The power of song: How Stella's Circle is bringing people together
Video | CBC News | Posted: February 13, 2016 12:00 AM | Last Updated: February 13, 2016
'I've found a new family and I feel good with that,' says choir member
A St. John's organization that helps transform the lives of struggling adults is bringing people together with music.
The Stella's Circle Inclusion Choir was formed in 2008, and is affiliated with the non-profit group Stella's Circle and its programs and services.
Most of the choir's members have experienced homelessness or have gone through a period of struggle.
Director Helen Murphy says the choir offers a space for people who want to sing and offers a sense of community and belonging.
"It's a place where people can feel that they can come without any worry about judgment or feeling they're not good enough to sing," said Murphy.
Ken, a choir member, said he was struggling with feelings of isolation and loneliness, the choir has helped him "feel a sense of family, a sense of connection".
"My mom passed and everything just happened at once and so I've found a new family and I feel good with that," he said.
Emma Broomfield, a choir manager from the United Kingdom, does similar work looking after four choirs with a charity called Choir With No Name.
The joy in people's faces
Like the Inclusion Choir, her groups are all made up of people who have experienced homelessness.
She said it's a great thing when you see the joy in people's faces as they sing.
Broomfield is in St. John's to share her experiences and to learn from the Stella Burry choir.
"I think singing is an amazing thing for any human being … and choirs are such a beautiful way to bring people together with a really positive spin on things," she told CBC.
"Singing helps you forget the other things going on in your life, it may be only for an hour or two hours but it helps you just have some time out."
Here & Now broadcast live from the choir's rehearsal earlier this week. Have a listen to the music and stories; they'll be sure to lift your spirits.