The Society for Spontaneous Singing

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Prompt 59: Don’t record.

March 10, 2016 Jascha Hoffman Prompts

If a voice sings into the air, and there is no microphone to record it, does it make a sound? The answer, this week, is an emphatic YES.

Recording is a wonderful thing. It lets us reach folks on other continents; listen back to ourselves; loop and layer forever. For a project like the SSS, the trusty microphone also gives us a sense of purpose as we come back to our voices. But there is a risk to relying too much on the mic. If we let a machine do the listening, week after week, concerned with making something we can share with the masses, perhaps we risk losing the capacity to truly listen to ourselves.

The other day I was feeling blocked. I wanted so much to sing, but my looping corner seemed far too narrow. So I set up a little bench in the middle of my living room, and began simply to sing there. It felt healthy and good, revolutionary even — to serve as my own witness, and, without anticipating praise or blame, to take satisfaction in the singing.

So this week, your prompt is to find a comfortable place, and simply sing there. It can be in the privacy of your bedroom, in your car on the way to work. or perhaps on a park bench if the weather permits. The important thing, believe it or not, is to *not* record. Just sing, and pay attention to how it feels to serve as your own witness. When you’re done, take a picture of where you sang, and post it to our Facebook page. You can tell us about how it felt if you want. That’s it — easy as pie.

Thank you, sweet singers!

  • « Prompt 58: Duet With Your Younger Self
  • prompt 60: as loud as joy, as quiet as prayer »

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