During these months of “Stay safe, stay home”, the amount of content being offered free on the internet has exploded.  Professionals of every stripe and discipline are offering classes, concerts, podcasts, distanced collaborations and little peeks into what they get up to at home.  There is SO MUCH.

While nothing beats being in the same room as music as it is being made, it’s fantastic to have so much to choose from.  There’s opera, jazz, theatre, puppetry, comedic plays and re-writes – it’s actually endless.

I have been taking great joy in a couple of things in particular and here they are.

If you’re looking for a few minutes of heart-filling sound, encouragement and comfort – sometimes with humour and always with a smile, Yo-Yo Ma is posting #songsofcomfort from his house.  He makes a note of what inspires him to the particular piece (ie – this one is for all the lovers who are separated, or weddings that have had to be cancelled- or this one is for the front line workers).

This link is for a piece I particularly love by Albinoni (see previous post on soundtracks!) but you can find others from here.  He dedicates it to those who are grieving but it is heart music for all of us.

Another stream I dip into once in a while is the Barenaked Ladies “Selfie Cam-Jam”.  Not at all like Yo-Yo Ma’s offering, these Canadian icons are doing some super fun stuff – I find these ones a great reminder that this COVID situation is affecting all of us, and while it’s sometimes a bit annoying to be isolating as we all essentially are, everybody’s doing it.  Here’s a fun tune that they did with Michael Buble and Sofia Reyes, specifically about the here and now.

And if you can’t decide what you want to listen to, here is a great contribution from the CBC and artists from coast to coast.  It’s a long show but it’s a great listen.  We live in such a great country!  And while I was looking for that link, I found this one – an awesome tribute to the late Bill Withers, and a message of support to front line workers.  It made me disproportionately happy.  Maybe it was just Geddy Lee with his little dog….

There you go, Friends.  Some great stuff to fill your heads and hearts, no matter how you’re feeling in any given moment.  (and before you ask, these collaboration videos take a lot of time and talent to put together – I may have the time right now but the answer is no…. haha!)

Shine on.