Photo: Sing-in for IDAHOT 2014 in Seoul, South Korea
What better way to tune in to the global chorus for LGBTI freedom and equality than a sing-in? Together, we can promote global harmony!
As Georgia O’Keeffe once said, ‘Singing has always seemed to me the most perfect means of expression. It is so spontaneous… Since I cannot sing, I paint…’
But you could sing, whatever you think your singing abilities are!
This could work well as part of a local community event, as one attraction, or as part of a larger series of events. Another option is to record a video of the performance and share it online.
Aside from being a great campaign tactic, sing-ins can help groups engage in community building.
How to Organise
This is easy enough to organise if you are part of a community choir…but what if you’re not, and you want to get involved?
Well, the most obvious thing to do is to look around first for a local choir director. This could be someone with years of expertise as one, but it could also just be someone with a background in music, good organisational skills, and great community spirit!
Alternatively, you could work on this together as a small group, in a more DIY style!
You could simply choose a particular song and start singing along with it with a handful of friends or colleagues. Once you’ve sung together a few times, you could then start singing without the song in the background. Once you are happy, you could then introduce different harmonies or more complex arrangements.
You could either work this out collectively or invite one of you to lead the arrangement (or take it in turns). Once you are happy with everything, you could just call it a wrap and get ready to record or perform.
You can find more information at ChoralNet and on WikiHow, among many other resources out there!
Sing-ins for IDAHOT
For May 17, 2012, the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Choir led a worldwide virtual sing-in, with online participation from choirs, musicians, and individuals around the world under the banner of the OutPost Choir project. Singing along to the original composition, You Make Me Proud, the video of the performance can be accessed here:
OutPost Choir Project for IDAHO 2012 – Video Compilation
On May 17, 2013, 116 people (of totally different abilities) gathered together with the Korean Gay Men’s Human Rights Choir in South Korea to sing ‘You Make Me Proud’ once again.
The Korean Gay Men’s Human Rights Choir and friends, for IDAHO 2013
The London Gay Men’s Chorus also joined the staff of Gay Star News and the London Gay Big Band in 2013 to sing their hearts out as part of the Global Rainbow Flashmob campaign for that year. Choirs in Ireland, France, and Canada also marked May 17 in 2013 by singing in cathedrals!
In 2014, over 20 choirs and musicians from 14 countries came together once again to commemorate IDAHOT 2014, this time as part of a Global Sing-in.
For more inspiration on how to use singing for social protest, read this excellent article from the Waging Nonviolence project.
