What Does Community Sound Like?
On Saturday evening, 18 men and women assembled on a sound stage in New York City. Clad in traditional garb of their ancestral land, they waited patiently while the production manager counted them in. They were about to perform for the entire world.
As the camera light turned red and they were introduced, they began to sing in a language nearly all of their viewers wouldn’t understand. Their song was only six lines but its power rang out, appealing to those unaware of the words and the tongue in which it was sung. The compelling power of the moment captivated all who listened, drawing them in and uniting all who were willing.
They were live from Saturday Night, leading the cold open of Saturday Night Live with the Ukrainian national anthem, days after their country had been invaded. The chorus rang out:
Ukraine is not yet dead, nor its glory and freedom,
Luck will still smile on us brother-Ukrainians.
Ukraine’s national anthem took root in 1991, following the country’s independence from the Soviet Union. Singing that Saturday night was the Ukrainian Chorus Dumka of New York, formed in 1949 by Ukrainian immigrants after another war. Often times trials, triumphs, and tragedy provide the fertile soil for community and its expressions to take root.
The world got a glimpse on Saturday of what community sounds like. This rendition, performed in the safe confines of Studio 8H, showed solidarity with other recent singers of the same song:
Songs are often one of the most recognizable expressions of deep community. Researchers estimate humans first had the capability to sing well over 500,000 years ago. Many anthropologists have concluded the earliest humans may have used music to express something they were unable to with voice alone, to entertain themselves, and to share information over long distances. In other words, music is used to connect.
We feel that connection when singing arm in arm during the encore at the sold out show of our favorite band. Maybe you have felt a deep connection to a religious community during a service while singing and worshipping. Or perhaps you have sung to a son or daughter, niece or nephew and seen something light up in their eyes when they connect to you through that song.
But community sounds like other things, too.
My son is on an Encanto kick lately and there is a pivotal scene where the family’s house lay in ruins. Disappointed and downtrodden, the abuela is distracted by a growing sound off in the distance, coming closer and closer. She simply asks, “What’s that sound?”
Antonio, one of her grandsons, replies, “I think it’s everyone in town.”
He’s right. An entire village is approaching the rubble, arms full of tools and food, hearts full of service and love.
They sing,
Lay down your load
We are only down the road
We have no gifts, but we are many
And we’ll do anything for you
This is what community sounds like: a group people who simply say to one another, “You matter.”
Community sounds like something bigger than a song. While musical expression certainly bonds us biologically and sociologically, the song only represents an ethic and ethos already present. And this is a critical difference between a community and just a group of people:
When a group sings, people hear words
When a community sings, people hear action
The song expresses a depth and commitment only present in an authentic community. But it can’t be just something that members understand, but also that the not-yet-members want to understand. It is an expression that insiders find comforting and outsiders find compelling.
So if you find yourself standing on the doorway of a community, unsure of if you want to dive in or not, first listen to their song, but move past the words. Listen to their actions. Find the heartbeat of the community and see if yours beats in rhythm to theirs.
A community sounds like a place who says, “You are worth our time, and we have a place for you.”
