Courage and Empathy

What makes a courageous man? In Michael Thompson’s book, Raising Cain, the case is made that boys are particularly vulnerable in our society because we do not encourage them to develop an emotional vocabulary or self-understanding. Too often boys are encouraged to mindlessly “be strong.” Without self-understanding, boys can develop tendencies to emotional outbursts that endanger them and society. A principal at a school in Missouri notes “Boys, in particular, just have trouble verbalizing when they’re upset.” Carol Stewart, the founder of AmericaFest, a music festival that was devoted to singing only for men and boys, was inspired by the book Raising Cain and quoted it extensively in her video about the festival; for example, redefining the concept of male strength: “Teach boys that emotional courage is courage and that courage and empathy are the sources of real strength in life.”  

Carol Stewart and Michael Thompson believe that boys need role models of men who use “discipline to build character and conscience not enemies.” Boys who came together at the festival and who were interviewed said that they hadn’t realize how deeply they loved music. They had discovered a new resource within themselves and, what is more important, they discovered that there is a big world of other boys and young men who share their passion and interest, who are discovering new depths of emotional knowledge. They made new friends from around the world.

Ragazzi begins this process of creating community and building emotional understanding for boys through music. Younger boys have the Concert Group and the Young Mens Ensemble to look up to. These experienced singers have discovered the depth of their love for music and they have committed time and energy to share it with audiences. They have developed the discipline to work slowly and persistently for the reward of excellence. Musical appreciation, along with musical skills, grows over time. As boys form deep bonds and learn the language of music, they learn the language of their inner lives and they discover a safe place to experience and share that. By understanding themselves, they have the courage to freely express themselves and through this, they learn to have empathy for their fellow human beings.  

- Joyce Keil, Artistic Director

The Way Music Enriches Our Lives

There are so many ways that singing enriches our lives.  Below are two recent excerpts - one for reading and one for listening - which highlight the qualities which singing instills:

---From Ode magazine, October 2009:


“What’s so good about singing? Well, there are physiological benefits: you use your lungs in a way you probably don’t the rest of the day; you breathe deeply and openly. And there are psychological benefits: singing leaves you with a sense of levity and contentedness. And there are what I’d call ‘civilizational benefits’. When you sing with a group of people you learn how to subsume yourself to the group consciousness because …singing is all about the immersion of the self into the community. That’s one of the great feelings: to stop being me for a little while, and to become us. That way lies empathy, the great virtue ….I want to encourage you to sing….I believe singing is the key to a long life, a good figure, a stable temperament, greater intelligence, new friends, increased self confidence,…and a sense of humor."
 
---The NPR project "This I Believe" has posted this 3-minute lecture by Brian Eno about the power of song.

Celebrate Christmas with Ragazzi

Music celebrating Christmas has flourished into a rich and diverse repertoire. This year, Ragazzi's Christmas Concerts are happening on Dec 5, 6, and 13 in the Bay Area.  Tickets and locations are available at http://ragazzi.org/concerts.htm.  The music embraces the wide variety of ways in which people celebrate the holiday and the different meanings taken from the Christmas story – sacred and secular, somber and playful, restrained and joyful, repentant and hopeful. Here is a preview of the concert:

The opening of the concert sets the background for the actual story. The Glory of the Father presents an ethereal idea – “the word made flesh and dwelt among us.” Note the text painting – each instance of the word “glory” blossoms into a lush aural indulgence – as the whole story of Christianity is told in a kernel of a single song.

Annunciation Carol and Dixit Maria ad Angelum are musical paintings of the angel Gabriel’s visit to Mary and her subsequent response. Despite a difference in era and style, both songs showcase beautiful unaccompanied melodic lines which reflect the serene, graceful image of Mary.

Gesù Bambino and La Bonne Nouvelle highlight carols outside of the English tradition. Gesù Bambino is an Italian carol juxtaposed with O Come, All Ye Faithful in this arrangement by Pietro Yon. The unusual key modulations still sound fresh ninety years after composition, and they also reflect the spirit of juxtaposition – of two melodies or of divinity and humanity. The melody and text to La Bonne Nouvelle were found by American composer Robert Sieving in a long out-of-print music textbook. Ragazzi had a unique experience to host a French choir this fall, and the boys sang this carol as a gesture of friendship.

I Saw Three Ships and The Holly and The Ivy are English tunes from the 15th and 17th centuries. The texts do not map directly onto the Christmas story; rather, they use highly symbolic language. The three verses of Holly and the Ivy are each centered around a symbol: the holly bears the crown, the blossom, and the prickle. The text for I Saw Three Ships is equally nebulous – with possible references to the three kings, the three ideals “faith, hope, and love”, or even nuances towards the three ships of Columbus. This arrangement highlights the playful dance nature of the tune and creates a conversation between the choir and the chamber group.

The Agincourt Hymn is from 15th-century England. The original setting celebrated English victory in the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, but the tune has been associated with multiple texts in the ensuing centuries. One consistent element between all versions is the chorus: Deo gratias redde pro Victoria! – Give thanks to God for victory! It is one of the oldest English songs preserved in its original form.

Pat-a-pan is a French carol celebrating Christmas from the perspective of the shepherds. The music represents the sounds of the instruments in the text: the “pat-a-pan” and accompaniment imitate the drum and the “tu-re-lu-re-lu” mimics the sound of the flute. There is a striking similarity between Pat-a-pan and Wilberg’s arrangement of Fum, Fum, Fum! Both pieces are all about music and sound – the dancing quality of the rhythm, playful interaction of voices, and the instrument imitations unite to portray the excitement of Christmas in a folk-style.

The lush arrangement of Still, Still, Still is a lullaby. The rich harmonies support the piece as the melody weaves between the instruments and the choir to create a luxurious sound reflecting the text – falling snow, dreaming, the peaceful night, and the joyous day to come.

The Sametz Noel! is an exciting juxtaposition of modern composition with medieval text. The text is short: “Out of your sleep awake for God mankind now hath he take all of a maiden without any make Noel!” The excitement of the piece is generated by the overlapping rhythms, tight syncopations, and contrasting articulation.

Glory Hallelujah to duh Newbo’n King features an American spiritual arranged for choir. This piece also relies on rhythmic syncopation, but in a much more relaxed way than the Sametz Noel. Note the call-and-response structure, dialect, and rich chord structures which are key elements in the spiritual style.

Gloria is written by contemporary composer John Leavitt, who was born in 1956 in Leavenworth Kansas. He has directed choirs at a number of universities and is a prolific composer. While Leavitt’s “Gloria” contains a traditional Christmas text sung in Latin, it is filled with Leavitt’s signature rhythmic patterns and mixed meters.

Our Winter Wonderland is a medley of three Christmas carols that are all about an old-fashioned Christmas. The Most Wonderful Time of the Year was written in 1963 by Eddie Pola and George Wyle. It was recorded and released that same year on Andy Williams’ very first Christmas album. Let it Snow was written by Jule Styne in 1945. World War II was just over and this new song reflected the feeling of warmth and security associated with Christmas. Winter Wonderland was written by Felix Bernard and first published in 1934. It was a favorite of the Andrews Sisters and Perry Como and has undoubtedly contributed to the magical vision of snow and snowman building at Christmas (not something that Ragazzi boys get to do very often!).

Ding-dong! Merrily on high is a 15th century tune married to a 19th century text about ringing the bells to celebrate Christmastide. The melismatic chorus “Gloria” is indulges in the sound of the choir, and the verses talk about the excitement of both heavenly and earthly bells announcing Christmas.

The last five Christmas carols include traditional and well-known carols – 3 sacred and 2 secular takes on the season. Each carol is an opportunity for a conversation between the audience and Ragazzi where the audience sings the traditional version and Ragazzi has prepared individual verses which uniquely capture the mood of the piece. The choir verses include a jazzy version of The First Noel, a syncopated, jaunty arrangement of Deck the Halls, a lush, quiet arrangement of Silent Night, and a musical joke in We Wish You a Merry Christmas.

We know that Christmas is one of many faith traditions represented by our boys, families, and guests. Christmas music remains an integral and vital part of the Western music tradition which is the core of Ragazzi. In the Christmas story, we find messages of hope, family, celebration, peace, and music – elements which are part of every holiday. We hope that your experience today also fills your spirit with warmth, celebration, peace, and music.

Good for kids

Good parenting, good leadership, good guidance, good education, what’s it all about? How do we measure success? What is kind? What is nurturing for our children?

Anyone who watches situational comedies on TV has seen the deterioration in manners and mores. The humor between children, between children and adults and among adults borders on rudeness, and is peppered with lots of sarcasm and belittling. There is a tendency in popular culture to demean, to praise mediocrity while celebrating self-expression for its own sake. The implication is that this kind of behavior is healthy self-expression and illustrates the way we should interact with each other.

In a recent Atlantic Monthly, there was a report of a longitudinal study of men over a seventy year period. The question was, what is success, what is happiness? The results of this study illustrated the fact that true success and happiness has nothing to do with your job, the amount of money you make, the college you go to. It has to do with your relationships in your world. The happiest men had good friends, knew how to relate in their work environment and created healthy balance in their lives.

Ragazzi sets a culture of teamwork and respect. We learn how to treat each other. In my twenty plus years with Ragazzi, I have seen incredible about turns in boys: in their focus, in their attitude, in their self-confidence, in their sense of teamwork, in their relationships.

As parents and adults, it is our responsibility to provide the leadership for our children. It is our responsibility to set the standards for what we want our children to know, who we want them to be. We can fight the culture of meanness by our expectations, by how we treat each other, by how we respect each other.

We can’t expect our children to know the difference between standards put forth on TV and true values that only we can teach them. We hope you will work with Ragazzi to create a world full of considerate, polite and focused young men who will contribute to their community and ultimately lead happy, successful lives.

- Joyce Keil