“
O
& stories
oh yah hee,” Swee Hong Lim sang over and over. “Tink Italian on these words,” he said. “When you rehearse [with] people, get them to handle the ‘ooh
yah hee’ well and the rest will fall in place.” Lim, a professor of sacred music at Toronto’s
Emmanuel College, was introducing a hymn to 90 young musicians gathered in Chicago in January for the fourth ELCA Glocal Musicians training event. (Glocal implies a blend of both global and local.) “Ooh yah hee,” written u i hi, means “praise the Lord.” Te words are from a hymn composed by the Bunun people of Taiwan. To capture the spirit of the song, Lim explained to
the musicians, one must keep in mind that Asian music “is not as explosive or expressive as [music from] Latin America. Te emotions are contained, reserved. Imagine all the emotions in a box.”
The story behind the song Lim was one of four musicologists serving as mentors at the training event, sponsored by ELCA Global Mission. With help from these mentors, the musicians probed four regions’ musical contexts, traditions and styles, learning five songs from each area. Later the musicians practiced teaching the 20 songs to
others, step by step. Lyrics—explaining a phrase like “ooh yah hee” and coaching participants to say the words with confidence—are the first step. Melody comes next. Sharing the story is the most important thing. “When
we tell someone’s story as if it is our own, we are celebrat- ing communion as though Christ were with us,” Lim said. “When we sing a Syrian song, our Syrian brothers and sisters are with us. We are the communion of saints.” Too oſten, Lim noted, the stories are leſt out when
global songs are shared in worship. “Te story of ‘Siya- hamba’ (“We are marching in the light of God”),” he said, “is marching in front of tanks [and singing] a freedom song. Do we remember that as we are singing? “Always ask the question: What is the story behind the
song? You need to know the context of each song, not just ‘this is an Asian song and this is a great occasion to sing it.’ Tat understanding will help you bring life to that
ELCA Glocal Musicians play at the Southeastern Minnesota Synod assembly in May. To read “Musicians visit assemblies,” find this story at
www.thelutheran.org/feature/july.
song and ensure that your effort is not token- ism or cultural appro- priation—that you are not taking something that is not yours and using it.” First recruited to
provide musical leader- ship for ELCA Glocal Mission Gatherings, the musicians now lead worship and workshops at synod assemblies, seminary orientations, youth gatherings and interdenominational events. Like the word glocal, this diverse group of musicians is
Swee Hong Lim serves as a mentor to ELCA Glocal Musicians.
global and local. About 22 percent are African-American or of African descent, 22 percent are Caucasian, 18 percent are Asian and 15 percent are Latino. One musi- cian is Native American, and the rest come from Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Tonga. Lutherans are the majority but not the only denomination represented. At ELCA synod assemblies, a trumpeter from Mem-
phis might lead the vocals on a song from the Sudan. An Indonesian pastor from Seattle might teach a song from El Salvador. “Making songs accessible for communities in Iowa or North Carolina doesn’t mean everyone Latin has to sing a Latin song,” said Aisea Taimani of Newark, Calif., who is of Tongan descent. “Everyone is always singing across culture because we care more about par- ticipation than perfection.” Not so much a band as an evolving community, a
different combination of musicians play at each “gig.” Because of this “there is a short time to put together and make a balance of all the dynamics present,” said Mikyoung Park from Arden Hills, Minn. In the pre- event rehearsal, the musicians decide who will teach which song, which instruments to play and how to share the microphone. Te process isn’t
without conflict, but the musicians’ shared commitment makes it smoother. “I love who I am when I am with you,” Taimani told the group at the training in January.
Author bio: Basye, a freelance writer living in the Pacific Northwest, is the author of Sustaining Simplicity: A Journal (ELCA, 2007).
July 2014 37
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