Singing with Children and Trees

The synchronicity of singing with trees has continued over the past few days when I was invited to the Botanical Gardens of Asheville to tell a story and sing in a gazebo to a group of 8 year olds from Chris Weaver's Third grade class at Evergreen Charter School. Earlier I had walked through the gardens among birch, locust, linden, oak, ash, buckeye sweet gum and hemlock trees getting to know my new neighbors. When the class arrived we sat in a circle in the gazebo and I told a pueblo story of the rain god falling asleep on the mountain. Like my previous home of New Mexico, North Carolina has been experiencing a drought. Together we made the sounds of frogs and locusts singing to the rain god to wake him up so he would remember his duty. We then sang rain and rainbow songs as we danced.

Towards the end of my time with the children, Chris asked if we could sing to a nearby Hemlock tree. He told me that the eastern and Carolina hemlock trees, some of them as old as 400 years, are dying due to an infestation of a tiny insect called the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid which covers the base of the needles with a white waxy wool. Chris's class has been studying the trees and learning about how to care for them. The class is purchasing some non-native beetles which eat the insect and learning other ways to protect and heal the trees.

I told the class that the sound "Ah" is the sound related to the heart. It is the sound of love, the sound we feel when we see something beautiful and also the sound of concern when we witness suffering. Together we circled the tree as seventeen pairs of child hands touched its truck and together we toned "Ah." The children looked up at the branches of the tree, some had their eyes closed. Our voices rose under the protective limbs of the tree. Did we make a difference in the health of the hemlock? I don't know. But I do know we our shared awe with nature and experienced a moment of reverence and deepening relationship with an ancient tree. Elders and children need each other and can learn from each other. We came to silence and stood still touching the tree with our hands. Then the class gathered up their things to leave. Several children came over to hug me. Another girl ran up, looked me in the eyes with a grin, sang "Ah!" and then ran away giggling. Magic continued to sing in my heart.

For more information about what you can do go to www.saveourhemlocks.org















Cooper Beech tree at Wave Hill in New York City