Music that Makes Community: Open My Heart

An example of teaching music for group singing without the use of books or projectors, recorded at the All Saints Company conference "Music that Makes Community," St. Paul's Chapel, New York City, April 2008.

[@singdrumjoy]

I find this to be very sweet and beautiful. I like how Ana H. facilitated it. After she taught the song, she left the front and just let this group create the chant themselves. How trusting and ego-less.

[@anahermusic]

The thing that moves me most is the usher that stops to listen, goes out, comes back and walks almost into the circle. I never would have noticed, but he came up to me afterward and thanked me for teaching him the song. When I finally saw him on the video years later, I was amazed at the way spirit works. Again. As usual. Always surprising.

[@adriendawson406]

Ana, I have watched this video a few times over the last years when I am considering using this song with my congregation, to refresh the parts and the melody in my mind. I was first introduced to it by a colleague, the Rev. Kristin Krantz. For the first time today - I watched the video all the way through and as the camera pans around I realized that you are singing in St. Paul's chapel. I got goosebumps as it dawned on me- because I helped open up the chapel, dig up the front walk, and get a generator going on Sept 12, 2001 with a few folks gathered from the seaman's center. I spent most of that first week serving with coffee and sandwiches at St. Paul's - I really never went back to the chapel after it became a tourist attraction. Thank you for blessing that space with "Open My Heart". Even after all these years, it helps.

[@lisamischke7808]

@@adriendawson406 I lived on the west coast when 911 happened, though I grew up in NY. In the years afterward, I never went down by "ground zero" when visiting NY. I had some history there and it was something I didn't want to confront. I went to a Music that Makes Community workshop at St. Paul's chapel in 2012, soon after moving back to NY. It was during an improvisation on Psalm 23 that I finally could approach the space and make the beginnings of peace.