Written by Lucinda Miedema
How has the pandemic affected you? I would guess to say in many ways. If you think back on the last several months we will agree that our lives will never quite be the same as it was pre-pandemic. Especially as a vocal artist and not being able to fully work and share your talents. This pandemic has messed up the routines and rhythms that form so much of our daily lives. It can especially be true as you try to navigate a new way of doing life.
So, I am going to share some insights on ways this global crisis has made me refocus my music and my life. How can we stay in pianissimo; quietness and stillness with the world raging around us?
Priorities
The pandemic definitely made me look inward at my life and I rediscovered what was really important. To me, it was family and friends. We may have been isolated at home, but we don’t have to be isolated from our community. I was so grateful that I live in a time where Zoom, Skype, and FaceTime is available. When I was at home for days on end, my Zooming with friends was a lifeline. These tech mediums will never replace being face-to-face, and we should never consider separation from friends and family to be the norm. But now, being able to see friends and family in person is something so important to never take for granted. And we are blessed to live in a time where friends are a text or video call away.
It is very easy to get swept up in the news of the current Covid variants. To mask or not to mask, that is a debatable question. So I have decided not to get drawn into all the bad stuff on the News. It is very important to be “in-the-know” about current events, but not to be drawn in by it.
Protection
I started going back to live singing with other fellow singers, fully masked as a way to protect everyone there. It’s no fun singing with a mask on, but these are precautions we can take to prevent illness or avoid being exposed to viral infection. But protecting yourself goes beyond health measures alone, as it also extends to other areas of your well-being, too. These can include finances and mental health that should be addressed. With our economic downturns as an unwanted casualty of a pandemic, making sure you are financially healthy. If you were like me, I lost a lot of bookings and made it a priority to cut corners where I could. Building up through saving money is a good place to start, also seek a financial planner for guidance. And our mental well-being may be among the most important ways to maintain our peace of mind. If you struggled with depression during the pandemic like I did, I sought out professional counseling to deal with the stress and getting through a “new normal”.
Peace
Discovering peace during a pandemic is not easy. If this pandemic stirs stress and fear in you, I want to encourage you to pursue peace in your life. This can be done in 3 helpful ways.
Find Pianissimo, be very quiet and still.
Take a deep breath, just like the once you use when you sing. Count your breathes like you count beats in a song. Deep breathing is one of the best things to calm down your anxious spirit.
Be grateful and count your blessings one by one. Come up with 5 things in your life you are grateful for and be specific about them. Meditate on all the goods things in your life. If it helps starts a Gratitude Journal and write down all the good things that have come along in your path.
Pray for peace. Prayer changes things. It changes us and can bring God’s peace to this pandemic world. So many times we pray for things, but perhaps the greatest attribute in the midst of this fearful time is peace. I love the saying that St Augustine wrote before the year 400, “those who sing pray twice.” It has long been known that singing is a language that reaches the heart. So, share songs that touch the lives of those that hear you, making beautiful music that bring peace and unites us.
Today take time for pianissimo, be quiet and be still, be grateful and find peace!
Thanks to Lucinda Miedema for this submission. Please visit her website lucindamusic.org to discover more about this lovely soprano.