A WEEKEND OFF....

A WEEKEND OFF....

Well, this may not be a very auspicious process, I've just taken the weekend off to indulge in the amazing Gospel Singing Workshop of/with Tony Backhouse here in Melbourne. (Please Google him or I will attempt to insert a link to his website at the bottom of this post. What an amazing process – Friday night began with an introduction to (MSG) Melbourne Singers of Gospel Choir. In the middle of this I realise that those of you who thought that this was going to be a beginning novelist blog might feel a little off the planet at this juncture....however...I will now explain that as I suffered (and I do mean suffered) the last round of institutionalised corpratised employment I simultaneously discovered a little singing group in Elsternwick – Soulsong – led by Richard Lawton (Monday and Tuesday nights – if you are in Melbourne).The other thing I discovered was that this little process was that it had an immediately liberating and uplifting affect on me. So that no matter what beauacratised and oppressive practices we were experiencing at work the little singing group truly set my soul free – so once a week, in the middle of the week, I would feel enormously uplifted, yea verily I say unto you: HAPPY even.

So, as a bonus to this I was introduced to the possibility of attending a weekend long gospel singing workshop with Tony Backhouse – and this has been that overused word an amazing experience. Many of us (from choirs and singing groups scattered all across Victoria) sing simply for the joy of singing but Tony's enthusiasm, vast repertoire, discipline and challenging daring really took all of us to new heights for an entire weekend. Cynics hold onto your hats here it was literally like being surrounded by angels for an entire weekend; only these were like earthly angels, slightly tarnished wings and slipping haloes (I'm not sure I could actually bear an entire weekend with the purely heavenly variety of angels).

At this point I realise there is no point attempting to describe this in words – you had to be there – so unless the Angel Sally and the angel Nerida forward me phone sound bites which (as a technologically challenged person) I can attempt to place on the website – this will have to do. I am informed, exhausted and happy. In this world that's not bad. Back to writing tomorrow.

http://www.tonybackhouse.com.au/

http://cmv.customer.netspace.net.au/WhoWeAre.html

http://users.mullum.com.au/apearl/smcteachers.html

LW.