalf of the entire choir, and in her smaller gestures, such as the general way in which she talks with and about other choir members. One of Debbie's larger gestures that affected the entire choir was to the benefit of Jan Mallindine and her mother, Jennie. Jan explains how Debbie's action allowed her mother and herself to experience a greater sense of well-being in the village:
A few years back my mom moved in with me because she has Alzheimer's. When she moved here I talked to Debbie and said, "In order for me to continue in Womansong I can't leave her at home." She said, "Bring her!" So I did, and it was like mom had seventy-five daughters. I brought her every week and people would go up to her and talk to her. For mom it was like coming to a new concert every Monday night. She would say, "Oh wow! I love that song!" though she's heard it 150 times. For the songs that were in her long term memory, she'd be singing away.
There are even some rehearsal recordings that Debbie sent out that were labeled "You'll Never Walk Alone—With Jennie"...and you'd hear my mom [singing] and afterward she'd say, "Oh that is such a nice song!" They all adopted her. There was never a doubt in anyone's mind. Everyone said, "We love her! Bring her!" I
73 kept bringing her right up to the point where she had a stroke which rendered her to the point where I couldn't take care of her at the house anymore. But, boy, up until then she was part of the village.
Because of Debbie's encouragement, Jan's mother was able to experience the nurturing care that is offered by Womansong. The members of Womansong would most likely have been supportive of Jan and Jennie in any case, but Debbie's initial reaction to Jan's situation and her follow through in supporting Jennie as a member of the choir provided members with a model of how to treat others who are not from the village. As a result of the choir's leadership, Jennie was allowed to partake in communitas and to truly feel that she belonged. When Sue Curtis explained to me how the village helped her through her dark years, she said, "I felt supported by hundreds of tiny silken threads, each representing a caring thought, and forming a delicate, strong, beautiful web. And Debbie Nordeen is the 'Charlotte' of our web."
Womansong's leadership, in combination with the communitas that is experienced by the choir's members, helps to create a healthy sense of belonging in the village. For members such as
Liz, being involved in the Womansong community has allowed her to open up and regain her
"sense of life." Susie enjoys belonging in the simple way that she can be herself with no questions asked. Jan had the pleasure of experiencing communitas with her mother at the encouragement of Debbie and the other choir members. Even Jennie, who was not an official member of Womansong, was allowed to belong in the village. This sense of belonging has improved the quality of life for members and non-members alike.
I Will Carry You: Concepts of Care in the Village
I will carry you in my arms, you're in my soul Take my hand, we will walk together I will carry you in my heart, you're in my bones Take my heart, we're a part of each other
74 "I Will Carry You" was written by Womansong's accompanist Lytingale Hendrickson. In addition to celebrating its twenty-fifth anniversary in 2012, Womansong released a CD composed of tracks which the choir felt were songs that encourage health and healing. One of those tracks, and the title of the CD, was "I Will Carry You." This song has also become a common anthem for choir members in difficult times.
Figure 2.8: Lytingale plays and sings "I Will Carry You."
Often, Althea will ask the choir, "Who are you holding?" before they begin singing songs such as "I Will Carry You." Stories of my interlocutors being held in the village, in relation to concepts of self and mutual care, comprise this last section on community in Womansong.
In "Practicing Music as Mutual Care," music therapist Brynjulf Stige problematizes the idea of care, claiming that being involved in a communal musicking environment heightens a participant's sensitivity to the concept. Stige claims that communal singing is an activity that influences individuals to care for each other and to care for their own emotional and physical health needs. Stige claims that mutual care "is particularly relevant for a senior choir where the singers have sustained a strong interest for music in spite of the fact that they may have taken
75 'ills here and ills there.'"55 While Womansong is not primarily a senior choir, many of its members have dealt with unfortunate experiences that negatively affected their health. Belonging to Womansong's communal musicking environment, which supports the idea of mutual care, has helped to counteract negative health experiences and has allowed women, such as Jean Cassidy and Va Boyle, to experience healing in the village:
Jean: We truly experienced the village this winter.
Va: We sure did.
Jean: First hand when Va got sick in the Fall.
Va: I had uterine cancer and had surgery and it was all contained, no problem. I didn’t have to have treatment. That was in October, but three weeks later my appendix burst. I had to have surgery and I developed peritonitis. I was in the hospital for three or four days.
Jean: She was sick from the end of September through the first of December, bad.
Va: I lost 25 pounds!...but while I was sick I got cards, e-mails, food, visits. If I had really needed a lot of food—which I wasn’t eating but Jean was—we could have had so much that I would have had to buy another freezer. Just the support of it was spiritual. Absolutely spiritual.
Jean: For me it was absolutely amazing. She was so sick for weeks and I was doing the best I could do and we held it together but Womansong was tremendous. If I had really needed something specific I would have had it in a flash.
Va: We felt undergirded, like our family was there for us. I’ve never had an experience like that. It was astounding. It really touched me, big time.
Jean: I had a couple of surgeries. I had a bad eye problem and knee problem so I’ve been gimping around for months. I’m not physically back to speed, but I am emotionally.
55 Stige, Brynjulf. 2010. "Practicing Music as Mutual Care." in Stige, Brynjulf et al Ed. Where Music Helps: Community Music Therapy in Action and Reflection. Burlington, VT: Ashgate Publishing Company. 253-74.
76 Va: Folks have really been there for Jean. We felt kind of embarrassed because when you draw on your community that long in such a big way it can be a big drain. But, man, you never would have heard it! It made me really understand how important it is to reach out to people who are having procedures...It’s knowing the option that if you feel like you need something you don’t have to worry about it, you’ll get it.
Figure 2.9: Jean (middle), Jan (to the right of Jean), Va (to the right of Jan), and Sue Ford (far right) perform Jean's song "Everybody Got Her Own" at the twenty-fifth anniversary concert.
Jean and Va's story demonstrates that there is a strong sense of mutual care in
Womansong's village. In addition to inspiring its members to take care of each other, participation in the choir can also influence self care by encouraging positive health behaviors in its individual members. Involvement in Womansong gave Evelyn Brown56 something to look forward to and a reason to care for herself:
I have bouts of recurrent major depression and have struggled with this for much of my life. Knowing that I can go to Womansong on Monday nights helps that. I don't take any medication and haven't for a few years. I was able to quit after starting Womansong. It's good for my emotional well-being.
I've also been drinking since I was 16 but I quit drinking not long after I started Womansong. In Womansong, I quickly found a space that felt really comfortable and wonderful, like a haven. I said to my therapist, "I'm an alcoholic" and I didn't
56 This name has been changed at the request of my interlocutor.
77 have to go to therapy anymore. I was able to detox from alcohol and from a stressful work situation and Womansong played a huge part as I went through that process of healing.
The concept of emotional self-care is also important to Mary Plyler, who was only a two-month choir member when I first started my research. She continues in her involvement in Womansong, in spite of a painful health condition, because she experiences the emotional benefits of singing in the village:
I have a health problem so I can’t do a lot. In 2001 I had an aneurism bleed and I was unconscious about four or five days. I came and went. It was eight days before I realized I had double vision. I had it coiled eleven days after and again in 2002. In 2006 it had grown again and I had it clipped. The aneurism is fine, it’s gone. But there is damage from the bleed and the brain surgery. In 2010 I was diagnosed with sarcoidosis—it’s like lupus, it causes fatigue. I’m good for maybe three hours a day but you would usually never know there’s anything wrong with me.
I couldn’t sing for a while because it hurt my head. I have headaches. If anything, singing in Womansong makes the headaches worse. I had such a bad headache on Monday that I had to get out. I love singing, even if it hurts. Now, I don't work so on Tuesday I can stay in bed all day and relax and recover. One day my therapist in Durham asked me, "What are your dreams?" I said, "I want to sing again. I just wanna sing again." So, if it takes me two days to recuperate from rehearsal, that's fine. It's worth it being able to sing with this kind of group. I could go audition for other choirs but I don't want to do that. I like Womansong.
Debbie Nordeen is used to leading the village but when she fell ill in 2002, the village took care of her:
I had cancer a second time once I was here. [Debbie was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Disease in 1990 before she joined Womansong]. In the year 2000 I had colon cancer. That was one year when the village gathered together...I know they were singing for me...The food fairies would bring the food in. I had cleaning fairies. Althea was one of those, and Allijah came over too (he was just a boy at the time). They cleaned my whole house. They also did a concert without me and I got to go and attend the show. I was so proud and uplifted. When mama wasn't there everybody rose to the occasion.
78 Figure 2.10: Debbie Nordeen.
Brynjulf Stige concludes his article, "Practicing Music as Mutual Care," with the
statement that "Mutual care is of course not all there is to a choir, but if we realize that mutual
care is not necessarily separated from the pleasure of singing, then we may see how mutual care
may imply caring for immediate needs but also cooperative political action, in this specific case through performances challenging attitudes in the larger community."57 In the final chapter of this thesis, I consider how Womansong's mutual care is extended to the Asheville community. I explore concepts of public awareness-raising, problematize ideas about music and social movement, and examine Womansong's New Start charity.
57 Stige. "Practicing Music as Mutual Care." 274.
79 CHAPTER 3
CONTRIBUTION
In Chapter Three, my focus on women's psycho-physical transformation and well-being through communal musicking will work to make intelligible the ways internal growth in the village effects external growth in society. In "Old Fat Naked Women for Peace: Raising
Awareness, Music, and Social Movement," I investigate how Womansong contributes to the outside community through performative education and awareness raising. In this light, music becomes a vehicle for social movement and activism; Womansong's social contribution allows members to share the healing their choral experiences have engendered with the external community. In "The New Start: Womansong's Charitable Arm," I discuss the founding and function of Womansong's New Start Program. The choir's charitable arm has created a symbiotic relationship between Womansong and the Asheville community; I explore how this relationship has allowed healing on micro and macro levels. In "Everybody Got Her Own: My Experience of
Healing in the Village," I reveal how Womansong's communal musicking village has embraced me and allowed me to share in the benefits of health and healing.
Old Fat Naked Women for Peace: Raising Awareness, Music, and Social Movement
Don't you wish you'd been there in Nigeria We're old, fat, naked women for justice." In Escravos in two-thousand-two? Those mothers and grandmothers "Knock it off! They organized, they strategized Or we'll take it off! They occupied refineries, woo woo! We're old fat, naked, women for peace."
Chevron gave in to all their demands It seems to me this strategy The final threat they never had to use Could definitely work cross culturally 'Cause economic justice is easier to deal with Even Dick Cheney doesn't want to see Than lots of older women in the nude! His granny's titties in the breeze!
They sang, "Knock it off! So sing, "Knock it off! Or we'll take it off! Or we'll take it off!
80 We're old, fat, naked women for justice." Or we'll take it off! We're old, fat, naked women for justice." "Knock it off! Or we'll take it off! "Knock it off! We're old, fat, naked women for peace." Or we'll take it off! We're old, fat, naked women for peace." If you want to try this you must organize And line up a lawyer just in case We're old, fat, naked women for peace! Keep your message clear, find a sunny day (You know nobody wants to see that!) Notify the press and fling your clothes away! We're cranky, old, naked women for peace! (Don't make us come over there!) And sing, "Knock it off! We're old, naked women for peace!
In Debbie's introduction to "Old Fat Naked Women for Peace" (aka "OFNWFP") at the
Anniversary concert, she said, "We know that around the world, in many different cultures and times, women organize and make a difference. Nigeria. 2002. Never underestimate the power of organized women!" Her reference was to the event that inspired "OFNWFP." Several women in
Escravos, Southern Nigeria were upset about the few job opportunities Chevron gave to local residents, the environmental damage caused by Chevron's oil plant, and the company's refusal to share its wealth with local needs such as education and healthcare. This led two hundred women to storm the plant on July 8, 2002, in an effort to stop its production by blocking workers from leaving or entering. When the issue escalated, the women threatened to strip nude. This act prompted a series of negotiations between the women and Chevron that led to more job opportunities for local workers, community programs for healthcare and education (among others), and an initiative for local businesswomen.58
Womansong is a choir that cares deeply about its members. The choir is also cares deeply for its surrounding community, Asheville, and for larger national and global causes. In this
58 Fortuna, Thomas. 2011. "Nigerian Women Win Concessions from Chevron Through Occupation, 2002." Global Nonviolent Action Database - Swarthmore College.
81 section, I investigate how Womansong contributes to the outside community through education and awareness-raising in rehearsals, performances, and recordings. Additionally, I examine music as a vehicle for social movement and activism for local and global causes. Womansong's social contribution allows members to share the positivism and care that they have experienced, as a result of their choir involvement, with the external community.
Womansong members are often educated about social issues during rehearsal. Claudette
Wren, a Trinidadian woman of Indian heritage, has lived in many places around the world. She and her husband lived in Escravos, Nigeria just before the Chevron protest took place. When
Womansong began singing "OFNWFP," Claudette used a rehearsal opening as an opportunity to educate the choir. "I took old photographs from the area," Claudette explains, "and I gave a slide presentation to show where [the event] had taken place." "OFNWFP" allowed Claudette the opportunity to talk with other members about Escravos and its people in direct way. Through rehearsal, she was able to educate members by putting the song in context and making the concept of "OFNWFP" less exoticized and more concrete to Womansong members.
The choir also uses performances as opportunities to raise awareness. In its earliest form,
Womansong often performed small benefit shows in support of organizations around Asheville.
The choir, and/or small groups taken from the whole of Womansong, still performs benefits such as these on occasion. However, as the choir has grown over the years, so has its audience. This offers the choir ample opportunities to raise awareness of social issues to hundreds of people for each one or two night performance. Though one might argue that Womansong's shows are less intimate now that the choir and audience size have increased, Debbie and the members strive to overcome that boundary by inviting the audience to sing with them during concerts and
82 socializing with the audience for an extended duration after each performance. This socialization allows the choir to speak with audience members directly about the subjects of their repertoire.
Additionally, by singing with the choir, the audience member is transformed from an inactive observer to an active participant. After having internalized songs by singing them at the concert, audiences can take the music and its associated ideas outside of the auditorium and into the broader community.
Womansong's recordings take awareness to an even more expansive audience. Rebecca
Corwin is a soft-spoken woman with tan skin and dark, straight hair. She has been a member of
Womansong, on and off, since 1988. Rebecca explained to me, "With the healing CD we have people that are giving it to their friends and families. I just met somebody's mother who happened to be at this gathering that I was at and she says she listens to it all the time. The
Womansong community is getting larger and larger." Theresa Gilmore,59 a four-year member of
Womansong, explained to me that she suggested the creation of the healing CD after having felt that she had experienced healing as a result of Womansong's music. "When people go through a hard time they are held by that music," she says. "The day after I got back I had a [non-
Womansong] friend who said her cat had died. She said she was listening to the healing CD and it was holding her." By recording and distributing its music, Womansong's audience has become national. Womansong is musically addressing social concerns through each CD that it produces.
Thomas Turino speaks of music's ability to mobilize in Music and Social Life. "Almost all commentators suggest that mass singing was one of the primary forces that helped unite people to action and bolster courage in the face of white oppression and violence during the first
59 This name has been changed at the request of my interlocutor.
83 decade of the [Civil Rights] movement," writes Turino.60 Other books, such as The Resisting
Muse: Popular Music and Social Protest, edited by Ian Peddie,61 and Hardeep Phull's Story
Behind the Protest Song: A Reference Guide to the 50 Songs that Changed the 20th Century62 problematize the concept of music as a vehicle for social movement. Music is more accessible to the broader public, easier to remember, less difficult to distribute, and can consist of inspiring lyrical messages. Music is a vehicle for social movement. Womansong is a vehicle for music that is often designed with social causes in mind. Therefore, Womansong is—to some direct or indirect degree—a vehicle for social movement.
"OFNWFP" is a good awareness raiser and mobilizer for three reasons: 1) its comprehensive and instructive lyrics; 2) its upbeat and humorous style; 3) its catchy melody. To begin with, the song's lyrics are comprehensive and self evident. Listeners are acquainted with the full incident throughout the course of the piece. The lyrics are also comprehensive enough that if listeners and/or participants wanted to further explore the protest they could easily perform research based on key lyrical phrases. From the beginning, the lyrics make evident the place, time, players, and the terms of the protest: "Don't you wish you'd been there in Nigeria, in
Escravos in two-thousand-two? Those mothers and grandmothers, they organized, they strategized, they occupied refineries..." After the original story is shared, the lyrics become instructive: "If you want to try this you must organize and line up a lawyer just in case. Keep your message clear, find a sunny day, notify the press and fling your clothes away!" The
60 Turino. Music as Social Life: The Politics of Participation. 215. 61 Peddie, Ian Ed. 2006. The Resisting Muse: Popular Music and Social Protest. Burlington, VT: Ashgate Publishing Company. 62 Phull, Hardeep. 2008. Story Behind the Protest Song: A Reference Guide to the 50 Songs that Changed the 20th Century. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc.
84 comprehensive and instructive lyrics of the song are effective in raising awareness on this issue and provide women with a clear prescription for how to organize for a future social protest.
"OFNWFP" is also effective because of its upbeat and humorous style. Especially in
Womansong's performance of the piece, they truly play up the comedic aspects of the song. The score is in common time but the music is filled with dotted rhythms and sixteenth notes. It is also performed up-tempo. The song is in D-major and the majority of the harmonies are consonant.
The dynamics throughout are different grades of loud and the choir often shouts words or phrases such as "woowoo!" "titties" and "knock it off!" In addition to the piano, there are two shakers in the background that help thicken the texture and make the song sound more lively. The extra phrases at the end ("You know nobody wants to see that!" and "Don't make us come over there!") are shouted into a microphone by Roberta Newman, who has one hand on her hip and is pointing into the audience with the other. The choir members also periodically shake their firsts in the air.
Figure 3.1: Dotted rhythms and "WooWoo!"
The upbeat style of "OFNWFP" makes it memorable. Audience and family members often claim that this song is one of their favorites because it is fun and humorous. The lyrics and the story, while completely true and very serious at the time of the protest, are naturally funny because they are taboo. At the twenty-fifth anniversary concert, when the choir sang the line,
"'Cause economic justice is easier to deal with than lots of naked women in the nude!" the crowd
85 immediately broke into laughter. This laughter continued throughout the rest of the piece.
Womansong's humorous reading of "OFNWFP" is also effective. Between their shouting and smiling, the choir does certain things that are simply hilarious. On the line, "And fling your clothes away!" the members on the top row suddenly pull lingerie from behind their backs and throw it in the air. At that point in the performance I heard several audience members gasp and begin laughing even louder. People in other parts of the auditorium even broke into applause!
The upbeat and comedic nature of "OFNWFP" make the song hard to forget. The song's memorability makes it an effective social mobilizer.
Figure 3.2: Womansong members throwing lingerie.
Most sources on music and social movement agree that songs must have a catchy melody in order to be capable organizers. "OFNWFP" has such a catchy tune that audience members at the twenty-fifth anniversary concert, who hadn't heard it since Womansong's last performance of the piece, were singing it in the audience before the show even began. The melody is catchy in part because it is danceable, or easy to move to. The rhythm offers a good beat for hip swaying and head bobbing. The melody is also catchy because it is simple and repetitive. The first half of the chorus is almost identical to the second half, and this chorus is sung three times in total, with a reprise at the end. In addition to its comprehensive and instructive lyrics and upbeat and
86 humorous style, "OFNWFP" is effective in raising awareness and mobilizing because of its danceable, simple, and repetitive melody.
Figure 3.3: The catchy, danceable chorus melody.
Womansong contributes to the outside community through education and awareness- raising in rehearsals, performances, and recordings. The choir uses music as a vehicle for social movement and activism for local and global causes. Womansong's social contribution allows members to share positivism with the external community.
***
An old, fat, naked anecdote:
"In 'Old Fat Naked Women for Peace' the back row throws underwear. We actually had to audition our underwear so that Debbie could make sure it was appropriate. We were supposed to throw it behind us but one woman made it her goal to throw it in the audience and she threw it so hard that it landed on the microphone stand and slid all the way down!" - Diane Hammar
The New Start: Womansong's Charitable Arm
At first it looks like a dead end, a wall, this life you’ve got, meanness, hunger, fear. Babies crying. Bills mounting. Some coiled fist menacing in some corner.
How we know this, how all women know this! And yet, a blessing. We sing! We sing together as women. We sing for the world, and for each other, and with our song we lift you too.
87 Fifty or a hundred dollars to pay the light bill, or the tuition bill, Or maybe just to get the hell out of here to some better place in your dreams.
We have all been there, and with our song we raise you, We reach out to you, woman to woman, a firm, strong hand, Knowing you can envision this, a life beyond these walls.
It is not a dead end. There’s more life still, for you, for your babies. Woman-to-woman, we lift you with our song, to the next day, the next step, The first glimmer, the new start, shining, glinting golden under our feet.
The above poem is about Womansong's New Start Program and was written by Linda
Metzner. The poem is about care—financial, emotiophysical, and musical—for women who are in transition. Metzner founded the program to lend a hand to women in the Asheville area. It has grown to continue fitting the needs of women in Western North Carolina over the past several years and is a significant component of Womansong's response to the broader community. In this section, I discuss the founding and function of Womansong's New Start Program. I explore how the choir's charitable arm has created a symbiotic relationship between Womansong and the
Asheville community and how this relationship has allowed healing on micro and macro levels.
Linda says the New Start Program (NSP) developed because of necessity among
Asheville's women and among Womansong's members. Some of Womansong's beneficiaries insisted on paying the group so Linda decided to use these funds for the greater good. "I wanted to find a unified thing to do with our money," says Linda. "I didn't want to spend a lot of time interviewing different causes so that's how I started the New Start fund." Linda explains the early path of the NSP:
Having worked with the women’s resource center, the homeless shelter, and the shelter for domestic violence, I realized that with only fifty or one-hundred dollars they could be encouraged and helped. Maybe it could help pay the rent or get them the books they needed to go to school. I thought about how to encourage women so that they can always make a new start. No matter how down and out things are you can always start over at some point. And that’s how I got the idea
88 for the New Start. That was in 1988 and they have continued [the program]. It’s grown into thousands of dollars. I love what they’ve continued to do with it.
Figure 3.4: Debbie Nordeen (left) and Linda Metzner (right).
The program has indeed grown since its founding a quarter of a century ago. With
increased ticket sales, product sales, and donations, Womansong has more recently been able to
offer annual scholarships to women returning to school after an extended hiatus due to economic
or domestic necessity. Grants have also increased in size so that women who may be undergoing
larger transitions—such as leaving abusive relationships and providing for themselves and their
children on their own for the first time—have enough funding to help get them on their feet. As
Womansong continues growing in size and popularity, it seems only obvious that the NSP will
continue adjusting to fit the changing needs of women in Western North Carolina.
Linda also commented that she thought the New Start Program was fairly unique for a
women's choir—she was correct. The Sister Singers Network (SSN) is a parent organization for
several (but not all) feminist choral ensembles and musicians across the United States.63
63 Sister Singers Network. 2012. "Who We Are."
89 Womansong is part of the network and members generally attend SSN festivals bi-annually.
Ninety-three women's choruses and small ensembles are a part of SSN so the organization contains a large sample of American women's choirs. Of those groups, several are non-profit organizations. Many of the choirs are also involved in raising awareness of social issues and sometimes holding benefits and fundraising for outlying organizations. However, none of the choirs in SSN has its own grass-roots fundraising program such as NSP.
I believe that the NSP has flourished over the past twenty-five years because there is a strong sense of mutual care in Womansong. In Chapter Two of this thesis, I wrote about mutual care when referring to insular village support. Stige takes the concept a step further when he claims, "Mutual care is of course not all there is to a choir, but if we realize that mutual care is not necessarily separated from the pleasure of singing, then we may see how mutual care may imply caring for immediate needs but also cooperative political action."64 Womansong's efforts to raise awareness and use music to mobilize people for social causes, in addition to its grass-roots fund to support local women in transition, demonstrate that mutual care is not just within the village but is also provided to Womansong's surrounding community.
In the conclusion to Where Music Helps: Community Music Therapy in Action and
Reflection editors Brynjulf Stige, Gary Ansdell, Cochavit Elefant, and Mercedes Pavlicevic write, "[Community music therapy] outcomes may develop at any of the ecological levels
(individual, microsystem, organization, locality, etc.) and to the degree each system is an open
64 Stige. "Practicing Music as Mutual Care." 274.
90 system, there will be reciprocal influences between systems."65 This statement reveals that healing can take place at both micro and macro levels as a result of the sharing of two systems.
When applied to Womansong, it demonstrates that the healing in the choir's village (micro level) can influence healing in the broader area of Western North Carolina (macro level). On the other hand, needs in the larger area (macro level) can also be felt in the village (micro level). This relationship attunes the choir to where it can be of help in the broader community. As the editors state above, this kind of music therapy relationship between systems is truly reciprocal.
The reciprocal relationship between the village and its surrounding community is a positive attribute because it makes the choir more sensitive to the surrounding community's needs. However, the relationship is symbiotic. Members also gain benefits because contributing to the external community helps members feel that they are needed. Feeling that one is needed strengthens a sense of belonging which in turn offers positive health benefits. Therefore, Western
North Carolina is healing with assistance from Womansong, and providing service to the surrounding community is allowing choir members to experiencing healing as well. The circle is balanced in this system of reciprocity. The New Start Program is certainly a unique aspect of
Womansong and has allowed healing to be experienced on micro and macro levels.
Everybody Got Her Own: My Experience of Healing in the Village
My friend Rosanna was a pretty young girl She pretend that she was the girl across town With her hair piled high and a skirt that would Redbrick house and white satin gown twirl She dreamed wedding dreams of flower and lace She dreamed girl dreams of flowers and lace But the house where she lived was a dingy ol' But the house where she lived was a dingy ol' place place This is her philosophy
65 Stige, Brynjulf et al Ed. 2010. "Conclusion - When Things Take Shape in Relation to Music: Towards an Ecological Perspective on Music's Help." Where Music Helps: Community Music Therapy in Action and Reflection. Burlington, VT: Ashgate Publishing Company. 302.
91 She share it with you for free This is her philosophy Everybody got her own sight She share it with you for free Everybody hear her own tune Everybody got her own flight Everybody got her own sight Everybody shine her own moon Everybody hear her own tune Everybody got her own flight Her children come and her children grown Everybody shine her own moon Gran'babies here and then they go She dream her dream of flowers and lace Rosanna is gone now and I want to know But still she live in that dingy ol' place How to dream a dream that you don't let go Dream a dream of flowers and lace She watch the lady on the TV show Finally she shed of this dingy ol' place Big, wide grin, shiny jewels that glow Rosanna alone as the days go by This is her philosophy Dreams do help the years to fly She share it with you for free
Womansong member, Jean Cassidy, wrote the song "Everybody Got Her Own" and performed it at the twenty-fifth anniversary concert with a small ensemble. Musically, the song is relaxing and sounds as if it was inspired by Caribbean and/or Hispanic influences (the instrumentation includes maracas and a marimba and the melody is similar to the "Chiquita
Banana" theme song). In describing the piece Jean says, "It sounds like a very light song, but the message in the song is about a single mom who didn’t have anything." While this seems like a sad piece to connect my experiences with, I interpret the song as having another message. The lyrics to "Everybody Got Her Own," also imply that every woman has her own story. Throughout the course of this thesis I have shared stories of Womansong members healing in the village. Just as my interlocutors trusted me enough to allow me into the village, I trust them enough to open up to them. This section is my testament of gratitude to Womansong.
In the summer of 2011 I was in Asheville visiting a friend. His mother was the conductor of a local women's community choir named Womansong and she insisted that I come to their summer concert. I enjoyed myself at the show and was invited to go to dinner with several of the
92 choir members afterward. During the meal I realized that the choir members were not only fellow artists but dear friends who cared for and supported each other. I was impressed by their openness, their willingness to speak with me about struggles with breast cancer, the pain of losing romantic partners, and the joy of feeling that Womansong provided them with a safe space to express themselves. I left dinner feeling happy that these women shared in such a supportive community and that, for a brief time, they were willing to share it with me.
Several months later I was in the process of choosing a thesis topic and decided that I should stay in the United States for economic and health reasons. By this point I had taken a few graduate courses and I knew that I was interested in women's studies, communal musicking, and health and healing. As a vocalist and dancer, I also preferred to work within an area where I could be involved as a participant observer. I realized that research on Womansong would allow me to explore all of these interests and soon found myself conducting fieldwork in Asheville during the Summer of 2012.
When I attended my first Womansong rehearsal, Debbie made a special announcement about me and the choir seemed so excited that I was there. At the break Sharron St. John came up to me. She said, "Hi, I'm Sharron! You wanna talk about music and healing? I have a partner struggling with dementia and Womansong has been such a life saver. You come talk to me when you're ready." When I sent out an e-mail requesting that Womansong members reserve interview times, Sharron was the first to sign up. Our interview took place on her back porch. I found it hard to keep myself composed as she movingly spoke through tears about slowly losing Regina to dementia and the support that she had received from the village. At that moment I knew that
93 there was something special about Womansong and that I had come to the right place. Sharron and I said goodbye, I got into my truck, drove away, and began to sob.
Indeed, many of my interviews this summer moved me to tears. This was in part because
I was touched by the stories I heard; it was also because I felt that, in opening up to me, these women were welcoming me into their "village." After having been on my own in graduate school for a year, I was in need of this sense of belonging. I had begun to feel, as several graduate students do, that I just wasn't good enough to belong in graduate school. I made high grades in my courses but every week was a struggle. As a result of this tension, I felt isolated. Womansong reminded me that I am good enough to belong somewhere.
Another manner in which I was allowed to participate in Womansong was through rehearsals. After singing roughly fifteen hours per week in undergraduate school I had stopped singing almost completely in graduate school. There were no world music ensembles primarily geared toward vocalists and my studies took up too much of my time for me to be involved in one of FSU's rigorous upper-level choral ensembles. During my undergraduate years, I was diagnosed with a heart condition and low blood sugar, woke up on the table during my cardiac ablation, had to forget my dreams and change my major because of my health, and was a victim of sexual abuse. Singing and my tight-knit choir were ultimately what helped me through those experiences. Without choir and without a musical community, I realized that I was losing my voice and my coping mechanism.
Participating in all of Womansong's rehearsals helped me to regain my voice. Singing with the choir strengthened my vocal folds and provided me with an emotional outlet. However, the greatest benefit was singing with the other women in the choir. I've always felt that
94 communal musicking has allowed me to help create something that is bigger than myself. I suddenly began to feel that again. I was becoming part of this thing, this village, that was bigger than myself and I couldn't control it...and I loved every second of it!
I will graduate this May and move to Asheville. I know that when I get there I will have a supportive, nurturing, caring group of seventy-five women who will make me feel like I belong and will help me in my transition by offering the support of the village. When people ask me why I've chosen to move to Asheville I always jokingly respond, "I'm going back to the bush to be with my people." As funny as it sounds, it's true.
95 CHAPTER 4
CONCLUSION: SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW
Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high High above the chimney tops, that's where you'll There's a land that I've heard of once in a lullaby find me Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue And the dreams that you dare to dream really do Somewhere over the rainbow, bluebirds fly come true Birds fly over the the rainbow, Why then, oh why can't I? Someday I'll wish upon a star If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow And wake up where the clouds are far behind me Why, oh why can't I? Where troubles melt like lemon drops
"Somewhere Over the Rainbow" was Womansong's encore at the twenty-fifth anniversary concert. Debbie introduced the piece by saying that she chose the song because it lives in the
American psyche. The audience was invited to sing with the choir and Debbie was proven right
—it seemed that nearly everyone knew "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." Perhaps this is because the song encourages hope. The lyrics imply that a fantastical place exists over the rainbow and that it is possible to get there.
The twenty-fifth anniversary concert encore is fitting with the conclusion of this project because it allows me to problematize Womansong's ability to last into the future. At the end of my interview with Sandi Krecioch she said, "I hope there will always be a Womansong." The thought of Womansong's future existence never occurred to me until that point. Will there always be a Womansong? Everything has its time, but can such a large and successful choir as
Womansong ever cease to exist?
This thesis has shown that Womansong fills several needs. It is my prediction that, as long as Womansong continues filling these needs and offers health benefits to its choir members and the surrounding community, the choir will continue to exist. In each of the three main parts of this thesis (1. Gender; 2. Community; 3. Contribution), I have demonstrated that Womansong's
96 village provides members and non-members with a space for health and healing. In Chapter One,
I used literature from feminist scholars, historical musicologists and ethnomusicologists, medical practitioners, and sociologists to reinforce my statements on gendered experiences in relation to health and healing. In Chapter Two, ethnomusicologists, political scientists, anthropologists, and music therapists aided me in my analysis of healing through communal musicking, shared experiences, and common identity. In Chapter Three, I utilized the SSN database, the work of ethnomusicologists and historical musicologists, social scientists, and a women's choral organization to explore the nature of Womansong's contribution and how benefits of health and healing can be experienced at micro and macro levels.
As my references demonstrate, any study in medical ethnomusicology must be interdisciplinary to get at the multifaceted nature of music, culture, health, and healing. Without this wide array of resources, I would have encountered several challenges in demonstrating how communal musicking has provided Womansong members (and non-members) with a positive environment for a balanced circle of health. Even still, I must admit that after having written the body of the thesis, I noticed a concrete flaw in my own work: lack of quantitative data that reinforces the healing experiences of my interlocutors. I discovered this flaw because of my interaction with a recent work that was edited by a self-proclaimed medical ethnomusicologist and includes essays from other ethnomusicologists on music and healing. Quantitative, and sometimes even qualitative, data was missing from much of the writing and the authors all too often relied solely on the words of their interlocutors instead of interweaving personal stories with scholarly literature. They freely used terms such as "health," "healing," and "therapy" without defining them and without referencing data from other resources. Once reading this
97 work, I reviewed several other self-acclaimed projects in medical ethnomusicology and discovered the same problems. I believe that this is an overarching issue in the young sub- discipline that must be addressed if we want to produce valid, useable literature. For future studies, I suggest that medical ethnomusicologists—and other scholars interested in the arts and healing—embrace the wide variety of resources that are at our hands (allopathic and non- allopathic, quantitative and qualitative) in order to understand how the art forms that we love so much can fill the very real needs of their participants.
For the resources that I did use in this project, I was able to combine them with the voices of my interlocutors in order to demonstrate that Womansong fulfills a wide variety of human, and particularly female, health needs:
• Womansong encourages women to appreciate their bodies and to have fun
• Womansong allows women to raise consciousness of their personal problems as females and
share their experiences and concerns with each other and with a broader audience
• Womansong emboldens women to celebrate their accomplishments in their own right and not
at the hand of, or to the detriment, of men
• Womansong inspires women to convene with nature and explore their spirituality
• Womansong provides protection to its members and encourages love in any form
• Womansong surrounds women with a supportive network that is called the village
• Womansong lets members enjoy the process of communal musicking
• Womansong gives women a place where they can freely express themselves
• Womansong members belong
• Womansong makes audiences aware of social causes and inspires social movement
98 • Womansong gives back to the surrounding community through the New Start Program
• Womansong members work together to create something that is bigger than themselves
• Womansong is involved in a symbiotic relationship with the Asheville community in which
members can feel needed and can contribute to the lives of non-members
This extensive list only just touches the surface of the benefits that Womansong provides to both its internal and external communities. These benefits are all connected to health and healing in some way. Whether one's circle is balanced by better self esteem, a home-cooked meal from a caring friend, comic relief, an arm around the shoulders, or a spontaneous song and dance party, Womansong's communal musicking environment facilitates the necessary space for health and healing.
99 APPENDIX A
VIDEOGRAPHY
Big Legged Woman: Seventy-Five Female Bodies...... 26:45
I Come from Women: Feminism and Womansong in Context...... 1:12:36
Arise!: Men in Relation to Womansong...... 5:25
Gaia Medley: Nature and Spirituality in the Village...... 1:17:15
Helmet: Homosexuality and Protection in the Village...... 1:06:32
You'll Never Walk Alone: What is a Village?...... 44:58
True Colors: Identity, Shared Experiences of Loss, and the Benefits of Communal Musicking in the Village...... 29:36
Heal Me: Communitas, Belonging, and Leadership in the Village...... 35:10
I Will Carry You: Concepts of Care in the Village...... 39:28
Old Fat Naked Women for Peace: Raising Awareness, Music, and Social Movement...... 15:46
Everybody Got Her Own: My Experience of Healing in the Village...... 1:00:11
100 APPENDIX B
IRB APPROVAL AND INFORMED CONSENT FORM
Human Subjects Application - For Full IRB and Expedited Exempt Review
PI Name: Felicia Kailey Youngblood
Project Title: Womansong: An Exploration of Personal Growth and Healing Experiences in a
Women's Community Performance Group
HSC Number: 2012.7923
Your application has been received by our office. Upon review, it has been determined that your protocol is an oral history, which in general, does not fit the definition of "research" pursuant to the federal regulations governing the protection of research subjects. Please be mindful that there may be other requirements such as releases, copyright issues, etc. that may impact your oral history endeavor, but are beyond the purview of this office.
101 Human Subjects Consent Form
You have been asked to participate in an oral history research project by Felicia K. Youngblood of Florida State University. Your participation in this project is voluntary and you have the right to withdrawal from the study at any time.
This research project is an oral history study which is ethnographic in nature. You are asked to participate in an hour long personal interview in which you will be asked directive questions concerning your current and past experiences and issues relevant to those experiences. Additionally, your participation and activities may be observed and recorded during any rehearsal and/or performance taking place from May 1, 2012 – May 1, 2013. Any specific notes relating to your involvement and a transcription of your interview will be provided to you by June 1, 2013.
This study is not designed to elicit your physical and/or emotional discomfort. You are urged to be honest and encouraged to share but you are not asked to risk your personal comfort. It is hoped that this study may, indeed, provide benefits to you and your personal growth as you will be reflecting on individual experiences.
You have the option of disclosing your name or remaining anonymous. If you choose to remain anonymous, you are assured that your participation in this project will be strictly confidential.
If you have any questions or concerns in relation to this research project and your rights as a participant, please contact Betty Southard, Legal Counsel to the Florida State University Human Subjects Committee, at (850)644-8632 or [email protected].
By signing this consent form I, (the subject) ______, confirm that I understand the procedures described above. My questions have been answered to my satisfaction, and I agree to participate in this study. I understand that my identity will be disclosed. I have been given a copy of this form.
______
Printed Name of Subject
______
Signature of Subject Date
______
Signature of Witness Date
102 Human Subjects Consent Form (Page 2, Option 2)
By signing this consent form I, (the subject) ______, confirm that I understand the procedures described above. My questions have been answered to my satisfaction, and I agree to participate in this study but I want to remain anonymous. I have been given a copy of this form.
______
Printed Name of Subject
______
Signature of Subject Date
______
Signature of Witness Date
103 APPENDIX C
SONG ATTRIBUTIONS
"Big Legged Woman"...... The Righteous Mothers & Marla Beth Elliott
"I Come from Women"...... Amy Carol Webb; arr. by Velma Frye & D. Nordeen
"Arise!"...... Lyrics: Julia Ward Howe; Music: The Righteous Mothers
"Gaia Medley: Oshun, Kodesh Eema, Come Breathe With Us Gaia"...... Annelinde Metzner
"Helmet"...... Gunnar Madsen & Richard Greene
"You'll Never Walk Alone"...... Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein
"True Colors"...... Billy Steinberg & Thomas Kelly; arr. by Sue Gladstone Curtis
"Heal Me"...... Sue Roberts Ford
"I Will Carry You"...... Lois J. Hendrickson (Lytingale)
"Old Fat Naked Women for Peace"...... Marla Beth Elliott & Miranda Elliott; arr. by The Righteous Mothers
"Everybody Got Her Own"...... Jean Cassidy
"Somewhere Over the Rainbow"...... Lyrics: E.Y. Harburg; Music: Harold Arlen
104 BIBLIOGRAPHY
Adams, Patch. 1998. House Calls: How We Can All Heal the World One Visit at a Time. San Francisco: Robert Dr. Reed Publishers.
Agha-Jaffar, Tamara. 2004. Women and Goddesses in Myth and Sacred Text. US: Pearson
Alcantara, Pedro De. 2009. The Alexander Technique: a Skill for Life. Marlborough: Crowood.
Allison, Theresa A. 2008. "Songwriting and Transcending Institutional Boundaries in the Nursing Home." in Koen, Benjamin D. Ed. The Oxford Handbook of Medical Ethnomusicology. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc.
Clair, Alicia Ann. 2008. "Music Therapy Evidence-Based Outcomes in Dementia Care: Better Life Quality for Those with Alzheimer's Disease and Their Families." in Koen, Benjamin D. Ed. The Oxford Handbook of Medical Ethnomusicology. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc.
Cook, Susan C. and Judy S. Tsou, Ed. 1994. Cecilia Reclaimed: Feminist Perspectives on Gender and Music. Urbana and Chicagoo: University of Illinois Press.
D'Augelli, Anthony R., Neil W. Pilkington, and Scott L. Hershberger. 2002. "Incidence and Mental Health Impact of Sexual Orientation Victimization of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Youths in High School." School Psychology Quarterly 17(2): 148.
D'Augelli, Anthony R. and Scott L. Hershberger. 1993. "Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Youth in Community Settings: Personal Challenges and Mental Health Problems. American Journal of Community Psychology 21(4): 421-48.
Dicker, R., & A. Piepmeier. 2003. "Introduction." in Catching a Wave: Reclaiming Feminism for the 21st Century. Boston: Northeastern University Press.
Evans, Sara M. 2003. Tidal Wave: How Women Changed America at Century's End. New York, NY: Free Press.
Ensler, Eve. 2009. "Embrace Your Inner Girl." TED: Ideas Worth Spreading.
Fortuna, Thomas. 2011. "Nigerian Women Win Concessions from Chevron Through Occupation, 2002." Global Nonviolent Action Database - Swarthmore College.
105 Hayes, Eileen. 2010. Songs in Black and Lavender: Race, Sexual Politics, and Women's Music. Chicago: Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.
Heinberg, Leslie J. and J. Kevin Thompson. 1995. "Body Image and Televised Images of Thinness and Attractiveness: A Controlled Laboratory Investigation. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology 14(4): 325-38.
Heywood, L. & J. Drake Eds. 1997. Third Wave Agenda: Being Feminist, Doing Feminism. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
Ivey, Michael and Tracey Schmidt. 2012. Figures 1.1-3.4.
Irving, Lori M. 1990. "Mirror Images: Effects of the Standard of Beauty on the Self- and Body- Esteem of Women Exhibiting Varying Levels of Bulimic Symptoms." Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology 9(2): 230-42.
Jorritsma, Marie. 2011. Sonic Spaces of the Karoo: The Sacred Music of a South African Coloured Community. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.
Koen, Benjamin D. et al Ed. 2008. The Oxford Handbook of Medical Ethnomusicology. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Koenig, Harold G. 2008. "Religion, Spirituality, and Healing: Research, Dialogue, and Directions." in Koen, Benjamin D. Ed. The Oxford Handbook of Medical Ethnomusicology. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc.
Lont, Cynthia M. 1992. "Women's Music: No Longer a Small Private Party." in Garofalo, Reebee, Ed. Rockin' the Boat: Mass Music and Mass Movements. Cambridge: South End Press.
Mattern, Mark. 1998. Acting in Concert: Music, Community, and Political Action. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers UP.
Peddie, Ian Ed. 2006. The Resisting Muse: Popular Music and Social Protest. Burlington, VT: Ashgate Publishing Company.
Phull, Hardeep. 2008. Story Behind the Protest Song: A Reference Guide to the 50 Songs that Changed the 20th Century. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc.
Porter, Tony. 2010. "A Call to Men." TED: Ideas Worth Spreading.
106 Roach, Susan. 1985. "The Kinship Quilt: An Ethnographic, Semiotic Analysis of a Quilting Bee." in Jordan, Rosan A. and Susan J. Kalcik Ed. Women's Folklore, Women's Culture. United States: University of Pennsylvania Press.
Ryan, Caitlin et al. 2009. "Family Rejection as a Predictor of Negative Health Outcomes in White and Latino Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Young Adults." Pediatrics 123(1): 346-52.
Sarachild, Kathie. 1973. "Consciousness-Raising: A Radical Weapon." Feminist Revolution. New York: Random House.
Schwartz, Jessica. 2012. "Resonances of the Atomic Age: Hearing the Nuclear Legacy in the United States and the Marshall Islands, 1945-2010." Graduate Dissertation Collection. New York University.
Shelemay, Kay Kaufman. 2011. "Musical Communities: Rethinking the Collective in Music." Journal of the American Musicological Society 64(2): 349-390.
Siegel, Judith M. et al. 1999. "Body Image, Perceived Pubertal Timing, and Adolescent Mental Health." Journal of Adolescent Health 25(2): 155-65.
Sister Singers Network. 2012. "Who We Are."
Sowards, Stacy K. and Valerie R. Renegar. May 2009: "The Rhetorical Functions of Consciousness-Raising in Third Wave Feminism." Communication Studies 55(4): 535-552.
Statelova, Rosemary. 2004. "The Contemporary Sorbian Choral Movement: Horizons of Meaning by Singing Sorbian Songs." in Hemetek, Ursula Ed. Manifold Identities: Studies on Music and Minorities. Buckinghamshire, UK: Cambridge Scholars Press.
Stige, Brynjulf. 2010. "Practicing Music as Mutual Care." in Stige, Brynjulf et al Ed. Where Music Helps: Community Music Therapy in Action and Reflection. Burlington, VT: Ashgate Publishing Company.
Stige, Brynjulf et al Ed. 2010. "Conclusion - When Things Take Shape in Relation to Music: Towards an Ecological Perspective on Music's Help." Where Music Helps: Community Music Therapy in Action and Reflection. Burlington, VT: Ashgate Publishing Company.
Sugarman, Jane C. 1997. Engendering Song: Singing and Subjectivity at Prespa Albanian Weddings. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
107 Thorne, Stephanie B. 1999. "A Cultural View of Music Therapy: Music and Beliefs of Teton Sioux Shamans, with Reference to the Work of Frances Densmore." Graduate Thesis Collection. Butler University.
Turino, Thomas. 2008. Music as Social Life: The Politics of Participation. Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press.
Von Glahn, Denise. 2011. "American Women and the Nature of Identity." Journal of the American Musicological Society 64 (2): 399-403.
Weil, Andrew. 1983. Health and Healing: Understanding Conventional and Alternative Medicine. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Wilson Kimber, Marian. 2002. “The ‘Suppression’ of Fanny Mendelssohn: Rethinking Feminist Biography.” 19th-Century Music 26(2): 113-29.
108 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
Felicia K. Youngblood received her B.A. in Music Education from Catawba College in
2011. She will receive her M.M. in Ethnomusicology from The Florida State University in May,
2013. In her next educational endeavor, she will be attending the Summer School for Designing a
Society, held by the Patch Adams Gezundheit! Institute in June, 2013. While there, Felicia will work in a collaborative performance environment to learn how to compose societies which are geared toward positive health experiences.
109