Singing in the home is a civilized activity to which we should all aspire. Starved of real music and prevented from ever engaging our senses the old-fashioned way, many of us assume we “can’t sing.” Singing, like cooking, is one of those skills that improves simply by doing.
How to begin? The first step is listening to infectiously singable songs sung in a register you can begin to imitate. Likely, you won’t even need to make a decision to start singing; a catchy song sung will pull you in. Here is some folk music and bluegrass to get you started:
Singsong Pennywhistle by Roudabout
Roudabout is the performing name of sisters Cecilia and Emma Black, who grew up singing with their family. Released in 2019, Singsong Pennywhistle has timeless ditties that will inspire you to start humming, tapping, and finally singing confidently along to a cultural heritage in song that has been waylaid by isolation and bad pop ballads.
Cecilia and Emma have spoken about their experience in a singing family and the range of folk music. The sisters, who apparently argue over who will sing harmony, offer a simple and accessible example of singing in parts and singing rounds. The person who has never vocalized even a simple song will not be ready to dive into singing polyphony, but the folk songs with occasional harmony offer a good taste of what is possible with the human voice.
Proof of a singing life: the duo’s first album, accompanied by Ben-David Warner, was recorded in two days with only two days of practicing in advance. That is evidence of a singing repertoire that we decadent moderns usually lack, but that a family culture of singing can restore.
Warner also came from a singing family, and Emma told Aleteia, “We hit it off because of our similar folk music culture within our families. It seemed only natural to ask him to accompany us on our album and we were so excited when he agreed to it!”
For Singsong Pennywhistle, the group chose to include only traditional songs, no new compositions. The result is an array of music many people have dim awareness of but may never have sung. Frequently repetitive and catchy, even young children can join in singing. Cecilia told Aleteia, “Singing folk music is a wonderful foundation for nobler music to build on.” And it’s fun!
In the years since, the sisters have released Barnyard Dance.
The Okee Dokee Brothers on a bluegrass and folk journey for the new millennium
For something different but equally singable, the Okee Dokee Brothers have an array of original songs incorporating American bluegrass and folk songs for the journey. The pair, Joe Mailander and Justin Lansing, are not biological brothers but grew up as friends adventuring in Colorado. Now both living in Minnesota, they have made several albums of original songs and won a Grammy (Can You Canoe? In 2019), in addition to nominations.
Their first four albums were adventure-based: the pair would take a trip—canoeing the Mississippi, traveling out West, and for Through the Woods, hiking the Appalachian Trail. Mailander and Lansing would then write songs about the experience incorporating infectiously singable tropes from Americana.
In 2020, once again that strange time when we were shut in our houses and people rediscovered things like gardening, baking, music, and the joy of homemaking, the Okee Dokee Brothers released a different kind of sing-along album, titled simply “Songs for Singin.’”
Not all their songs are timeless, but many sound like they come from another era. Perhaps that comes from the old-fashioned experience of adventuring with a lifelong friend and making music. It’s rare that childhood friends Mailander and Lansing still live in the same region and work together in an age of moves so frequent that people describe a friend of a mere four years as “an old friend.” An old friend is someone who knows you from your earliest beginnings, someone who has journeyed with you through the storms of life.
Songs for Singin’ offers tunes to pair with the rhythms of life: rising in the morning, meal-times, and lullabies. Mailander told Minnesota Public Radio when the album came out in 2020, “These are life-giving rituals that we can identify, and then if we have a song to go with these moments, I think it can be a really helpful thing to have for families while they are home together.”
You don’t have to wait for the government forcibly to shut down public activities to enjoy family rituals accompanied by song. And the key is singing together with other people, who may, through the magic and mystery of song become bonded to you for life as a brother or sister. Mailander said, “We’ve heard it a million times. Some people say they can’t sing. But when we are all singing together, you can’t hear that. We all sound great together.”
Even the littlest toddlers will shout enthusiastically, “Jamboree!” while singing along with the Okee Dokee Brothers. They won’t notice if you’re still learning how to sing.
