Choir Director, Crystal Akins (at left), leads the Maybelle Community Singers in concert at Ecotrust. In 2017, they performed two community concerts at Ecotrust and several smaller, intimate events.

“A song is only five minutes. But it only takes seconds for our lives to change forever.”

Our community choir was officially launched in early 2016, by our Associate Director Kristrún Grondal and Choir Director, Crystal Akins. Crystal now works full-time at Maybelle Center overseeing our spiritual programming. We sat down with Crystal to hear her thoughts about why the Maybelle Community Singers is so influential in the lives of our members.

Crystal, why do you feel the choir is so important?

“I’ve been doing isolation work for 18 years, using music as community service. Many years ago, Kristrún and I launched a therapeutic choir at the Alzheimer’s Association for those with early dementia. And we realized it’s the same with our folks as it is with elders. When people age, their bodies change, their voices are different, and their purpose changes. That makes us ask questions like, ‘Who am I now?’

“The choir is a way of being of service. It gives many folks meaning. Just going out and meeting the other choir members can be of service. Sharing your story is a huge service. Or sharing your voice.

“The audience thinks, ‘I’m helping you.’ And they are. But it’s our voices and our lives that are really going to create the change. It’s our voices that need to be heard. People start realizing that a song can change a lot of lives.”

Crystal, you’ve used the term “therapeutic choir.” What does that mean?

“Maybelle Center creates access to choir and other spiritual programs that are out of reach for many people experiencing poverty. Singing is a way to learn skills where it’s safe. You can come and be who you are here.

“When you live with constant fear, your body goes into fight or flight. That’s many members’ default. Your body can’t create new pathways in this state. But when you come in and do something like music, art, or other ways of expressing yourself spiritually, you learn by expressing and experiencing creativity.

“With the choir, our members are learning skills in a space of energetic joy, feeling loved and accepted. Then new pathways are created.”

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<em>Originally published as part of our <a href=”https://www.maybellecenter.org/about-us/2017ar/”>2017 Annual Report</a>. </em>