It’s nice when real life serves you up a situation that simply *requires* a song. If you’re paying attention, these moments are not that far apart. When I (Jascha) babysit for my sweet niece, I’ve found myself reaching for Brazilian songs, folk and pop ballads, and beyond. It has really stretched me to expand my repertoire.
And so I give you the week’s prompt: Sing a lullaby.
You could bring to mind a sweet child in your own life. You could use words, soothing syllables, or lyrical humming. You could think about that subtle threshold between wake and sleep, and imagine what kind of voice might help to ease some gentle soul across.
As usual, there are options. (And an amazing demo from Amado, responding to Option B.)
Options
Option A: Self-soothing. Sing a lullaby you remember from your childhood. Don’t worry about finding the words online, or checking the melody on Spotify. This one is not about accuracy. Just sing what you remember of this lullaby, and fill in the open spaces with your own invention. You could even sing it to yourself.
Option B: Savage beast. You are in a mythical land, and you are in grave danger. A fierce creature (dragon, phoenix, three-headed hell hound, fanged pegasus, you name it) is near. One of its eyes is open, the other closed. If you can lull it to sleep, you might be able to escape. If you wake it, there goes the kingdom. Now … sing!
To Contribute
The steps are as follows:
- Step 0: Sign up for a free SoundCloud account here. Join the SSS group.
- Step 1: Record yourself singing your lullaby.
- Step 2: Upload to SoundCloud and post the track to the SSS group.
- Step 3: Listen to and comment on tracks uploaded by your fellow singers. (Play nice!)
Deadline: Your tracks should be uploaded by midnight wherever you are on Monday, March 9, 2015.
Length: Your track should be just long enough to ensure the listener falls asleep, but not so long that the listener wakes up again!
Description: Tell us who you were singing to, and how it felt. (If you take Option A, you could describe your memories of the song. If Option B, tell us about the savage beast you lulled to sleep.)
Title/Tag: When uploading to SoundCloud, put “[sss-lullaby]” in the title of your track. Also include the term “sss-lullaby” as a tag. This will help us find it.
Group: Once the track is uploaded, click on the “Add to group” button below the waveform and make sure to select the Society for Spontaneous Singing group. (This option will only appear if you have already joined the group!)
Linking: You are welcome to include this info in your description:
This track is a reply to “SSS Prompt 6: Sing a lullaby.” More on the Society for Spontaneous Singing at http://singthis.org
Thank you, sweet singers!
Yours,
Jascha & Amado