People and plants thrive

It was an ordinary afternoon at the Heartland Sings studio. An ordinary, chilly, grey, spring afternoon, and there I was with watering can in hand. It was "wet Wednesday", as I've dubbed it, a reminder to water the plants every week. Each of our individual studios contains a healthy, leafy green Philodendron. The moment I entered that end of the building, it occurred to me why those plants are thriving.

I stopped in my tracks and paused to take in the rich bass voice coming from one studio, the lush alto tones emanating from another. It was also a wet Wednesday in that it had been raining for several days, but now the sound of it drumming on the roof was delightfully drowned out by the sound of singing. Four of Heartland Sings' talented vocalists were instructing students, each in a private room designed for that purpose.

The studio plants are thriving because they are hearing music! They get to benefit from the vibration of human voices in the air, with its resulting exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide. Maybe it's my imagination, but the studio plants look shinier and more vibrant to me than the ones in our office.

Our Vocal Arts Studio students are thriving because they are learning music! They are being taught how to use proper breath support and increase their vocal range so they can sing with ease. They are learning how to improve their performance technique, articulate well, project their voice, and deliver a song with confidence and clarity.

In that moment, I was also thriving because I was experiencing music: a merry mixed medley of sounds from four different teachers and their students. As I thought about it, I realized the same is true for anyone who is fortunate to hear our singers perform. As listeners, we benefit from an exchange, because vocal music has a unique ability to send pulsing tones through the air and stir the hearer to whatever emotion the song evokes. It's a moving experience to hear a trained vocal musician deliver a song.

It wasn't an ordinary afternoon anymore, as I once again felt grateful to be working for an organization where vocal music helps people—and plants—thrive.