‘In the end we shall have had enough cynicism, skepticism and humbug and we shall want to live more musically’. So said Vincent Van Gogh. I think he would have loved Protest in Harmony’s latest residential weekend at the Well Road Centre in Moffat.
33 of us, including our 3 magnificent song leaders, joined together for a weekend of song, soul (and other excellent) food and silliness.
But what is harmony at one level is discord at another. We were faced with several conundrums: lentil or minestrone, abstain or regret later, ignore the changing of the clock or be rested?
It was hard to choose between the 3 fascinating workshops: Songwriting, Boffins’ Blether (Where have we come from and where now?), Non-violent direct action.
Furthermore: How to engage the audience while simultaneously keeping both eyes on the song leader; how to cope with the ache of too much laughter; how long before the Cutlery Band has its world tour.
How to sing mindfully when crying.
Before heading home, several went to sing outside Dungavel Detention Centre to give heart to people detained inside, especially those on hunger strike.
‘We shall find in our troubled hearts, where discord reigns, two needs which seem at variance, but which merge in a common source: the love of the true and the love of the fabulous’. (Anon) And true and fabulous it was.