Singing your life ... Photography from F. Beddok Concert in St - - PDF document
Charter of International Organization of Resilience Choirs CHARTER OF INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION OF 'RESILIENCE " CHOIRS CREATION IN THE WORLD OF ETHICAL CHOIRS FOR THOSE WITH DISABILITIES Singing your life ... Photography from F.
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Photography from F. Beddok
Concert in St Sulpice Church with Paris Resilience Choir
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Hugues Reiner, conductor promoting the concept of Resilience choirs and OICR: "30 years of experience have made me realize the incredible impact that the act of singing can have on humans. I wanted to give to brain injured people the pleasure of singing in a choir that would also be open to all. There are too few choirs with such openness. Thank you to everyone for contributing to create more such choirs in the world. This booklet is intended to help you participate in the creation of these Resilience choirs. The experience applied through this project is drawn from the therapeutic analysis offered by experts such as Boris Cyrulnik (resilience), Dr. Victor Frankl (logotherapy), Oliver Sacks (music therapy), Dr. Patch Adams (laughter therapy), Prof. Tal Ben-Shahar ( positive psychology at Harvard), Prof. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (happiness psychology), from conversations with Professor Jacques Touchon, neuropsychiatrist, Dr. Baya Soua, neurologist ,and clinical psychologist Perrine Bresson, and from rehearsals with all the disabled individuals encountered in the choirs. The dynamics of music require one to reason with one’s heart and identify with others by
discover others and to gain their full and unconditional acceptance. We drop our masks and prejudices! Persons with or without disabilities, parents, medical personnel, sing in unison in a rediscovery of shared well-being. A Resilience chorus is weekly rehearsals, commitment, pleasure, happiness, shared joy, improvisations where everyone sings their story, opera arias that are practiced in a festive atmosphere to prepare concerts with an
Outlets for dreams and creativity, boldness, humor, are essential and people with disabilities bring these to us in quantity. They have a sharp eye on our society and great understanding of the difficulties in life. Their message of frankness and candor is a first step in building tomorrow's world and, most importantly, in allowing us to reason with more humanity. During a recent discussion to create a Resilience chorus in Istanbul, I was particularly touched by the expression of the future choir director: "The Resilience project gives vivid meaning to a new cultural imperative: - to share the joy." A Resilience choir can achieve this, because we discover there, from one rehearsal to the next, that the real world is one which is truly shared. Bringing diverse people together to sing yields tremendous value for everyone and I can confirm, as a choir director, that whatever their personal prejudices, everyone can sing. As Guillaume Pollard said: "Singing your life is like living again! ". Meeting Professor Jacques Touchon, renowned neuropsychiatrist at the Faculty of Medicine
choir. Professor Jacques Touchon, neuropsychiatrist, co-founder of the Resilience chorus:
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"Attending a rehearsal of the Resilience choir was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. If I am not moved by the situation and history of one of my patients, I know I will not reach the level of excellence that I owe to my profession. This Resilience choir project is simultaneously something simple, demanding, and full of emotions that respond to the expectations of both the professionals and the patients. The choir is a meeting place, with the music offering a vehicle for transcending self..." . Guillaume Pollard, singer and ambassador of Resilience choirs: "I am a member of the first two Resilience choruses led by Hugues Reiner, in Montpellier and
brain-injured person, these supportive and tolerant choirs have given me the honor and will to keep fighting and the knowledge that my difference is an asset for others. The Resilience choirs transform tears of sorrow into tears of happiness. The practice of classical music has an undeniable impact ... It has changed my life. "
Disability worldwide. There are an estimated 650 million people with disabilities worldwide. Everywhere, numerous actions have been taken to pilot successful projects for integration through work, education, culture and sports. In this context, choral singing has revealed the potential for resilience through music. The first Resilience choirs. The results of a year's experience with the Paris Resilience choir are best demonstrated by the happiness and exhilaration in the eyes of the handicapped persons and their families. The same extraordinary outcomes are evident with the newest Resilience choir of Montpellier. A Resilience chorus is comprised of singers with disabilities, caregivers, families and friends. The chorus is open to all, with special attention to brain-damaged persons. The International Resilience Choral Organisation (OICR) aims to foster the creation of such choirs around the world. The first ten concerts in Paris in Saint-Sulpice church were a great success. The excitement generated was profound for both the public and the musicians. Now we would like to reproduce this adventure around the world! A multi-disciplinary team at the core of OICR. Boris Cyrulnik, ethologist, psychoanalyst, psychologist, neuropsychiatrist and French writer. Didier Babayou, OICR President. Professor Jacques Touchon, neuropsychiatrist, Montpellier.
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Hugues Reiner, conductor and choir director, Paris. Perrine Bresson, clinical psychologist. Guillaume Pollard, chorister and ambassador for Resilience choirs. Joachim Bresson, soloist. ….. Objectives of OICR. Contribute to the advancement of scientific knowledge of the effects of choral singing, especially on brain injured people (implementation of scientific assessments). Form a broad network for the circulation of knowledge and skills, sharing of experiences and expertise, including the organization of gatherings of Resilience choirs, training courses for conductors and management of links between choir directors. Centralize the evaluation of needs and possible financial aid for all choirs. Identify patrons (financing of concerts, travel by the conductor for the creation of new choirs, musical direction of concerts with orchestra, ...). Organize and find funding for annual Resilience choir courses reserved for singers, choir directors and caregivers (first course from July 24 to 31, 2011 in Montpellier). Study the possibility of creating alternative Conservatories. Examine the desirability of a permanent orchestra to accompany the Resilience choirs. OICR will ensure the management of the funds and grants by a reputable entity recognized and certified in financial management for organizations representing those with disabilities.
A Resilience chorus has certain essential characteristics of which the choir director is the main guarantor. The choir director. He/she meets the following criteria: He/she is a volunteer, providing a two hour rehearsal per week; he/she finds his/her own funding sources. He/she is a facilitator as well as a musician. He/she constantly creates an environment of joy, hospitality and improvisation. He/she is a pianist or is accompanied by a pianist to lead the rehearsals.
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He/she serves the choir through the study of easily accessible scores (example: opera arias by Mozart, melodies or lieder by Schubert, Fauré, etc), without hesitating to sing ambitious works, classics, but above all, choral works. He/she is responsible for the actual mobilization of a group of thirty people, the number necessary to ensure the stability and the success of the choir. Health care workers, families, and friends are the first concerned. The activity may also attract students in speech therapy and music therapy, psychologists, etc. He/she is driven by real passion for his/her mission, musical talent and a sense of humor. An enabling environment. Rehearsals are held in an atmosphere of happiness and balance, where discipline and improvisational theater go hand in hand. The choir director does not hesitate to adapt the course
humor, creativity ... At the piano, the choir director improvises songs, shouts, dances, gestures. Nothing is excluded! That's life! We must start with what the person does, accompany and sometimes get carried away by his enthusiasm. We build on the way the person makes sounds or moves. We vocalize using imitation, for some with words, for others with vowels, and learn the songs one measure at a time. Moments of silence are also needed to allow some to excel. The choir director must ensure care for particular individuals, especially those who are the most challenged, and reintegrate the individual into the group interaction following the one-on-one intervention. Through joy and laughter, the choir director creates in each participant the desire to return to the next practice. By encouraging the most advanced participants to sing, he motivates them to work without generating boredom. Finally, each rehearsal is also a special setting that enables people with disabilities to be considered as belonging to the family of musicians! Communication and networking. Each choir director will communicate their own findings and ideas to their colleagues through seminars and courses. Internet communication tools will also be put in place. Meetings between choruses in the spirit of the "à choeur joie" (“joyful chorus”, a famous French organization) movement will be organized. Such a trip is a dream and people with disabilities must have dreams to realize. Thus, to expand the movement, an annual international meeting of Resilience choirs is envisioned in a host country, with performances by every choir to present the music of their particular country. The meeting will close with an international masterwork performed by all choirs present. Locations for rehearsals. The rehearsals can take place in large meeting rooms in medical or long term care complexes, schools or other community facilities where the required piano is available at all times.
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For example, the rehearsals of the Paris Resilience chorus are held on the premises of a specialized clinic, while those of the Resilience choir of Montpellier take place at the University’s Faculty of Medicine.
Conditions for success and stability It is clear that the operation of the OICR, the creation of choirs, the establishment of the annual meeting in Montpellier, and the organization of concerts cannot be achieved without financial support. Assistance from foundations and corporations is essential and must include the contribution of both human and financial resources. As an example, in France, a large concert requires an estimated budget of around € 25 000 . The goal is to organize concerts in major cities, promoting the creation of Resilience choirs in France and the rest of the world. Posters, leaflets, press kits and programs are offered during concerts to our media partners, as are invitations for their employees to concerts or rehearsals, and to lectures on the integration
psychologist Perrine Bresson. DVDs and CDs could also be produced for company employees. Partnerships established since 2009 Thalès, Cap Gémini, Société Générale, Sanofi Aventis, IBM, Crédit Agricole, Véolia Transdev. Partnerships sought Organizations or individuals, who have expressed an interest in showcasing the project at the international level through their professional relationships, include : The National Disability Council, through Mrs. Monique Pelletier, President and former Minister for Women’s Affairs, an honorary member of the Constitutional Council, TV5 Monde for world-wide media coverage, through Michèle Jacobs Hermès, Director for Francophone Countries, Institutional Relations, and Promotion of the French Language, and through Agnès Benayer, Director of Communications, International choral federations to facilitate the recruitment of choir directors and partners for Resilience choirs, Private enterprises, through their workplace initiatives on Disability and Diversity, The company La Valériane, via Roland Sicard, his chairman, for the transport of the brain injured people, Employees of private companies could be encouraged to take part in immersion courses along with Resilience choir members. (As an example, Sanofi Aventis sponsored a visit to a
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medical facility, organized around the themes of inclusion, wellness and better living together, which included participation in a rehearsal and a concert).
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Choeur Résilience Hugues Reiner Paris -130 choristes -huguesreiner@yahoo.fr - 64, rue du Rocher Paris 75008 - répétitions le lundi de 19à 21h Choeur Résilience Clément Wurtz Paris - 30 choristes - paul.bonhomme@club-internet.fr - 55, rue de Patay Paris 75013 - mardi de 17h30 à 19h Choeur Résilience Dumonteil Paris - 30 choristes - bennemo@hotmail.com- 7, rue Mongallet Paris 75012 – mercredi de 14h à 16h30 Choeur Résilience de Boulogne Billancourt –15 choristes - delphine.gautier@gmail.com - Boulogne - jeudi de 17h30 à 19h Choeur Résilience de Montpellier - 50 choristes - Brigitte Arnal -gigitte.arnal@orange - Faculté de Médecine, 2, rue de l'Ecole de Médecine, - jeudi de 17h30 0à 19h Choeur Résilience de Panama City – 30 choristes - Mariana Pereira - culture.panama@orange.fr
Choeur Résilience d'Istambul – Lycée Français – Lionel Bansar Choeur Résilience du Salvador Choeur Résilience du Nicaragua Choeur Résilience de Haïti Choeur Résilience Herblay –Laurence Lalande – l.lalande@aepfrance.fr Choeur Résilience FNSM – Surdité - Choeur Résilience région parisienne - Docteur Windich Choeur Résilience Paris Saint Vincent de Paul
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Organize a meeting with the residents most motivated by music, the most dynamic families and the most optimistic supervisors. Start testing the waters by informing those present of
therapists, music therapists, etc.). Ask them "why not us?" ...and begin to define roles. Identify a meeting room for rehearsals in the school and arrange weekly transportation. Choose an hour and a day that suits everyone. Ensure the permanent availability of a piano (acoustic) on site. Identify several potential candidates for the choral director position with the key characteristics associated with Resilience choirs (a joyful person, a pianist, a singer, able to arrange simple classical melodies); consult with Hugues Reiner to make the final selection. Make and distribute posters and leaflets with a dynamic slogan: "The Resilience choir of ... is recruiting amateur singers of all levels, etc., with phone number, address, day and hour. " Partner with an established choir in the city, ideally with another choir directed by the same conductor, so that the existing choir will act as the sponsor for your Resilience Choir Project. Participate regularly in concerts presented by the “sponsor” choir, performing the first 15 minutes of the program, followed by the sponsor choir singing its repertoire. Ask a few singers of the sponsor choir to attend your Resilience choir rehearsals as “tutors”. Within socio-medical establishment, try to create open spaces where Resilience singers can practice in preparation for their rehearsals. Once the project is well advanced, have a representative of your choir establish permanent contact with Resilience choir director Hugh Reiner. Identify a large performance space (church, cathedral, public auditorium, etc.) for the concerts to be scheduled at least twice a year, with the assistance of the sponsor choir, as needed. Find partners, youth orchestras, private companies whose employees may participate to support the concerts, perhaps by singing themselves! Concerts may be directed by Hugues Reiner as part of a mutual agreement between Resilience choirs. Depending upon the evolution of our organization, the possibility of gatherings of Resilience choirs will be studied. Regular contacts between representatives of Resilience choirs will enable us to search more effectively for solutions to our problems. Creation of a network of choral conductors will facilitate the sharing of views on a musical repertoire to be completed by each according to his own appreciation, in preparation for joint concerts where songs will be shared, based on the individual efforts of each choir. In the medium term, a minimum of one Resilience choir per country should offer persons with disabilities the opportunity to participate more actively in the cultural life of our nations. The
Thank you for contributing in any way you can. Together we are stronger and our goals can be ever more ambitious.
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Critical roles: :
at rehearsals (attendance sheet)
emphasis is on creativity and singing in unison
models and photos
Other staff include :
choir (for welfare, security, balance, motivation and respect)
Présentation - Les Choeurs Résilience