On one side of life, there’s a littered freeway, where police cars barrel through the crowded lanes, and an endless flow of stop and go traffic contributes to the grayness floating above the city. On the opposing side all of nature is in unison and a calm blanket cloaks the earth. How does one create a mental bridge from the chaos to the calm? The individuals participating in the women-centered chants, held Wednesdays at 1:15 p.m. in the basement of the Honors Building, use song as a bridge to serenity.
Chair of the Business Department Nancy Artz and Associate Professor of Classics Lois Hinckley created the group three years ago when the Women’s Resource Center agreed to act as a sponsor, allowing the group a guaranteed place to sing. Although the following is small in numbers, the participants are passionate about what they do. “You just don’t think-you’re just singing and feeling–it’s joy,” said Artz.
The group meets once a week and for one hour sings a cappella to songs with lyrics like, “Oh great spirit, earth sun sky and sea, you are inside and all around me.” Diane Brackett, administrative assistant to the Core Curriculum, has been singing with the chanters since last semester. “It gives me a whole new release on the afternoon,” she said.
There are no requirements to join the group, and Artz said there are mixed abilities among the group.
“I’m probably the worst singer in the group but the most enthusiastic,” she said.
Many songs are short and related to a woman’s connection to the earth. The shortness creates allowance for sing-rounds, which are spontaneous and prompted by individual choice.
The group chants collaboratively, and decision making (such as whether to sing with rounds or no rounds) is informal. Artz put together a packet of songs and chants that various members contributed, and those are passed out to follow along with. The group is always open to trying new material, including foreign songs.
Although the group’s title may lead one to believe that men are unwelcome, Artz said that the group is open to men attending, and her husband has come in the past.
Although the chanters have a small following, the mission is to empower women through song. So far it seems to be working. The chanters meet in the basement of the Honors Building between 1:15 to 1:30 p.m. every Wednesday. For further information, contact Nancy Artz at 780-4321.