Last week, I watched a Cape Dory 27 be launched into the Merrimack River by the Lowell Boat Shop. It was built by the hands of six
Paul is in the purple shirt with the yellow ball cap on the right.
high school apprentices. Weighing 600 pounds and 27′ long, the gleaming Dory was built in a shop with walls on three sides and a garage door to the street, one floor up from the water level. I said to Paul, “How are they going to get the boat out?”
When the time came, 20 people, including the 6 apprentices, 2 teachers and Paul, lifted the boat by hand and carried it out to the street. Someone stopped traffic as it was carried to the grassy rise beyond the building. Hand over hand, it was lowered down the hill onto the boat ramp. After several speeches, it was delivered into the Merrimack River.
Built, carried, and launched by hand, it was essentially made (with the help of modern electric saws) the way Cape Dories have been made at the Lowell Boat Shop since their first Dory in 1793.
Music is also a timeless craft made by hand. These late August days, I am deep into Songweaver mode – planning, listening, choosing, arranging, and singing music for our upcoming year. Watching the intensity of the teamwork involved in building this Cape Dory, I was struck by how similar the experience is to singing in a chorus. Each person does their part so that the whole is beautiful. 1 + 1 = 3, or even 11.
All six apprentices spoke passionately about how grateful they were to have had such a life-expanding experience. From total strangers at the beginning, they had learned how to be an effective team, creating something glorious along the way.
Songweavers is like that. On September 8 and 9, women will come with their neighbors, partners, daughters and mothers to sing together. We gather to experience harmony of spirit and sound. We gather for kinship and community. We gather to create, to contribute our energy to the whole, and to give voice to something beyond ourselves. In the process, we are all enlivened and filled with joy. We come home to our true nature and that makes us happy.
The first week of rehearsals is free. Come experience this communal connection for yourself. We gather at:
Concord Community Music School, 23 Wall St., Concord, NH
Sept. 8 @ 7-9:30pm
Sept. 9 @ 9:30-11:00am
You are welcome to come to one or both rehearsals. I look forward to seeing you then.
For more information, go to ccmusicschool.org. or email me.
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