On June 24, Spirited Speech Masters presented Melodies and Healing by Melvin Sword, MD Anderson Employee Choir Director. Sally served as Toastmaster, welcoming everyone and introducing "harmony" as the word of the day and "the power of music" as the theme.
Melvin joined the employee choir in 2007 and became director in 2014. Sally called him a true servant leader, having done amazing things with the choir.
Melvin defined melody as a sequence of notes that are musically satisfying. The result is that it has a remarkable impact on people in their lives. Healing is to make well again. Music produces immediate effects that have a positive impact on mood and strengthen one's ability to cope. Research in 52 clinical trials with patients with cancer has shown that it improves coping and social integration and improves mood. Reduction of the hormone cortisol helps us to reach a calm state.
This is shown in the employee choir, bringing the joy of music to patients, families, and associates. Typically the choir has sung mostly during the holiday season. Check out Deck, Deck the Halls (2020). Another remote performance to enjoy is Count on Me (2020). Our own Sally is singing!
Melvin explained when talking to new members, he tells them to be sure to learn the music so you can look at the audience. Once you look at the audience and see their response, it's going to change you forever.
Usamah led the group in a series of Table Topics on healing after sharing 3 tips that may lower your anxiety of public speaking: 1. Greet your audience. 2. Get to the point and slow down. 3. Have structure; talk in 3s. The Table Topics were water, earth, air, and fire. Volunteers spoke on each one. Lucas explained while fire can be a purifying destructive agent, it is also a key ingredient to creating heavier elements or to shaping many of those elements into a shape that we find useful.
Doug closed out the meeting by evaluating Melvin's speech, indicating it tied in perfectly with Sally's introduction. Great eye contact and vocal variety, with a sense of being comfortable in front of the group. The overall meeting fit together well, with continuity from beginning to end, an arc that was gorgeous.
We would welcome Melvin back anytime he would care to join us. The group thanked Loni for all her wonderful work as president in the last year, with this meeting being the end of the Toastmasters year. Cheers to Lucas for opening the next year next week as the new president. Another fine Spirited Speakers meeting!
