autumn 2012 i’m constantly learning about this …...singing at the bedsides of “perfect...

Autumn 2012

Threshold Choir is a network of a cappella choirs of primarily women’s voices: a community whose mission is to sing for and with those at the thresholds of life.

www.thresholdchoir.org [email protected]

105 Morris Street #184 Sebastopol CA 95472 - 1-707-861-9278

A tax-exempt organization under IRS 501c(3), EIN 26-1852507

3. The less we actually say at a bedside, the more we will be putting the meaning into our singing. We need to say very little, especially very little “chatting.”4. I love my new-ish song “You Are Not Alone.” (“I am here beside you.”) Sometimes that statement is ALL we can really know and honestly communicate at a bedside. I am so glad to have finally written it. Verse Two is “I am not alone, you are here beside me.” Verse Three is “We are not alone, we are here together.”5. I’ve created a “Nonet” (nine singers) process” that really seems to be valuable, at least at Regional Gatherings and Playdays. After the whole group has learned a song (3 part songs work the best), 3 volunteers for each part step into the center of the circle. They sing the song through as a “nonet.” Then one person from each part steps out and the song is sung by a sextet. Then one more person from each part steps out and the song is sung by a trio. The whole group gets to hear the song done well a few times, gals get to allow their voices to be heard in smaller and smaller groups, and

I wake up every morning knowing that this work is my passion, my

teacher, my trusted friend. And I have learned so much lately. Here are a few of the highlights.1. If I am the anchor at a bedside, I begin each song as a solo and invite the other singers to join me after I have established the pitch, tempo, feeling, and tone of the song.It saves all kinds of fussing and time and seems to invite much more refined blending right away.This solo voice can be a shared role among all the willing singers - another great way to blend confidence with humility.2. After the last time singing a song, I invite all the singers to join me in “singing” it once more, in silence. This creates larger, more comfortable, more serene islands of silence in a bedside sing.

I’m Constantly Learning About This Precious Workopportunities are offered to singers that are a little more challenging than singing in the larger group.AndWe’ve just added a #2 Rocky Mountain Regional Gathering at The Nature Place, near Colorado Springs CO, hosted by the Pikes Peak Threshold Choir, Nov. 9 -11.

All blessings to each of you who offers kindness and comfort through singing at the bedsides of “perfect strangers.”

~ Kate Munger Founder and Creative Director

Threshold Choir Autumn 2012 Newslettert - page 2

Napa Valley Client Finds Deep Peace

We received some insightful comments from one of our

regular clients last week. We thought we’d share because they show how much some clients appreciate the preparation we do and the nuances of our service. By way of introduction, this particular client is a woman in chronic pain. We float into her home, sing, and float out with no talking and as little noise as possible because she’s extremely sensitive. We usually take more singers than we would for a typical singing (4, 5, or even 6) because she knows so many of us personally and her condition allows her to appreciate richer harmonies.We’re inspired by watching the pain lines disappear from her face as we sing for her. Here are her words of gratitude: “Last week when the six of you sang, it was more than lovely and brilliant, I just don’t have the words to describe how wonderful you were.

“Specifically the arrangement of the first few songs, starting off with the cheerful and light song, that will guarantee a smile from everyone, to the 3rd song I believe with the lyrics ‘deep, deep...’ about water and going deeper. [Ed: #359 “Deep Peace”] The technique of gradually lowering your voices, which has to be a technical challenge for all of you, is surreal. I literally felt as if I were submerged in the ocean of your voices, going deeper and deeper. That particular song is overwhelmingly profound!” “You are such a capable director, Sudie, and have and continue to do an amazing job guiding the seasoned members, as well as the newer

through this offering of your ‘selves’ to the community of those who are suffering.” We are amply rewarded for our efforts, as we see her relax into the songs.~ Sudie Pollock Artwork by Joan Chu (Aromas TC)

The best thing about leaving my homeland is bringing the concept of threshold singing from Napa, California to Grand Rapids, Minnesota. Currently, we are eight women strong who have learned about the choir primarily

through word of mouth. Four of us completed hospice training in June and expect to become active singers very soon here in Itasca County. We are also ready to embark on singing regularly at Evergreen Terrace, a skilled nursing facility in Grand Rapids which serves people with transitional rehabilitation after surgery, illness & hospitalization; memory care; veteran contracts, outpatient rehabilitation and end of life hospice care. The activity director was very excited about us coming to sing when she took a peek at our newly updated national website. Currently we rehearse at St. Andrews Lutheran church, where we had hospice training, so we can more easily accommodate our growing choir. The church sent out its newsletter in late July with an article I wrote about the Threshold Choir and our desire to seek out interested new singers. And the latest news is we will probably be singing for the first time in public at the annual Hospice Memorial Service to be held in September. As you can see, we are humming along at a tremendous speed. I do believe, this movement forward is a result of attending the Bishop’s Ranch retreat in California and the Mid-West Gathering in Chicago this year. Thanks to the support and encouragement from all my new found friends on the west coast and the mid-west. Yay for flourishing Threshold Choirs everywhere!~ Linda Flanagan

Lovely Loon Choir - Grand Rapids, MN


Threshold Choir now has 739 members!!! Thank you for making your commitment!! Memberships make

all the difference in weaving our strengths together!! Our part-time Executive Director Heidi is working hard to locate grant funding for our organization. Donors always want to know if our own volunteers commit to support our work. Memberships not only help sustain our work but also move us forward in finding donor funding. You can make a generous and affordble donation at our website! If you prefer to contribute monthly, please contact Heidi at [email protected] Memberships have helped to build our beautiful new website at: http://thresholdchoir.org We are now even more connected with each other, no matter how far apart we are geographically. People now learn about our work and find our choirs easily. If you are not yet a member, please join us!

Welcome to Our Circle

On the Members side of the website you can click on any event on the Calendar for more information.

9/7-9

9/10

9/11

9/14-16

9/21-23

9/24

10/12-14

10/17

11/9-11

11/13

12/2

2/22-24

4/8-12

WA: Northwest TC Retreat

DFW-TC Inaugural Meeting

WA: Evening Sing w/ Bellingham TS

BC: Western Canada Regional Gathering

OH: Midwest Regional Gathering

OH: Song-Writing Workshop

MA: New England Regional Gathering

NY: New York City Regional Gathering #4

CO: Rocky Mountain Regional Gathering

SF: We’Moon Calendar Party

CA: Compline

NM: Southwest Regional TC Retreat

CA: TC National Gathering

Calendar

Health Benefits of Singing

* Reduce stress and improve mood* Lower blood pressure* Boost the immune system* Improve breathing* Reduce perceived pain* Improve a sense of rhythm* Promote learning in children* Forge comforting memories* Promote communal bonding* Provide comfort* Motivate and empower

Sounds can influence brain wave frequencies and promote well-beingFrom Encyclopedia of Entertainment

Threshold Choir women from the Santa Fe, Aromas, Oakland, Ann Arbor, Palo Alto, Sebastopol, and Santa Cruz choirs celebrate with singing

Deep thanks to three wonderful women who are stepping down, after serving so well on our

Threshold Board of Directors. Their clear vision, tenacious dedication, and creative problem-solving took our national network of singers to a whole new level of connection and service. We will miss their lovely voices on our Board conference calls, and we look forward to singing with them whenever possible! Barbara Molloy of Davis, CA and Pat Friday of Napa, CA shared their great design and business acumen, leading the way to the beautiful new logo and website plus graphic materials now available for all the choirs to order as rack cards and business cards. Pat is also responsible for all the gorgeous flowers we enjoy at our National Gatherings. Barb Adams of Vashon, WA, shared her expert financial skills in helping our new non-profit build a solidly supportive infrastructure. The strength and beauty of our group is in the hearts and souls of its members. We thank these special three for their generous service, and we anticipate, with pleasure, many more years of their sweet friendship and harmonies.


So Many Angels

Barb MolloyBarb Adams Pat Friday

Go Now In Peace

The Vashon Threshold Choir recently experienced a very meaningful passing. We had sung for a deeply

spiritual 89 year old for several years. A published poet, she offered her poems to me as lyrics for Threshold songs. I wrote two songs from her poems and she loved to hear them sung. She was quite clear that when the time came, she wanted us to sing her across to the other side. When she began her transition, we sang for her every day for seven days. On the seventh day, while we gently sang the lyrics from the last poem in her book, “let the earth that I love, reclaim me on my journey outbound....”, she took her last breath, left her body behind and entered the Great Mystery. ~ Barb Adams, Vashon Threshold Choir

Please drop by and say hello on our Facebook page!! http://www.facebook.com/ThresholdChoir

Like Us On Facebook

Press BoxGo to the links below to read recently published articles about Threshold Choir:Chicago: http://www.wbez.org/sections/culture/unique-choir-ministers-patients-threshold-between-life-and-death-100443Indianapolis: (go to page 22)http://issuu.com/nuvonewsweekly/docs/081512?viewMode=magazine&mode=embedPacific Grove: http://montereybayareanews.com/threshold-choir-offers-soothing-song-through-life-to-death-transition/Aromas: http://www.thecalifornian.com/article/20120803/OFFSIXTYEIGHT02/308030009/Threshold-Choir-sings-dying?odyssey=modDavis: http://www.davisenterprise.com/local-news/threshold-choir-sings-for-the-sick-and-dying/Interview with Kate: http://www.conversations.org/story.php?sid=231Press Democrat: http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20120520/ARTICLES/205201009/1033/news?p=all&tc=pgall&tc=ar

All one heart, beat as one together.

Beat as one this moment.Melanie DeMore

New Board MembersSusan RandazzoLittleton, MassachusettsThreshold Choir at Indian Hill Music

As Executive Director of Indian Hill Music,

I am proud to lead the first community music school in the nation to offer a Threshold Choir to the community. In early 2007, we created a strategic plan in which one of the key objectives was “To deepen our musical philanthropic presence in

the community.” Shortly thereafter, a faculty member read about Threshold Choir and approached me about starting such a choir at Indian Hill. It was easy to say yes. That fall, Kate Munger offered the first Threshold Choir Northeast Regional Gathering at Indian Hill and, as they say, the rest is history. As a founder of Indian Hill 25 years ago and now Executive Director for 11 years, I’ve been involved in the process of moving an organization from its infancy to maturity. I hope my experience with governance, fundraising, and program implementation will be helpful to this board as we shape the future of the Threshold Choir organization.

Susan GravesNew York City, New YorkThreshold Choir N Y C

I am proud to be one of the first women who sang

with Threshold Choir when it began in March of 2000 in El Cerrito, California. I felt, as Kate describes, many “shivers up and down my spine” during that first sacred gathering. I bring to the board my tenure of singing at bedsides for over 12 years. It has been

beautiful to watch Threshold Choir grow organically to become the worldwide service of love and kindness it is today. When I moved back home to Manhattan, I helped start Threshold Choir New York City. My life interests are endless, but in essence, I adore travel (especially to CA for the annual gathering), documentaries, writing, making art, singing, fitness, and I’m never without my camera. I am thrilled to have an opportunity to work more deeply with the board and share my skills, ideas and time. Being a part of this community continues to shape my life in meaningful ways. I am blessed to serve and in return I am reminded of what truly matters in life.


Leeann Enright Chicago, IllinoisRainbow Hospice Threshold Choir

I am so honored to be joining the Threshold Choir Board. As soon as I heard about the Threshold choirs I knew I wanted to sing at bedside. I had done that intuitively

for both my father and mother as they were at the threshold. I didn’t know our beautiful Threshold songs so I sang everything from hymns to popular songs as I sat with them. I am excited to bring my energy, skills and experience to the Board as we navigate our future as a national organization in this next stage of growth and service to the individual choirs and singers. My background includes my professional experience in organizational development and organizational change management as well as my service in various ways with several not-for-profit organizations. I look forward to creating our exciting future together.

Threshold Choir Autumn 2012 Newsletter - page 6

When we started the project to revamp the Threshold Choir website, little did we know

what an amazing journey we were setting out on, as if we thought we might go down to the corner to buy a loaf of bread and found ourselves at Costco. Every day, we learn more about the things we can do with this platform to share information, automate processes, and connect with each other and with those who are interested in our service. Our first effort, now affectionately known as “Phase One”, focused on communicating the Threshold Choir message to the public and, oh by the way, automating our membership process. Phase Two, completed in July, established ways of communicating at the chapter and member level — public web pages for individual chapters, membership reports, member search, an event calendar, a blog for Kate Munger, and

a member blog, to share announcements and news with each other—and preserving the choir’s investment in songs and practice files, which were, sadly, evicted from their original web home. Phase Three, planned for this fall, is centered on building a beautiful, maintainable, and expandable home for our growing repertoire of songs. The foundation is being built by our Repertoire Workgroup, designing the processes for capturing, displaying, and distributing songs to choir members in forms they will find most useful. We have visions of songbooks magically appearing on smart-phones and tablets, with indexes, search features, and a host of angels singing in harmony in the background. Is it possible? Can it be? Stay tuned for Phase Three. ~ Ellen Rose Website Workgroup

For assistance email: [email protected]. Good surfing, good singing!

thresholdchoir.org

Aromas Threshold Choir


Greetings from Sebastopol! We continue our amazing growth in 2012... more members, more choirs, more opportunities for service in our communities.

What a gift to be able to share this special experience with those at the threshold! I am continually reminded of how very precious and special this work is, and am grateful to all of our volunteers who bring their voice gifts to share. Our amazing Board continues to do the heavy lifting of guiding us towards a sustainable future. I am amazed at their dedication and hard work. As we move forward and work with leaders in the communities we serve, I feel very blessed to assist Threshold Choir in the mission and in sharing our story. Our clients appreciate us, our communities appreciate us, and I appreciate each of you for being a part of this incredible offering. Our future looks bright, indeed.

Message from our Executive Director

Kindly, and with deep gratitude,Heidi DresslerExecutive Director

In These Times

Every year is a good year for Threshold Choir, as we add singers and chapters, allowing us to expand our

service to clients in new areas. The leaders of our newest chapters also inspire us with fresh perspectives on why we are called to do this work. When asked what motivated her to start the Phoenix West chapter, director Marilyn Rampley said, “All that I learned being present with my mother as she crossed life’s threshold, married with my lifelong love and practice of music, led me here.” A personal experience also led Diablo Valley co-founder Ellen Doerfer to gather singers in her area: “I was miraculously healed through the Napa Valley Threshold Choir’s singing to me while I was grieving the impending death of a special niece.” At a broader level, organizer Annette MacBean shared this perspective: “One of my inspirations

for starting the Placerville Threshold Choir was to insure that any person, from any or even no religious denomination, had access to loving support and song during their last Rite of Passage, death.” When singers move to a new area, often the desire to sing at bedsides moves with them. Tammy Heinsohn, originally from Santa Cruz, moved to Nashville and is organizing a new group in “Music City” itself ! With the e-mail support of other directors, she held a successful first rehearsal, reporting back “Thank you to all of you who encouraged me to not fear leading.” Denise Torres, organizer of the Heart to Heart chapter in Bend, Oregon, describes how she carried her past singing in Davis with her: “[Bonds of friendship], singing, and comforting others at their thresholds created an extraordinary experience, one I wanted to share here.” Welcome, Class of 2012: DFW Threshold Choir (TX), Diablo Valley Threshold Choir (CA), Heart to Heart Threshold Choir (OR), Nashville Threshold Choir (TN), Peoria Threshold Choir (IL), Phoenix West Threshold Choir (AZ), Placerville Threshold Choir (CA),Silver City Voices of Love (NM), St. Helena’s Threshold Choir (IL), Threshold Choir of Annapolis (MD), Threshold Choir of the Mendocino Coast (CA). On the Horizon: Arcata CA, Huntsville AL, Sacramento CA, Calgary AB, Bowen Island BC, Boulder CO, Grand Junction CO, Alamosa CO, Macon GA, Cape Cod MA, Asheville NC, Chattanooga TN.Tammy Heinsohn - Laurie O’Shea - LJ Ratliff ~ Nashville TC

In gratitude we pause and breathe, grateful for each other-- Barb Adams, Vashon Threshold Choir

Choir sister Sally Rothstein was house sitting for us, and we learned she is great in emergencies! On Sat-

urday, June 23rd we were in Minneapolis on a long drive to Wisconsin when I got her first text that Waldo Canyon was on fire. Our town was soon on pre-evacuation no-tice. Waldo Canyon is just a few miles from us, with only dry foliage in between. We made a list to grab and Sally quickly gathered up all the instruments, files, dog stuff, jewelry, pictures, and had them ready. Early Sunday morning that call came to get out now. She took all our precious things including our two big dogs (Newfoundland and Golden Retriever!) to her home downtown, and coordinated with friends to get our cars out. It got just crazy for a couple of days . . .100+ degree heat, heavy, toxic smoke. She moved our stuff outside the evac area - an insane and frightening time. Then came the 65 mph winds. The fire absolutely exploded, taking out 346 homes just north of us. A shift in the wind direction saved us, barely! Our town of Manitou Springs ended up safe from the fire, but our whole region suffered huge losses. We’ve sung Peggy’s Weight of the World a lot, as you might imagine. I’m thinking some new songs are going to come from this experience, as well. The outpouring from Threshold members all over the place has been astounding! Some, I’m not sure who they are, were just concerned and wishing the best for all of us. (How cool is that!?) Our singers have taken so much comfort from our songs and each other. What a powerful net we’ve woven for all of us! Grateful, grateful, grateful! Thanks to all for thinking of us, and I send love your way,~ Annie G, Pikes Peak Threshold Singers

We are excited to announce an opportunity for our singers to share time, song, and ideas at a retreat

to be held just west of Colorado Springs. Our gather-ing, at The Nature Place (see www.thenatureplace.net) south of Florissant, CO, will offer connection with the natural world and with singers from our region and be-yond. Kate Munger will be leading us in song and shar-ing her insights into the profound work we all share. We are hoping you will join us for the weekend--Friday, November 9, 2pm to Sunday, November-11, 11am. If you are far enough away that you need to fly, Colorado Springs is the closest airport, though you could fly to DIA and take a shuttle to Colorado Springs. Our choir members will do our best to accommodate getting travelers from the COS airport, or other loca-tions in Colorado Springs to Florissant and back. A shuttle from The Nature Place and car rentals from the airport are also options.

Gather Us Together


Accommodations are spacious and comfortable. Including all meals, lodging, use fees, etc., the cost for triple occupancy is $255; double $295. Your $100 deposit and registration are due 10/12; balance due 11/4 We will have some partial scholarship funds available. The registration form and additional information to assist in planning and packing are ready. We are compiling an email list of those interested, so any individuals who would like to be added could email us at [email protected]. Feel free to contact us with any questions about our retreat. We would be honored and delighted to have any of you attend, whether you are across the country or across the street!

Sincerely,Annie Garretson and Sally Rothstein,Co-Directors, Pikes Peak Threshold [email protected]

>>> Smoke plumes rise behind the house across the street from our Annie. Fortunately the fire did not reach them.

Ashes and Smoke

autumn 2012 i’m constantly learning about this …...singing at the bedsides of “perfect...

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