This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

The Power of Music

Do you believe music can change the world? It already has.

I recently attended Camp Harmony, five days of singing, dancing, eating and laughing in Sonoma county, hosted by the San Francisco Folk Music Club.

Some may cringe at the mere thought of folk music and envision scenes of old hippies holding hands in a circle singing “Kumbaya” or “We Shall Overcome” with too many guitars, all slightly out of tune. While there is some truth in A Mighty Wind, the pseudo-documentary about aging folkies, that’s not the whole picture. 

I am a passionate believer in the power of music. There are songs that can make a difference, to individuals and to a cause. Groups of people singing songs can affect the course of history, and indeed have in recent times.

Find out what's happening in San Anselmo-Fairfaxwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

A documentary, available on DVD from Marin County Free Library, details this very issue: Amandla: A Revolution in 4-Part Harmony. Music is intrinsic to the culture of black South Africa, and this film shows how singing became an inseparable element of the struggle to end apartheid. As the resistance intensifies over years, so the songs become more forceful. People sing at the funerals of their friends to keep from crying. They sing as they walk peacefully through the streets of South African cities, fearing that they will be attacked by the military. And oh, how they sing when they welcome Nelson Mandela to a stadium filled with supporters when he is finally released from prison. This film is a great exploration of historical events and the music that moved them along.

When a group of older adults formed a choir in Northampton, Massachussetts, you might think they’d be singing folk songs and show tunes. Young @ Heart documents this group of amazing individuals, average age 80, who perform songs by James Brown, Sonic Youth, the Ramones, and Coldplay. Led by a visionary (and extremely patient) director, they give these songs a fresh perspective that audience members young and old appreciate.  

Find out what's happening in San Anselmo-Fairfaxwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

We the viewers attend their rehearsals, where all the sheet music is in large print, and visit individual members, several of whom have recovered from serious illness to rejoin the group. What started for some as a way to keep themselves young becomes a force that deeply affects all who hear them. Their performance of “Forever Young” for a group of prisoners leaves very few dry-eyed. As one listener comments, “I’m not afraid to get old.”

The library is acquiring new films and books all the time, and one of the newest (for us) is The Singing Revolution. I visited Estonia as part of a choir tour in 1985, where our guide explained wryly that Estonia had been “liberated” more times than any other Eastern Bloc country. Starting in 1986, huge groups of Estonians gathered together to peaceably demonstrate for independence, and they sang. They sang for five years. Songs of hope and revolution, songs that had been declared illegal. 

What does it say about the power of music, when a government bans people from singing certain songs?

Share your favorite movies with music in comments, or visit the Fairfax Library and request your favorite film.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

More from San Anselmo-Fairfax