Voices of Unity: Finding Common Ground Through Song

What happens when a small-town choir becomes a microcosm of society and tackles the very issues that divide us? Join us as we unravel the inspiring story of the North Fork Community Choir in Paonia, Colorado, where people from all walks of life come together, united by their love for music. Under the expert guidance of music director Stephanie Hellickson, this group of forty singers sets aside political and personal differences each week to create harmony—not just in song, but in spirit. Discover how they navigate the complexities of potentially controversial lyrics from classics like West Side Story and Les Misérables, turning potential discord into meaningful discussions that foster understanding and compromise.

Through candid conversations with choir members like Ellie Roberts and Kim Johnson, we explore how acknowledging and addressing discomfort can lead to growth and unity. Whether it's modifying lyrics or adding contextual notes, the choir's journey underscores the healing power of music and its ability to bring people together beyond their disagreements. This episode offers a heartening glimpse into how a community choir serves as a beacon of hope, reminding us that shared passions can illuminate our common humanity and soothe societal tensions. Tune in for an uplifting exploration of harmony that goes beyond music, resonating with the very essence of community and connection.

Transcript

Harmony. It's the musical blending of voices that creates a sound more powerful and moving than any one voice alone. But harmony is also a metaphor for the coming together of different people and perspectives to create something beautiful. In a world increasingly divided by politics, values, and beliefs, one small community choir in Colorado is striving to find harmony on stage and off through the unifying power of music and fellowship.

Imagine a crisp Colorado night in the charming small town of Paonia. Inside a spacious modern church, forty singers spanning all ages and walks of life gather for their weekly choir practice. As music director Stephanie Helleckson coaches them through warmups, listening to how their diverse voices blend, details like political leanings or personal convictions fade into the background. All that matters in this moment is the music they make together.

This is the North Fork Community Choir. And their ability to harmonize musically despite their differences holds powerful lessons for us all in these divisive times. As one member put it, "We've got people from pretty far right to pretty far left in the chorus." Yet they manage to not just tolerate each other, but cooperate to create something uplifting. How do they do it?

The key, it seems, is focusing on their shared love of singing and intentionally stepping around potential landmines. Most of the time, anyway. Even in choir, some issues are simply too charged to avoid.

Take their recent Broadway concert for example. The program included numbers from beloved musicals like My Fair Lady and Dear Evan Hansen. But songs like "America" from West Side Story with its disparaging lyrics about Puerto Rico as a backwards island, and "Master of the House" from Les Misérables with its irreverent invocations of Jesus' name gave some members pause. 

Singer Ellie Roberts found the West Side Story song problematic in today's context. "I really struggled with that because it sort of implies that Puerto Rico stinks and why wouldn't they leave?" she said. "It sort of encouraged some stereotypes."

Meanwhile, Kim Johnson, a devout Christian, didn't feel comfortable invoking Jesus in the flippant way the Les Mis song does.

These objections sparked important conversations among the choir. Should they change lyrics? Add a disclaimer? Or perhaps avoid singing these pieces altogether? The discussions themselves were significant, as members openly expressed their views and tried to understand other perspectives.

In the end, small accommodations were made - a contextualizing announcement from the director before "America", some singers choosing to swap out "Jesus" for "cheeses" in their deliveries of "Master of the House." But more importantly, a spirit of consideration took hold.

Those who weren't personally bothered by the songs didn't begrudge their fellow singers for speaking up about their concerns. As choir member Chris Johnson reflected, "I don't think that explanation [for "America"] was necessary, but it's OK."  

And those who pushed for changes expanded their own awareness in the process too. Singer Linda Talbott shared, "I think I'm much more aware now of what could be objectionable to certain people. I don't think I thought about it before."

This choir is quietly serving a vital purpose beyond just making music. It's allowing a diverse cross-section of the community to form bonds and really see each other, even when they don't see eye to eye. 

Sociologist Eric Klinenberg notes that simply coming together regularly for a shared activity promotes bridge-building. But groups can choose to go further and use the relationships built making music together as a foundation of trust to advance harder conversations down the road.

The North Valley Community Choir may not be having intense political debates in rehearsals. But in navigating issues like potentially problematic lyrics together with care and goodwill, they're taking small, important steps along this path. 

In a world that often feels like it's fraying at the seams, the singers of this choir are a beacon for us all, showing us how shared passions can spotlight our common humanity and maybe even soothe tensions.

Their unifying example calls to mind the movie "As It Is in Heaven" where a world-famous conductor returns to his small hometown and leads a rag-tag group of local singers, using music to dissolve long-held grudges and prejudices among the townsfolk. Or the real-life story of the Multi-Faith Choir Project in Scotland that brings together singers from different religious traditions to perform sacred music and build interfaith understanding.

The North Valley Community Choir is writing its own inspiring story of unity through music, one rehearsal at a time. As they take the stage this holiday season to perform Handel's Messiah, even more powerful than the soaring sounds they produce will be the quiet statement they make to the world: that despite our differences, we can still sing from the same songbook.

Their example is an invitation to us all to find our shared harmonies. Perhaps it won't happen everywhere as easily as it does in Paonia. But if we take a cue from these Colorado singers - focusing on what unites us and approaching our differences with grace and curiosity - we might just discover a more beautiful song than we ever imagined. 

So here's my challenge for you: Seek out someone with a different perspective - maybe that in-law you usually butt heads with at family gatherings or a co-worker you vehemently disagree with on a hot button issue - and find some common ground between you, however small. A shared love of 80s music, regional cuisine, or crocheting cat hats is a start! Then, if you're feeling brave, respectfully open a dialogue to understand their views better. As the North Fork Community Choir shows us, powerful things happen when we open our ears and hearts to really hear each other.

And let me know how your attempts at harmonizing go! Send me a text in the link I’ve provided. I'd love to hear your stories and may even feature some on a future episode.

Until our next song is written, be well. Do extraordinary things. And live a story charmed life!