We had the list ready. Each group for each song had a recording time, with the schedule laid out in 30-minute time slots, one for each AHRC site: the “Zulu P” group recording “I Love the Summer” at New York League, the “My Family” song at Redfield, “Praise be to God” with the choir group, and three songs individualized for each person at Norfolk. We had the rooms all ready to go — a meeting space, a room for recording set up with our Zoom H4N recording device and piano keyboard, and some extra spaces ready for groups who wanted to practice more.
Every group was on time for their recording slot, and there weren’t any issues with the time period; each group joyfully and easily recorded during their allotted 30 minutes. Everything went smoothly and as planned, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t room for improvisation. There was some magic that happened in some of the groups during the recording itself — time for creativity and spontaneity. The fluidity was a delight to find, as some Corps Members were worried that the recording might be too scripted as opposed to the freedom-promoting nature of our music philosophy.
In the group that wrote “My Family,” the initial plan was for an AHRC member to play the melody on the piano while the rest of the group sang. Everyone was surprised and impressed when that same AHRC member started improvising and coming up with harmonies to the melody. First, he began to add rhythm to the melody line, which added life to the song. However, he didn’t stop there, as he began playing chords alongside the melody. In the end, he had created a whole arrangement with chords and rhythms improvised on the piano. “It was amazing to watch,” Corps Member Gideon described.
In the group at Norfolk, everything was going great for one of the songs until a staff member playing the piano noticed that something was off: a beat that they created using music technology was looping at a different rate than the loop that was being played on the piano. Our invited pianist, Cory, stepped in and quickly worked it out so that the two would match. Thanks to his help, the problem was resolved quickly and painlessly so that the group could get back to recording. With the fixed looping and the additional tambourine and instruments to add, the song ended up sounding great and was still finished within 30 minutes.
After every group’s recording, they went into another room to complete some wrap up activities: song sharing permission forms, an evaluation form, and a conversation about their experiences creating and recording their songs. It was interesting to hear about the dynamics of relationships that occurred in the groups and how the conversation, at times, naturally morphed into appreciation for each other. The choir group at Fisher discussed how “there was tension” initially, but the choir director effusively shared how “funny” and wonderful it was to have Corps Members Sakari and Sam working with them — how sensitive and naturally engaging they were working for the first time with those with disabilities that AHRC served.
Similarly, at Redfield, one of the AHRC members shared at the end a simple “Thank you.” Corps Member Marcos replied, “Thank you,” elaborating on everything they were able to create in a shared experience. In the Norfolk group, AHRC staff member Cassie described how much they appreciated having Corps Member Sebastian working with their three members, bringing about each person’s individuality.
I loved hearing how fun the process was for everyone and excitement that overcame each group after their recording. For example, Corps Member Gideon, who helped with the recordings, vividly remembered how each group was ecstatic when they heard their recording. He recalled, “All I saw were smiles. Seeing everyone’s faces light up as they heard their song brought so much warmth to my heart.”
Many of the participants noted that the recording had been their favorite part thus far (we have one more session left: the song sharing session where everyone shares the recording of their song and the process of working on it with the whole group). Corps Member Sakari noted how she really enjoyed working on and creating the song, and it seemed like finally having created something that could be shared and kept forever, together, was part of the magic of the experience. It captured not only the song, but the meaning of the process and joy of the experience.
Humans in Harmony 