Singing Intentions

Objectives

Our intentions can be tiny, or world changing. All are important and valid, as they help us envision and more fully live the lives we want. This experience will help us explore and express our intentions for this new school year.

Materials

• Paper

• Drawing utensils

Facilitation Outline/Notes/Script

You may read parts of this verbatim or use this as a guide for personalizing the experience for the students you are working with.

1. Take three grounding and cleansing breaths. Blow out what isn't necessary or helpful right now.

2. Gently stretch the body and massage the face to prepare for sounding. Though it doesn't have to be beautiful, our singing should feel good and resonant.

3. Take five breaths, breathing out a sound. Make your last sound "I."

4. Continue breathing and sounding out "I," beginning to land and sound a (relatively) steady tone. Your note doesn't have to match anybody else's.

5. Continue breathing and sounding "I" on your steady note for a few breaths.

6. As you continue, let your "I" evolve as you want to. Does the note want to go higher, lower, take twists and turns, or pause?

7. This is the start of a Spirit Song. As you continue breathing and singing, invite images showing your intentions to your mind's eye. What do you hope this school year brings? How do you want to contribute to your class or your school community? Is there something you want to learn about or get better at? More broadly, is there anything you want to change or bring into your life this year? Is there an impact you want to have on the world?

8. As your mental images arrive, begin adding words or phrases to your singing, such as "I want..." "I see..." "I play" or "I hear..." You can repeat or change them as you want.

9. Draw your visions to help crystallize them. Then begin writing words or phrases somewhere in the picture or give your picture a title.

10. Voluntary whole-group sharing: share your intentions, image, and/or Spirit Song with the group, and honor each other's intentions. Our community is an important resource to help us bring our intentions to life, and this sharing will help build community. How do the intentions compare and contrast? Is there anybody who shares an intention with you?

National Core Arts Standards

• MU:Cr1.1.5a - Improvise rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic ideas, and explain the connection to specific purpose and context (such as social, cultural, and historical).

• MU:Cr2.1.5a - Demonstrate selected and developed musical ideas for improvisations, arrangements, or compositions to express intent, and explain the connection to purpose and context.

• MU:Cr3.1.5a - Evaluate, refine, and document revisions to personal music, applying teacher-provided and collaboratively-developed criteria and feedback, and explain the rationale for changes.

• MU:Cn10.0.5a - Demonstrate how interests, knowledge, and skills relate to personal choices and intent when creating, performing, and responding.

• MU:Cn11.0.5a - Demonstrate understanding of relationships between music and the other arts, other disciplines, varied contexts, and daily life.

CASEL Core Competencies

• Self-awareness

• Responsible decision-making

• Social awareness

Inspiration

This activity is based on Carol’s Spirit Singing practice.