college & university


Into Every Sunny Day a Little Rain Will Fall Sheila J. Feay-Shaw, WMEA State Chair, College & University


There are moments in your life that you will always remem- ber such as your wedding day, the birth of a child, and unfortunately things like where you were when the 9/11 NYC tower attacks hap-


pened (if you are old enough). This year, it will likely be where you were when the declaration came down for schools to close in March 2020. Many universities were preparing for spring break (or pos- sibly on spring break), and it threw life into turmoil while we figured out what it meant. Music, and the arts broadly, were particularly hard hit as what we do is mostly done TOGETHER. While music making can be a solitary function, most of us find the greatest joy (oh sunny days) in making music with others.


In March, I was just about to head across campus to the Native American Student Center for practice with the Big Drum group that has welcomed me into its fold when we got word of the shutdown. While we most often sing and drum together, the big drum needed to be rehided and had been sent to a drum maker for repair. We were taking time to make traditional hand drums that we could use in the meantime until the drum’s return. We all wondered on that day if the timing of all that was happening (loss of our working drum, loss of singing together and loss of be- ing together) was the universe telling us something?1


What Does Our Music Mean?


How often do we get the chance to stop and consider what our music means to us2


in a personal, professional and even


global sense? This pandemic has done that for me, and maybe for many of you as well. A call for papers came across my desk looking for research about the short-


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term impact of COVID-19 on musicians, musical groups, composers or anyone connected to music. For some reason I had saved it, and when the stay at home declaration came, I realized why. It was an opportunity to stop and reflect. So, for the summer and early fall, I have been taking time to reflect on my connection to music and music making in my life, and the lives of those around me. I would like to share with you some of what I have found. Aside from the obvious issues inherent in guarding our physical health, music speaks a deeper song that touches our soul and brings light to our days.


Acknowledging Loss


looked particularly at the benefits of music making to older adults. It was shown to provide cognitive, health and emotional benefits specifically supporting stress reduction, feelings of well-being and a sense of purpose. As I have spoken with my university students and other community members who were regular music makers, they acknowledge the loss of music making has indeed impacted those areas of life for them. People have been creative in identifying ways to bring music making together back into their lives after the initial separation with the support of technology, or short of making music, just gathering over Zoom to say hello. In most cases, we create the music separately, and then celebrate hearing the sounds beautifully brought together in a new moment by someone who has more knowledge and skill than I have. Seeing many of these virtual performances has given me time to be an audience more than I have been recently. Slowing down and enjoying the moments of music have their own benefits as well.


Many musicians, whether professional, amateur or just barely getting started, have experienced a sense of loss through this time. A research study by Hallam and Creech3


“While music making can be a solitary function, most of us find the greatest joy (oh sunny days) in making music with others.”


Music Making as Well-Being


For those who make music in social settings, community music making can provide satisfaction in self and group relationships that impact our own sense of well-being4


. While many people have


been financially impacted by COVID-19 changes which may have had a negative effect on their well-being, the social cohe- sion produced through musicking together can be a way to create a great impact on feelings of stress, isolation and even depression5


. While many of us have had to step away from making music in the ways we used to, so have our students. We are all feeling the disjointed nature of music making over technology, yet it can be comical to try to sing or play together. Laughing produces the same endorphins that used to come to us through the music, so it’s all good medicine! Think about how excited we will be to come back together to play, sing or even listen to a live per- formance in the months to come.


Gratitude for Our Musical Heritage It was easier in the time before COVID-19 to take for granted the beauty, depth and heritage that music brought to our lives. We have such a breadth of genres to choose from when listening and creating, and each has meaning unto itself. This


January 2021


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