Why do we sing?

When I got married in Massachusetts in 1988, a family with whom I was very close traveled from Georgia to attend. The son, Jeff, was a groomsman, and the daughter, Stacy, was in the wedding choir. Stacy was a fine singer, and interested in theatre. Jeff was an athlete, and a superb golfer. So when they planned their family vacation around traveling to the wedding, Stacy planned an outing for them all in New York City. The highlight for her was attending "Les Miserables" on Broadway. When they arrived in Cape Cod I asked Jeff what he had done in New York. He replied, "I saw 'I Am Miserable.'"

Needless to say, we don't all have the same taste or tolerance for singing. Nevertheless, there seems to be singing everywhere you look. Baseball season just started, and every game begins with the singing of the National Anthem. That's not so remarkable, but every game also includes the entire audience singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" together. It's a silly song, sung in an excruciating way, but it's an indispensable part of the Great American Passtime.

We sing to welcome seasons, to express our love for schools we attend, to bury our loved ones, to worship God, to express our love of our country, and many more reasons. Our singing improves our thinking and learning, and brightens our disposition. The most popular television program highlights aspiring singers. And every corner of every town has a church choir, whose members are also likely to sing in community and school choruses.

I think the answer to my earlier question lies in the fact that we are all pre-disposed to sing. It's in our DNA just like speech. We learn it from our earliest source of love, a mother who thinks no one is listening, and sings from her heart. We need to express our humanity, and artistic expression, regardless how primitive, allows us to do so.

Working for a living is part of adult life, and I'm grateful for work. But I'm far more grateful for the fact that my work involves the daily pursuit of better singing.

Back to "Les Mis"... Have you seen the clip that's taking "Youtube" by storm? It's a 47-year-old British woman appearing on the British version of our number one show, American Idol. She is derided by the audience when she takes the stage. She appears frumpy and unattractive, and makes poor jokes poorly. And then she begins to sing. She performs "I Had a Dream," from "Les Miserables." It is so thoroughly captivating that the audience turns so adoring as to drown her out a couple of times. The judges are completely effusive in their congratulations.

Everyone can sing. That's what makes it ubiquitous. Some sing only in their car, completely embarrassed if someone hears them. Others make their living as singers. But everyone with a voice can sing, and needs to sing from time to time. The lesson is, express yourself. Don't be afraid. Sing!