Circle Singing

Creating circles of sound is one of the most intuitive ways of making music. Circle singing is part of an oral tradition that dates back centuries to tribal gatherings where an elder would start with a sound or a phrase and inspire the whole community to join in. The rhythmic repetition of the sounds is what gives the songs their circular shape and chantlike structure making them uplifting and intoxicating, drawing the listener inside the music.

In my case the elder was vocal genius Bobby McFerrin and the experience was 5 days of sonic intoxication. Truth, beauty and love in a space where laughter filled the air like the scent of a nightblooming jasmine and tears flowed the river of joy and lament. Connections were made without words ever being spoken. We knew each other before we sat down at the same table for lunch. We sang for peace. We sang for freedom. We sang for creativity. We sang for grace. We sang for unity. We sang for love. And we sang in bliss. All qualities in the light of human spirit. And, yes, we glowed.

The key elements of Circle Singing are movement and listening. It is simply impossible to stand still while Circle Singing. Impossible! Listening, ah, blessed listening requires every ounce of effort you can muster up. You’ll need it. There will be a lot going on and you need to hear it all. Then as Miles Davis used to say, 'listen for what is not there' and you will find your part.

Circle singing is one of the simplest and most direct ways to build community. History shows us that singing in community is exceptionally powerful. You get people together in a room and get them singing and you instantly knock down all the walls – the creeds, the gender, age and race differences, the hierarchies, everything. You become one at that point, lifting your voices.

You release your mind and rely on body-based impulses that provide a perfect container into which ambiguous thoughts and feelings can be externalized and transformed using the symbolic language of sound. We tune into our ability to surrender control and trust with openness.

Circle Singing is about submitting to the music that is encoded in our bones, the music that comes directly from the spirit of life. It puts us in the moment, resonating with the life that surrounds us. Circle singing resonates into all parts of our life, in how you listen, blend, stand out find your groove or surrender to yourself.

“Singing without words makes one song a thousand songs because the people who hear it can bring their own stories into it.”
~ Bobby McFerrin

© 2007, Anny Fyreagle