We can all be artists with our voices, here and now. I’m not talking about singing lessons, or reading music, or any kind of study. We can learn a song as easily as children do, just by opening our ears and mouths.

—Alice Parker

In this series of beautifully detailed and thought-provoking essays, world-renown composer and conductor Alice Parker beckons us all to return to the natural state of singing. We move beyond the scientific precision of the printed page to uncover the core of creative expression.

Drawing on her decades of experience as a musician, teacher, and leader of SINGS, Alice’s insights and advice are profound in their simplicity. She reveals the true importance of our voices, encouraging all of us to open our ears and then our mouths to express our common humanity.

Like Alice Parker's music making, the book is simple, but moving and profound. She honors singing, as you would expect, saying in the very first sentence of the book, "Song is a gift given to all human beings who have ears and a voice." And a few pages later, "Song is truly the most democratic of the arts. We need no equipment other than ears and voices, no instrument other than heart and mind." If you found yourself thinking: What about eyes to read the notes? This book would reply that you are thinking about song(s) instead of Song. Songs can be stored in a book or file cabinet, Song happens only when there is singing. Song is about listening and singing

— Pastor Bruce Benson from Sing for Joy Newsletter
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