Your singer is one of your channels to the divine. (Photo credit belongs to the amazing Katie Stoops, http://www.katiestoops.com)
Funerals are a special time in the life of a family. They can be a beautiful time of passing, letting go, and letting the new emerge. The singer is invited to take on the sacred role of creating space for all of the emotions to be processed, or at least begun to be processed. Through intentionally placed sound and presence, offered by the singer before and after song, grips of stuck emotion can be unleashed, enabling family members to feel their grief, allow their sorrow – or anger, or any other kind of emotion. Once felt, emotions can then be released. Once released, freedom can be restored. Once freedom is felt, life can move on.
This can be the beauty of a funeral service.
As one member passes, all of us are invited to let go of what was and make space for the new to emerge. Isn’t this a beautiful thing?
As eternal beings, I believe that our spirits exist before we enter this body and continue to exist after we leave this body. Releasing is important for both those left on Earth, and in some cases, important for those who have chosen to leave this body and move on to their next phase of existence. Who’s to say that they’re no longer with us? They’re just with us in a different form.
The singer at a funeral has an incredible opportunity to facilitate the movement of the energy for all parties. For even just a few minutes of song, this sacred role can truly help transform the experience of death in the family unit. Personally, I enjoy the space of feeling the energies in the room, communicating with them on an as needed basis, and helping connect messages between realms. Not all singers bring this awareness to their work, and I believe that music with this strong connection is pretty much one of the most sublime experience human life has to offer. Pretty music can be good, but powerful music is…powerful. It is always my intention to create that sacred space as effectively as possible, while dedicating my training to the execution of a great song from a technical standpoint.
With ties that no longer bind, remaining family members can continue processing this evolution of life.
The song of a singer may move a person to tears, and perhaps they don’t know the root of their tears, but they know it was needed. It was beautiful. They wept. They felt. They felt. They felt, and that is beautiful.
If you are in need of a singer for a funeral or celebration of life service, contact me at heather (at) heatherhightower (dot) com.
Commonly Requested Songs include:
- On Eagle’s Wings
- Amazing Grace
- Ave Maria, Franz Schubert
- Pie Jesu, Faure Requim
Do you have a story to share? Or a song that touched you in a passing of life ceremony? Leave a comment below.
This post was written by
Heather – who has written 72 posts on Heather Hightower.
You are way more musical than you believe.
Heather,
Music moves the soul like nothing else can and I’m so glad you wrote this article. My mother died last April and there were three songs I sang every morning at her bedside for weeks before she passed. One was Danny Boy (one of her favorites), one was a favorite hymn that escapes my memory at the moment, and the third was Parting Glass (a version by the Wailin’ Jennys). A dear friend who sings with the a capella group Stella, suggested we sing Parting Glass at Mom’s celebration. She one part, and another friend sang the other and I took up the third. There wasn’t a dry eye in the room and it is such a loving parting song indeed. I will spread the news of your singing service. How far do you travel? I’m in central NC.
All the best to you!
Cheerfully,
Sam
Sam,
Isn’t crying through singing and song such an incredible release? It’s like none other…deeply cathartic, profoundly vulnerable, and yet somehow so sweet. I remember the harmony line to Danny Boy that I learned in 5th grade chorus…songs stick with us, burning into our fibers. I’m so glad you could sing songs upon her departure from this earth that you all could enjoy together in physical form…powerful to say the least. Mmmm….as far as travel, given my love of it, I travel to the far corners of the Earth, especially for song. Distance dictates whether it’s better to pay for my flight out/accommodations, or paying per hour of travel/accommodations. Thank you for shining your light into this blog world, and much love to you,
Heather