 We are happy to present our first AOMS newsletter! This will be the launch of our monthly newsletter which will bring you the latest news in music, and some updates regarding our community. If you ever have any suggestions or updates to share with our group, please do not hesitate to reach out to our executive team with suggestions. For the month of October, please read on for information about our scheduled virtual voice building session, reflections from Megan, and some music to enjoy while we are trapped at home during these hard times. We are pleased to be offering a free / pay-what-you-can virtual voice building session on October 29th. Please register and share with friends! Check out the orange registration link below for more details. Register For Our Voice-Building Session Autumn Reflections Megan Brenneman, AOMS Artistic Director While I relish the warmth of long summer days and recreation in the sun, there is something about autumn that I find equally agreeable. Maybe it’s the harvest of fresh produce, the satisfying crunch of the first bite into a freshly picked apple, the vibrant colours of leaves turning, the laughter of my children as they jump into large piles of fallen leaves. Perhaps it’s the memories...of making cider with the old cider press at my grandparents’ farm and of family gatherings at Thanksgiving weekend. These comforting associations also come with the realization of autumn as a time of transition. Trees put on that vibrant display of colour and inspiration just before they release those leaves from their branches to the earth below. It is their natural response to the colder temperatures. The process of shedding leaves helps trees to conserve water and reabsorb important nutrients into their roots for their survival. For Age of Majority Singers, this autumn, and indeed since last spring, we have been thrust into a time of transition with the advent of a global pandemic. We are in a completely new kind of ‘season’ where our old structures and routines do not work for the time being. We cannot safely gather in person to sing together at the moment, so we are in a season of ‘shedding’ many of our former practices. While this is difficult and painful, it also gives us the opportunity to reflect on who we are as an organization, how we can still serve our singing community, fulfill our commitments, and think about who we want to become. We recognize that to survive as a non-profit arts organization will require creativity and resourcefulness - a release of the old leaves in order to conserve the energy required to weather the next season. This is why we are in the midst of re-imagining new ways of coming together to sing through technological means. With renewed perspectives, we are rebuilding our ‘Branches’ project that was to be presented last spring. We are renewing our efforts to seek funding through sponsorships and applying for grants to sustain the organization. We are unlearning and relearning about what it means to be anti-racist in our organizational and artistic practice. We are asking, how do we embrace a life-sustaining way to make choral art? A way that enables everyone to be seen, known, and celebrated? A way that is not afraid of making mistakes, but is willing to learn from them? We know that this pandemic ‘season’ will not last forever, and the singing will be that much sweeter when we can gather in-person. While we wait for that time to come, let’s find a new way forward. I hope that you will join us on this journey of growing and becoming. You are all invited. Autumn Reflections Megan Brenneman, AOMS Artistic Director While I relish the warmth of long summer days and recreation in the sun, there is something about autumn that I find equally agreeable. Maybe it’s the harvest of fresh produce, the satisfying crunch of the first bite into a freshly picked apple, the vibrant colours of leaves turning, the laughter of my children as they jump into large piles of fallen leaves. Perhaps it’s the memories...of making cider with the old cider press at my grandparents’ farm and of family gatherings at Thanksgiving weekend. These comforting associations also come with the realization of autumn as a time of transition. Trees put on that vibrant display of colour and inspiration just before they release those leaves from their branches to the earth below. It is their natural response to the colder temperatures. The process of shedding leaves helps trees to conserve water and reabsorb important nutrients into their roots for their survival. For Age of Majority Singers, this autumn, and indeed since last spring, we have been thrust into a time of transition with the advent of a global pandemic. We are in a completely new kind of ‘season’ where our old structures and routines do not work for the time being. We cannot safely gather in person to sing together at the moment, so we are in a season of ‘shedding’ many of our former practices. While this is difficult and painful, it also gives us the opportunity to reflect on who we are as an organization, how we can still serve our singing community, fulfill our commitments, and think about who we want to become. We recognize that to survive as a non-profit arts organization will require creativity and resourcefulness - a release of the old leaves in order to conserve the energy required to weather the next season. This is why we are in the midst of re-imagining new ways of coming together to sing through technological means. With renewed perspectives, we are rebuilding our ‘Branches’ project that was to be presented last spring. We are renewing our efforts to seek funding through sponsorships and applying for grants to sustain the organization. We are unlearning and relearning about what it means to be anti-racist in our organizational and artistic practice. We are asking, how do we embrace a life-sustaining way to make choral art? A way that enables everyone to be seen, known, and celebrated? A way that is not afraid of making mistakes, but is willing to learn from them? We know that this pandemic ‘season’ will not last forever, and the singing will be that much sweeter when we can gather in-person. While we wait for that time to come, let’s find a new way forward. I hope that you will join us on this journey of growing and becoming. You are all invited. Copyright © 2020 Age of Majority Singers, All rights reserved. We are a community choir devoted to creating a welcoming and accessible space for young adults to find and share their joy of music
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