Music Director Ebee Bromley Monthly Blog
For this month of Deep Listening I can’t help but think about suspensions. In a lot of ways I feel like we are in a time of suspension. In music a note that’s holding over from a time before and not quite arrived at someplace else. I’m choosing to name it ‘someplace else’ instead of … Continue reading Moving in Suspension
We were perfectly happy with the chord on the left. It’s easy to play on the piano at least. That chord is probably one of the first things piano folx learn how to play. The middle one makes the same chord, same notes but it’s harder. The middle chord we have to stretch our eyes. … Continue reading Striking a Chord
I first heard Kate and Justin Miner’s “Tomorrow” in the first days of UU wide collegial collaboration, in that mid March time when we were first trying to swim in this COVID shut down era. I was grateful to Rev Teresa Soto for sharing the Persisters of the First Unitarian Church of Oakland singing this … Continue reading There will be better days…
I started thinking this week – what do I already do and have to create sacred space in my home. I could write about how sacred space comes in through singing a hymn to myself or listening to a playlist. Sabbath space is slightly different though. It’s the act of setting aside time and space for worship, rest and connection.
For the past month each Wednesday night at choir we’ve been ending our gatherings with a chalice lighting and check in. It’s a verbal threshold that we create together. This moment to light a chalice marks our transition from singing and listening and breathing together to being apart for the week. We use a song … Continue reading In the Threshold
Try Mindfulness by listening to the world around you – take 2 min or even 30 seconds to disengage from what you’re doing and notice what’s around you. Try Mindfulness by listening to yourself – What is the ear worm in your head connecting you to and telling you about the moment? Try Mindfulness by … Continue reading Practices for Liberation through Song
“Knowledge is a process of piling up facts; wisdom lies in their simplification. ” – Martin H. Fischer In rehearsal we focus on the balance between piling up of skills and then in performance we strive to let all of the details go and focus on the moment at hand. In rehearsal we’re focused … Continue reading Balancing Knowledge and Wisdom
In this month where we can be bombarded by conversation hearts and chocolates – I’m reminded that while valentines day can get stuck on one kind of love the ancient Greeks identified 8 different types of love. I’m also reminded that unconditional love, affectionate love, love of self, familiar love, enduring love, and playful love … Continue reading There is a love
I wonder what your song is that calls you to yourself? For me there are some great ones. There’s one that has a history of finding and refinding that deepest part of Unitarian Universalism for many…
https://www.pngfind.com/pngs/m/23-230623_walking-feet-clipart-footprints-footprint-feet-free-cartoon.png In this month of Awe I share with you a lullaby from our hymnals – highlighted as the “Song of the Month” in our Soul Matters materials: #230 “Duermete, Niño Lindo” is found in our grey hymnal, Singing the Living Tradition, published in 1993 (close to 30 years ago) and is a Mexican folk … Continue reading The Awe of a Simple Melody
