Singing aloud leaves you with a sense of levity and contentedness. And then there are what I would call “civilizational benefits.” When you sing with a group of people, you learn how to subsume yourself into a group consciousness because group singing is all about the immersion of the self into the community. That’s one of the great feelings — to stop being me for a little while and to become us. That way lies empathy, the great social virtue.

-Brian Eno

A door to door survey took place in the Sherwood Village area, knocking on doors and asking the homeowners to take the time to fill out a music questionnaire which included the question “What is your favorite song?” Using the information culled from the surveys, choirs of people learned the favorite songs of several members the Sherwood Village area together. A twist on caroling, we returned back to a selection of the homes of the residents who answered the questionnaire and sang them their favorite songs.

Neighborhood Chorus took place the week of June 16-20, 2009. Four songs in total were performed: Left and Leaving by The Weakerthans, God Only Knows by The Beach Boys, I Woke Up Today by Port O’Brien, and I’m On Fire by Bruce Springsteen. Video documentation of the performances are on view at the Dunlop Sherwood Village Branch Gallery from August 1-October 11.

Thank You: Megan Codilan, Eric Hill, Katherine Boyer, Jason Wright, Barbara Meneley, Jeff Nye, Andrea Young, Devon Dozlaw, Braden Henrie, Lauren Fournier, Justin Young, Amanda Scandrett, Nick Bonokoski, Michelle Kruger, Jenelle Remple, Madamme Katz and her grade 3 class, and everyone else that participated in the Neighborhood Chorus.