Journey Songs Annual Report FY11

The hospice singing choir, JourneySongs, continues to grow and develop as an organization, thanks to the efforts of its director, Cindy Mapes, and its board: Kate Mason, Nancy Wrenn, and Cindy Mapes.

JourneySongs is moving into functioning independently as an organization and will continue to rehearse at FUSN next year. This year the group led a workshop at the New England Hospice and Palliative Care Conference on how to start a healing choir; created a program for the Newton Free Library about JourneySongs, both performing songs and encouraging community singing; sang in a summer service on music and healing at FUSN; took part in memorial services for local hospice organizations; sang to assisted living and Alzheimer’s residents in nursing homes and senior living centers; and provided music and comfort for people near the end of life at bedsides. We also sang for several members of the FUSN community, including Jeanne Skinner, Helen Lein, and Mary Lou Eshelman’s mother, Vi Williams. We sang at a memorial service for Dwight Golann’s father. Recently, we sang for our first pediatric client and family.

Many members attended a Kate Munger workshop on singing for healing at Indian Hill Arts in Groton, sponsored by the Littleton Threshold choir in the fall of 2010. Kate Mason attended a Hallowell Singers workshop at Rowe Conference Center in May. Cindy Mapes attended a workshop on songs for hospice singing sponsored by the Music for Healing and Transition Program with Sue Robbins.

A variety of committees made up of JS singers continued to flourish:

Hospitality; Finance Committee; Publicity Committee; Coordination of Sings and Outreach

There are three “teams” that are organized to sing at bedsides and nursing homes—weekday, weeknight, and weekend, based on availability to sing. Two of the teams have regular monthly sings at a couple of facilities. Joan Caplan and Jenny Moriarty give a great deal of time rehearsing their teams and leading sings; we are grateful for their commitment.

We printed up more of our JourneySongs brochures and have been distributing them more widely in the community.

We have a website up and running and plan to set up a group calendar to help with coordination of singing events. Nancy Wrenn is currently completing a Public Service Announcement about JourneySongs at NewTV; this will be shown on Newton cable TV and will be incorporated into our website.

In February, we held our first Midwinter Sing, to which we invited members of other healing choirs in Massachusetts to come together to network, sing, and enjoy a potluck dinner. We exchanged stories, songs, and ideas on a Sunday afternoon at FUSN.

In the fall, JourneySongs will be presenting another program at the Newton Library—mostly a community singing event. This will be our third annual event at the Library.

JourneySongs is deeply grateful to FUSN for continuing to support and sponsor our healing ministry through song.

Cindy Mapes