The Singing Revolution

I've posted previously about the many benefits of music training and listening. For the Love of Music (Mauceri, 2019) and Experimentalism and Empiricism are examples. Neither of these posts specifically call out music as a revolutionary act although both of them imply the potential.

A good friend, Kathy Beardsley, offered a wonderful travel post from Bob and her exploration of Estonia this last summer in which she referenced "The Singing Revolution." Kathy's dedication to learning from travel and sharing with others is a wonderful example of Traveling with a Critical Perspective, a view I've grown to embrace. The Singing Revolution is a documentary about the role of music as Estonia cast off the USSR's military and attempted cultural control of the Estonian people. This documentary has so many lessons to inform both individual and group leadership. The first lesson is that natural characteristics of groups are often times the most effective in mobilizing shared purpose. In the case of Estonia, singing in groups had long been something that drew them together. The second lesson is that music can symbolize, and often gives voice to, shared yearning that otherwise would remain invisible. An annual gathering of singers while Estonia was still controlled by the USSR turned into a spontaneous realization of the loss of freedom when a single individual road past the assembly flying the outlawed Estonian flag. The third lesson is that joining together in common cause is unstoppable. Once the singing revolution gained momentum, the crowds swelled to as many as 300,000 singers in one event. Although the USSR saw the threat and considered military action, they knew the number of peacefully protesting singers was too great a force.

Coincidentally to Kathy's post about the Singing Revolution, we attended a concert at Chicago's Ravinia Festival that was curated by Marin Alsop. The "Breaking Barriers" concert series at Ravinia featured young female composers with the crowd warmly applauding the new, fresh, and innovative artistry of both composers and performing artists. As a follow-up to the concert, the local FM station WFMT interviewed Alsop and her friend and colleague Jude Kelly on "Leadership and Purpose." During the interview, Alsop commented "courage is important in leadership, but accountability is, too." Her belief is that conducting requires a balance for who she's leading, holding them accountable for doing their best, while providing room for all artists to be themselves. Kelly also commented on a British architect she admired who advocated "Always build toward the light" - in other words, always travel towards something that has got hope inside.

The Singing Revolution, Breaking Barriers, and joining together in the exploration of our humanity through music are powerful forces and perhaps unstoppable in many other places than just Estonia.