Trinity Newmarket Singers

Wednesday was the International Day of Pink, a day to wear pink to support diversity and to stand against bullying, homophobia, and transphobia. When I planned this week’s theme, I had remembered that, so we used my Songs for Equality, Diversity, Inclusion playlist. Last night, and Wednesday, I forgot, so I didn’t wear pink on pink day, and got a little confused thinking it was yesterday. But, for me, any day is good to celebrate diversity and to think about all the ways good, worthy, and beautiful people don’t conform to stereotypes, gender roles, and other societal expectations.  Diversity is kind of my thing. Singing is #My Thing. I’m also fond of dancing, but in the same way I love singing, as a natural part of enjoying music, with friends and family. Or in a club, like the Pink Pony Club, wearing high heels (if you can, and if you feel like it)! I remembered many happy times dancing with friends at disco clubs, staying out late, wearing heels (so many years ago!). We talked ab...

Share this poster far and wide, and get people there to hear this beautiful soul play the piano with heavenly precision and beauty. $25 well spent. 

Our songs about celestial events theme turned into "celestial events and other changes".  So, days changing with sunrises and sunsets, the equinox marking the seasons changes, and the motions of the moon and planets turned into the seasons of our lives, and then, trying to change the world, because "that's just the way it is" doesn't make sense when everything changes, always.  We enjoyed lots of excellent old songs, even when we couldn't think of how they fit into the theme (Red wine changes me, is how). We talked about how some melodies seem to have come from an eternal source, divine inspiration, or from somewhere in our DNA, they're so good and comfortable and singable right away, as if they've been there always, or alternatively from outer space (David Bowie). We  talked about how a song can make you cry or move you so much that you need to stop the car, pull over and stop to listen. Then there are songs that seem sad, feel melancholy, but a...

Despite barometric pressure headaches and weather-, work-, and world- fatigue (Weltschmertz) , we rallied our forces to get out of the house and make it to Trinity, and it was so worth it! Singing is therapeutic, not just fun. And, not only do we sing, but we also pay attention to the beauty of the music and the messages, so we are reminded that there is so much to be grateful for, and we are not alone, but in good company. Our theme was Celestial Events, inspired by the vernal equinox, the celestial change of seasons last week. So, we looked up to the sun, the moon, the stars, and planets, and even a supermassive black hole, along with artists inspired by the heavens.  Something I like to do is listen to different versions of songs, and we often find that covers of songs provide a wonderful new perspective. We had this experience with a couple of our songs tonight. I do have a thing for diversity, an appreciation for different ways of looking at things. It was also noted that I ha...

Happy New Year! Sale Now Mobarak. Nowruz Pirooz. At 5:01:30, winter ended and spring began at the moment of the vernal equinox, the moment that the sun crossed the equator. That is the moment when people celebrate Persian New Year, people all over the world, and my family, the Naghavi side of my family too. I shared a picture of my haft seen spread, and we talked about the symbolism of the items, and the traditions practised over the weeks before and after the equinox. They are some of the very same things that many other cultures do and think about at the turning of the year or at spring celebrations. We are more alike than different, all of us on this planet. We talked a little bit about religion and politics, and Iranian women. We listened to a couple of Iranian songs from my Persian Party playlist. We couldn’t sing along because we can’t read Perso-Arabic script.  And then, we switched to Irish music, in honour of St. Patrick’s Day, which was Monday. This playlist had lots of s...

This year, I missed the opportunity to serve pie at my singing night. In fact, I brought store-bought cookies because I had been baking "cheese and onion pies"(quiches) for my PIE Day/Affirming Day event happening this evening (honestly, I was a little disorganized/distracted and forgot to bake for this too). We did have a PIE/Affirming theme, a Pride theme, for our songs. It was interesting and inspired quite a lot of good conversation.  We meet in a church, and the Pride theme is clouded by some misconceptions about the Bible, so we talked about that a bit, and I'm encouraged again to try to have a screening of the film 1946: The Mistranslation that shifted culture.  Robin and Thain have started exchanging books, so now it's low-key a book club and singing club. It's such a wonderful thing, to meet and sing and talk in a safe and comfortable setting that we end up sharing so much more. I had a book to recommend too: Fayne by Anne-Marie MacDonald. I love learning...