Press

• Monday Magazine, March 30-April 5, 2006.
• Synergy Magazine, November-December, 2006.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What if I can’t sing?
• What do you mean by "sacred sound"?
• What’s the source of your inspiration?

What if I can’t sing?

Singing is an expression of the human spirit and everyone comes equipped to participate. If you can breathe you can sing! In Sacred World Song people are amazed at how easy it is to reclaim their natural singing voice. And how stirring it is to do so.

Every person’s voice is as unique as their fingerprints, with a unique range, resonance and timbre. Therefore singing is a very personal form of expression. When we sing together, our diversity adds character and beauty to the music.

Singing energizes and motivates. It unifies a community and helps us get through hard times. The voice is the most healing instrument you can ever play. In song your whole body becomes resonant with vibrations that literally give you a “tune up”. Chanting integrates breath, heartbeat, emotion, thought, and spirit. It helps harmonize your inner and outer worlds. When people join their voices together in song, “the whole is more than the sum of the parts”; harmonics (extra unsung tones) appear when many voices blend.

Many people have been told that they are incapable of singing or that their voice is “strange”. When someone has been told that their voice doesn’t measure up, it is a crushing blow to the sense of self-expression. People usually report that they stopped singing altogether, and felt an unexplained sense of loss. Often what happened is that a teacher gave them music outside of their natural range, perhaps to fit in with a choral piece. When the student couldn’t reach all the notes comfortably, they were told they weren’t able singers. In fact, they are. But the music was not keyed to their voice or they were not placed in the right section of a choir.

Many people still believe that you are either a “born singer” or not. The truth is that singing is a natural ability we can all enjoy. In Sacred World Song people learn to suspend self-judgment and open themselves to the flow of spirit. Self-expression is emphasized over singing perfection, although singing technique is also taught. People are invited to participate in a way that is comfortable for them—hum along; sing their heart out; improvise, clap and dance, or just listen and relax.

Sacred World Song is a member of the Ubuntu Choirs Network, a group of choirs across North America that believes the joy of singing is a universal birthright and that, regardless of musical background, we can help improve the world by joining our voices in song. Read about the model, or browse some stories about how we make the world a better place. This network grew out of the Community Choir Leadership Training Course which Nancy graduated from in 2005.

"I am, because you are. I need you to be you so that I can be me. A choir is a choir only because its different parts work together harmoniously. Yes, a person truly is a person only through other persons. God bless you in your noble endeavour." - Nobel Laureate, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, regarding the Ubuntu Choirs Network

The Natural Voice Movement in Britain is another network that promotes singing for all.

“I thought I would just listen, but it was easy to participate. The songs draw you in.” Chantshop participant

“Singing together in harmony is a vital source of energy and connection, accessible to everyone.” Shivon Robinsong, Gettin’ Higher Choir

“Chanting is not ‘singing’—it’s about breath, about heart, and about Spirit, and we all come fully equipped to participate.” Robert Gass

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What do you mean by "sacred sound"?

Sacred song—chant—is vocal prayer and meditation. It may vary in style from lively to serene. What determines its sacredness is the intention, thoughts and emotions behind the sound. Sacred sound is created when we have the intention of connecting with the Divine, of praising all that is good in creation and awakening our higher consciousness.

Sound has the potential to be one of the most healing forces in the universe, as well as one of the most destructive. There are healthy and unhealthy sounds. Sacred sounds are highly beneficial--rich in harmonics or overtones. These tones change brain functioning and stimulate health of body, mind and spirit.

Positive musical energy—especially sacred song--has enormous power to transform individuals and society. Sacred World Song™ events harness and magnify that energy for the betterment of the world.

“There is real spiritual power in it. This is fabulous!” Chantshop participant

“I found myself transported into another world.” Chant circle participant

“Sacred music—you can’t go by the lyrics or structure. There’s no sacred music rhythm or scale. So sacred music is based on the intent of the performers, what their goals are, their motivations for the type of music, and then the context of that, and also the community that’s created with that, and how the people receive it. We need to dig deeper in our hearts, we need to embrace other people and other cultures. That’s what spirituality is and that’s what God is.” David Lynch, USA, musical anthropologist

“With sacred sounds, the intention of the individual making the sound is to align with Divine Will and higher consciousness. . . It becomes ‘Thy Will’ not ‘my will’." Jonathan Goldman

“In ancient times...sound was considered to be but an earthly reflection of a vibratory activity taking place beyond the physical world... Inaudible to human ear, this CosmicVibration was the origin and basis of all the matter and energy in the universe. ...The power of sound as a force which could be used for good or evil was considered unsurpassed. ...music was of ultimate importance, deriving its energy from Above for the working of change in the world below.” David Tame, The Secret Power of Music

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What’s the source of your inspiration?

The power of sacred music and sacred sound has been recognized by every advanced civilization, including Chinese, Mesopotamian, Indian, Tibetan, Roman and Greek. In fact, most religions and wisdom traditions teach that the world was created by sound, vibration, or the “Word”.

I’ve gathered sacred songs from a wide variety of spiritual traditions because I believe that all faiths share unifying core Truths. There is One Creator who has schooled humanity progressively by sending illuminated Teachers every thousand years or so. These Educators—Buddha, Mohammad, Christ, Krishna, etc.-- continuously reemphasize the fundamentals of spiritual development, including universal virtues and the "Golden Rule". They each update the social application of those teachings as humanity’s capacity and consciousness expands.

Today, we live in a time when religious hatred is threatening to destroy the planet. It’s imperative that we find ways to ease religious intolerance. Becoming irreligious won’t solve the problem. Rather, we must earnestly seek to discover our common spiritual roots and find ways to develop authentic, mutual respect. I believe we can differentiate True religion from corrupt imitations by observing the results—True religion has a unifying effect. Sacred World Song events create the opportunity for people to experience their common spiritual roots and awaken greater love, forgiveness, tolerance, courage and self-sacrifice. When it’s appropriate, the religious background and context of the songs is shared. One goal of Sacred World Song is to raise awareness of religions, without pressing for acceptance of any particular religion.

Personally, I have been an active member of the Bahá’í Faith for over 30 years, as well as a keen student of world religions. When requested, my workshop “Joyful Tidings of Light” introduces the progressive spiritual movement of Baha’u’llah (“The Light and Glory of God”) and the Bab (“The one who serves as a Gate”), two mid-19th century Persian luminaries who manifested a new Revelation dedicated to peace and unity. Other than that, my appearances are not used to promote my personal beliefs.

“What’s important is to build a new culture which respects cultural multiplicity and allows an emergence of a true form of spirituality…We consume cultural uniformity. I think we should converge and remain different at the same time. It’s a diversity in unity and a unity in diversity. We should uncover in these differences what is most deep and most universal.” Dr. Faouzi Skali, Director, World Sacred Music Festival

“The diversity in the human family should be the cause of love and harmony, as it is in music, where many different notes blend together in the making of a perfect chord.” ‘Abdu’l-Baha

“The divine religions of the holy Manifestations of God are in reality one though in name and nomenclature they differ. Man must be a lover of the light no matter from what day-spring it may appear. He must be a lover of the rose no matter in what soil it may be growing. He must be a seeker of the truth no matter from what source it come. … Religion should unite all hearts and cause wars and disputes to vanish from the face of the earth, give birth to spirituality, and bring life and light to each heart. If religion becomes a cause of dislike, hatred and division, it were better to be without it, and to withdraw from such a religion would be a truly religious act. For it is clear that the purpose of a remedy is to cure; but if the remedy should only aggravate the complaint it had better be left alone. Any religion which is not a cause of love and unity is no religion. All the holy prophets were as doctors to the soul; they gave prescriptions for the healing of mankind; thus any remedy that causes disease does not come from the great and supreme Physician.” Abdu'l-Baha

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