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Introducing our long-awaited book ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ A kindly and inspiring ‘How-to’ guide for the general reader, requiring absolutely no expertise or experience around music or singing. ​ Available to buy exclusively from us HOME The Foundation is a charity whose charitable objects are to illuminate the relationship between music and health and wellbeing. This is largely done through discovering how to Unlock the Power of Song , through what is called the Giving Voice* Process (GV). GV is a unique and invaluable resource for life that can be harnessed by individuals 24/7 in virtually any situation. Developed by Jill Rakusen , it’s an educational and self-directed tool that can have a major impact on overall wellbeing and on our relationships – including with ourselves, with music and with the world. It can help us grow, better handle stress, be less controlled by our emotions … and become more at one with the world. Among other things. The basics of this approach can be grasped quickly and with ease, particularly by people with little or no musical experience or perceived ability. It requires no musical or vocal expertise, and doesn’t even require us to sing. ​ Explore What we are about and What we do See Who we are and our Recent and future events - incl video Say I Love You to the World Visit our Blog Unlocking the Power of Song for insight into this approach, including its potential role in daily life Purchase Unlocking the Power of Song: A Companion for Challenging Times Join our Mailing list Follow us on Facebook or Twitter ​ Some of our Blog posts GV Participants (Various) Impact on daily life GV Participants (Various) Our relationship with singing – GV's impact Rachel Healey Singing together when we’re alone - how Giving Voice is different from a choir Jill Rakusen What does our Giving Voice approach offer during the Covid-19 pandemic? – Disambig * The Foundation is not to be confused with the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists' Giving Voice Campaign , or their branches which run a Giving Voice Choir and a Giving Voices Choir and have Facebook pages called Leeds/Sheffield Giving Voice.

Giving Voice | Unlocking the Power of Song | Participants' Experiences Participants' Experiences “A new dimension!” (Therapist) ​ Numerous participants have shared about unlocking the power of song through Giving Voice (GV) , and how they have harnessed this in their daily lives. Our blog reveals much about this, as does our book ; the latter also gives step-by-step guidance for anyone wanting to know how to do this for themselves. We cannot say how the process will impact on any particular person or issue; however, we can say that its impact is often surprising. It’s helped Jill, and many others, improve their level of functioning in all sorts of ways. Some report effects on physical problems , for instance, effects on relationships , discovering how to find peace , reclaiming creativity , stopping smoking , standing taller , a transformed relationship with music or with singing , and much more. Our book provides insight into how such discoveries can be made, as well as being a ‘how-to’ guide. ​ We hope the blog encourages and inspires, and that the book can help you make similar rewarding discoveries for yourself. ​ “I can’t imagine life without [GV]. It’s a challenge, an inspiration, a way through to the ‘real’, ‘deep’, ‘true’ part of me, and a source of connection to others …” ​ Participants' stories from our Blog Impact on daily life GV Participants (Various) GV's effects on relationships and attitudes to others GV Participants (Various) GV – Some professionals’ comments GV Participants (Various) Promoting Peace with GV GV Participants (Various) GV, spirituality and religion GV Participants (Various) Some participants' poetic contributions GV Participants (Various) 1/3

SHOP Book | Recordings | Song Cards ​ Unlocking the Power of Song A Companion for Challenging Times By Jill Rakusen ISBN: 978-1-9196405-0-1 Imprint: National Foundation for Giving Voice Date Published: 26 Mar 2022 Format: Paperback £25 (including UK P&P) Concessions availa ble PayPal opens in a pop up Check for pop up blockers More info At present it's only available to purchase exclusively from us. Although we’re subsidising it hugely, we know the cost will still be out of reach for many. (If you are such a person, please don’t hesitate to contact us so we can offer you a subsidised copy.) If you feel able to help others obtain a copy, please do add a donation using the button above. Other ways to pay ​ Send us a cheque , payable to NFGV, or Pay by Bank Transfer: National Foundation for Giving Voice 09-06-66 41174782 Give your name as the reference and remember to email us your name and address. Recordings Recordings We have CD and Cassette Versions of two Albums below and they will soon be available for digital download . ​ • Songs for Universal Peace and Healing , originally made as a cassette tape (that’s how long GV has been going!), includes studio recordings by Jill of three songs in the book (No's 1, 3 and 9) together with three more. Available on CD or as a download for £8.50. ​ • The ‘Peace Tape/CD’ was produced for people wanting to use song to promote peace in their lives, local communities, and the wider world. It contains two songs from the book. A Song about Finding Peace (No. 1) and The Time Has Come (No. 14); the latter is a participatory performance, recorded from ’scratch’, following 9/11 and street riots in the communities affecting the singers’ local areas. Available for a donation (suggested £5 minimum), along with Song Cards of these two songs as well. SongCard Song Cards Song cards are currently available for: A Song about Finding Peace (No. 1), I see Beauty (No. 3), Truth Song (No. 8), Tallis’s Canon (No. 13), A Song about Home (No. 28) Every Little Step (No. 20). Suggested Donation £1.50 each ​ A ‘Tree’ of songs from the book (as displayed on page 19); NB this card promotes the book and we do not charge for it. To pay for CDs and Song Cards ​ Send us a cheque, payable to NFGV, or Pay by Bank Transfer: National Foundation for Giving Voice 09-06-66 41174782 Reference your name and email us your name and address. Paypal https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/NFGV

CONTACT Ways to contact National Foundation for Giving Voice Email us: info@givingvoicefoundation.org.uk Phone us: 0113 289 3108 - our main number (office hours between 9.30 and 5.30) 0114 281 8337- to speak to Caroline about events in Sheffield Write to us: National Foundation for Giving Voice, 32 Kirkhills, Thorner, Leeds LS14 3EX Join our Mailing and emailing lists Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter * The Foundation is not to be confused with the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists' Giving Voice Campaign , or their branches which run a Giving Voice Choir and a Giving Voices Choir and have Facebook pages called Leeds/Sheffield Giving Voice.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE OF THIS CD 1. Make c. 15 minutes of time for yourself. Make sure that you cannot be interrupted. Avoid listening to both songs during any one ‘session’. 2. Listen when not doing anything else. Preferably lie down with eyes closed or sit in the kind of position appropriate for meditation. 3. Be prepared to experience a mixture of feelings and release of emotions, particularly at first, and then move beyond that stage (possibly to boredom) and then to a consistent state of joy. Once this stage is reached, the songs can then be used at any time to enable you to recover that awareness and gradually to take responsibility for creating it for yourself. 4. If you have the desire to sing along with the CD it’s best to resist it until you have the song(s), and the way they are sung, deeply in your awareness – as if they are old, old friends – and do it alone, at least at first. This will maximise the power of your singing when you eventually do so. We can all sing powerfully – i.e. in a way that can empower ourselves and others, and thereby create positive change in the world. 5. Bear in mind that you are discovering ‘The Time Has Come …’ Just as those present did – see above. As you listen, you will hear how people began to feel able to join in, and gradually create harmony, each person taking their place in it. Be aware that you too can find your place within the harmony. If you choose to listen with your heart from the beginning, you will, like each person present, experience an organic process, and find yourself affected, and even changed by it. You may well, like them, find you have the desire and the capacity to join in, if you wish, with no effort whatsoever, provided you keep reminding yourself to connect with your heart, and leave aside all judgement, including an belief that you can’t sing. 6. You may experience some release of tears or tension with either song, in which case you are invited to trust that if you continue, through the tears, to allow the song to reach you, your feelings will be affected by it; you could literally be moved through them, perhaps even to a peaceful and/or joyful place. From that perspective, grief, pain, confusion, anger etc. can become transformed, with (ir)regular attention to this song. Who knows what could happen if enough people were to take this kind of medicine? Listened to once or occasionally, the CD can offer a great deal. But if you want to change, to grow, to heal, listen to your chosen song regularly over a period of time, with as much honesty and integrity as possible. ​ If you experience any difficulties with it, do not hesitate to ring for advice. Its value is greatest for people who recognise that listening actively to it is what will effect profound and lasting change, and we are always delighted to hear from people who seek help to facilitate that end. Equally, please don’t hesitate to let us know how it’s affected you and how you work with it: This is useful information for us in continuing to develop and understand what Giving Voice is about.

Members area Members esupport email group Members - ​ You can visit the archive at Giving Voice Members Google Group (opens in new window). You need to login to Google using the email address that you use to communicate with NFGV, To send a message to the group please email: ​ giving-voice-members@googlegroups.com ​ ​ Group messages will appear in your email - they should have [NFGV Members] at the beginning of the message subject. ​ Need some help? Contact us

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WHAT WE CURRENTLY DO RESOURCES | Book | Song Cards | Recordings | Foundation Membership COURSES & EVENTS | Making the most of our book | Giving Voice for Peace We help people discover greater resources within through Unlocking the Power of Song . This primarily involves an internal process that requires no musical/singing expertise or perceived capacity. All our work recognises the way music and health and profound well-being interrelate, and in particular how the Giving Voice Process (GV) , involving Four Key Elements, can play a significant role in illuminating and facilitating this. The process can help us cope with many of life’s challenges, for instance, as well as supporting physis – the urge for growth – and helping us bring harmony to life (in both senses). Resources RESOURCES Our new book – our most important resource! Unlocking the Power of Song A Companion for Challenging Times by Jill Rakusen ​ Potentially for anyone – whether we sing or whether we don’t and whether we define ourselves as ‘musical’ or ‘unmusical’ ​ A unique book, which defies classification While it’s about the power of song, it’s not actually about singing. As Jill says, “It’s a contribution to reclaiming a role for music, and in particular, song, that goes beyond the constructs of ‘musician’ versus ‘non-musician’, ‘performer’ versus ‘audience’, ‘sacred’ versus ‘profane’, and beyond the construct of music as an art or a means of manipulation, or a panacea.” More info Song Cards Song Cards ​ These are truly multifunctional! – they’re designed as things of beauty in their own right, as well as subtly offering an experience of a particular song; they can also be sent as a greetings card. “I found the words on the peace card (No. 1) so helpful.” survivor of childhood torture Song Cards are currently available for: A Song about Finding Peace (No. 1), I see Beauty (No. 3), Truth Song (No. 8), Tallis’s Canon (No. 13), A Song about Home (No. 28), and Every Little Step (No. 20). A ‘Tree’ of songs from the book (as displayed on page 19); this card promotes the book and we do not charge for it. ​ Other Publications ​ We have also produced a number of educational and other resources, as well as various articles – see bibliography – and our blog is regularly added to and updated. ​ Recordings • Songs of Universal Peace and Healing , originally made by Jill as a cassette tape (that’s how long GV has been going!), includes studio recordings of three songs in the above mentioned book (No's 1, 3 and 9) together with three more. Available on CD or as a download for £8.50 . • The ‘Peace Tape/CD’ was produced for people wanting to use song to promote peace in their lives, local communities, and the wider world. It contains two songs from our book: A Song about Finding Peace (No. 1) and The Time Has Come (No. 14); the latter is a purposeful participatory performance, recorded from ’scratch’, following 9/11 and street riots in the communities affecting the singers’ local areas. Available for a donation (suggested £5 minimum) , along with Song Cards of these two songs as well. • Bespoke recordings are sometimes made for an individual on request. Please contact the Foundation if you are interested. Foundation Membership ​ Foundation Membership is for people who want to support the Foundation's aims and principles, and contribute to its development. Annual membership currently costs £58 (£40 concessions). Members’ benefits include: 3-4 free members-only events per year (currently these are usually online) Discounts at any Giving Voice events Telephone or online support/facilitation occasional special mailings occasional special e-mailings ​ Recordings Membership COURSES & EVENTS Events Between us (Jill , Rachel and Caroline) we have over 40 years’ experience of offering events – in groups large or small, and/or 1-1. Since the pandemic began, there have been more sessions at a distance (largely online). Such events may involve taster sessions as well as short courses, and/or purposeful participatory events. ​ Contexts where we've introduced this approach include: educational, local authority, and NHS settings local and national mental health organisations, cancer help centres women’s centres spiritual and alternative health settings arts organisations and festivals local, national and international conferences community, voluntary and/or campaigning groups ​ Current Events ​ Our main focus now is on enabling people to foster and strengthen their inner resources, and our events – as well as our book – largely focus on this. ​ Making the most of our book ​ ​ ​ 'Making the most of our book' events may involve: ​ Bespoke group events or courses These can be organised on behalf of ‘partner’ groups and organisations, tailored to their particular needs and objectives. So for example: ​ an individual or group can be offered or request an event or course with a mutually agreed focus, such as ‘Challenging Times: Fostering our Inner Resources through Song’. Such events may provide an introduction both to GV , and to the book, and to how individuals can start using this approach in their lives (regardless or musical expertise or lack of it). They may be held in-person, online, or a mixture of the two. The focus for these events will depend on participants’ concerns or interests, eg: dealing with particular issues (such as life-changing illness, isolation, domestic violence, bereavement) the potential role of one or more particular songs exploring the Four Key Elements, Silent Singing or Towards Giving Voice (Chapters 9, 11 and 12 in the book respectively) Discounts on the book are available for group orders Individual sessions A limited number of individual sessions on making the most of this book are also available either face-to-face/in-person, online and/or via telephone, tailored to each individual. Our Unlocking the Power of Song Facebook Group enables participants to be in touch with others engaging with the book, and with some facilitation if desired. It also can give access to additional learning 'guides', which will be updated in response to demand. ​ Giving Voice for Peace Giving Voice for Peace currently involves a monthly evening for anyone who has already has some experience of GV , however limited. This is largely offered remotely or via our Giving Voice for Peace Facebook Group . ​​ Other events These may occur from time to time – with a focus on a particular issue. For example, Building the World We Want , which Caroline has been offering in Sheffield. See Recent and Future Events for latest News. ​ However, It is unclear how far we’ll be able to continue with the wide variety of events offered in the past, as we are now focussing mainly on enabling people to make the most of the above-mentioned book, which is a self-directed guide. Nevertheless, do contact us if you would like a taster session (see Recent and Future Events for examples) or are planning a particular event and would value purposeful participation of those present (eg for celebrating and/or fundraising). Group events are held in-person, on-line, or a mixture of the two. GVfP

Collect our Book at an Event UNLOCKING the POWER of SONG: a COMPANION for CHALLENGING TIMES. ​ ​ It is a songbook, with a difference.* ​ It's available from 26 March 2022, but you can order it now. We are not wanting the cost to be out of reach of anybody; and although we’re subsidising the book hugely, we know the cost will still be out of reach for some people. So if you feel able to help with subsidising a book, please do make a donation. ​ ​ ​ ​ ' ​ ​ *What’s different about this Songbook? ​ It contains 28 of Jill's songs, the background to each song, showing not only how it came into being, but also, through that process, illuminating aspects of what each song can offer It contains contributions from a pool of countless people who have found aspects of the Giving Voice Process helpful in their lives It illustrates how song can be harnessed – by anyone, in any situation and unusually it is particularly about harnessing song on our own, even in silence It introduces key aspects of of this unique approach, and explores ways in which we relate to music, and the implications It manifests a process of developing awareness and understanding It truly is a life-enhancing Companion for challenging times ​ ​ ​ Not a Pay Pal user? Do not worry. Go to PayPal Checkout and click on Pay by Debit or Credit Card Other ways to pay Send us a cheque, payable to NFGV, or Pay by Bank Transfer: National Foundation for Giving Voice 09-06-66 41174782 Reference your name and email us your name and address. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

WHO WE ARE About NFGV NFGV | Jill Rakusen | Rachel Healey | Caroline Thorpe | F Members National Foundation for Giving Voice (NFGV) The Foundation was co-founded by Jill Rakusen and Rachel Healey in 2004, with help from our administrator at the time, and a small grant from UnLtd . The intention was to enable more people to discover how to harness the power of song in day-to-day life – something Jill had discovered and developed, and taught, over the previous decade. Caroline Thorpe soon joined them, and together the three of them run the Foundation, overseen by a Board of Trustees. The Foundation obtained charitable status in 2011, its focus being an educational role concerning the relationship between music and health and well-being. The Foundation has focussed on various aspects of this relationship where the Giving Voice (GV) Process can play a significant role, see for example Unlocking the Power of Song, our blog and our book , the latter of which reveals how the reader can discover their innate capacities for themselves – whether they sing or not. What we do indicates our current activities. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Jill Rakusen Jill Rakusen A musician, writer and health educator, she has touched thousands of lives through her publications (including the ‘bible’ on women’s health, Our Bodies, Ourselves , the UK editions of which she was co-author), through her teaching and presentations, and through her musical endeavours. ​ Since she developed Post-Viral Fatigue Syndrome back in the 1990s, Jill began to fuse her inspirational talents and expertise around music and health. It was her personal experience of illness and disability that precipitated this, together with her good fortune in encountering Pamela Corin, with whom she embarked on a rigorous training in Awareness. G V came into being as a result, and it has been in a continual state of development ever since. She lives in awe and gratefulness for what it offers and teaches her – and others. Jill sees the facilitation of wholeness and connectedness – both in herself and in others – as a major aspect of her life’s purpose. For many years, G V has been the main means through which she does this. She sees both G V and her disability as contributing hugely to her overall growth and ‘whole health’. Her spiritual practice includes G V – which she often does in silence (this is not necessarily a contradiction in terms!) – as well as daily meditation and regular silent Retreats. Jill’s spiritual practice empowers and drives her work as a facilitator. ​ Her long-awaited book, Unlocking the Power of Song: A Companion for Challenging Times – a beautiful guide for the general reader – is published by the Foundation. Rachel Healey Rachel Healey Rachel has been involved in GV since 1998, which is when she met Jill. She then asked Jill to train her to teach it, eventually becoming an accredited teacher in 2005. Together with her colleagues Rachel has brought GV to a wide range of people., in a wide range of settings. One approach to G V that Rachel has forged is a special kind of choir, where the overarching aim was to enable both participants and audiences to experience deep harmony and peace. Having set up and led this GV choir, Rachel took it to a number of settings, including hospital wards and arts centres. Rachel has also collaborated with a visual artist to offer exhibitions, and she loves to use G V in ceremonies and celebrations. Rachel has a Masters degree in Ethnomusicology and a BTech in Indian Music Performance. She trained in Community Music with More Music in Morecambe and with Kirklees Arts and Mental Health. She holds a Mind Millennium Award as a voice practitioner. She wrote a chapter for a book published by More Music in Morecambe on composition, and has had a few articles published about G V (See bibliography ). She’s also a trained mediator, disability advisor and mental health specialist. Rachel draws on G V in her own life in many ways: for instance, she uses it to help her manage work, parenting and relationships; to promote her own health and wellbeing; and to find more joy and more love in every day. She offers inspiring insights into how she does this in some of her posts on our Blog . She also uses it to open her heart and her awareness to the interconnected nature of everything, and to play her part in promoting peace and harmony on a more universal level. Caroline Thorpe Caroline Thorpe Caroline first came across Jill Rakusen in about 1994 when she was invited by a friend to attend the Sheffield Chanting Group, which Jill was leading. She loved it immediately. Jill’s approach made learning the songs so easy and fun. It seemed to build on the practical joy of singing that she had rediscovered when her children were born. And it seemed to release her fear about ‘getting it wrong’. Gradually her true voice began to be liberated. As G V developed, she started to go to advanced courses and Residentials, and continued to recognise and develop the relationship between her true self and how she sang. Caroline loved singing in this way and recognised that G V was helping her to grow in all sorts of ways. She decided to sign up for the GV trainee scheme and went on to become an apprentice, qualifying as an accredited GV Teacher in 2008. Unlike Jill and Rachel, Caroline does not have a musical background and one of the things that she loves about G V is that it is accessible to anyone. Currently Caroline facilitates Giving Voice for Peace , both in Sheffield and at a distance, as well as offering short courses in elsewhere. She brings “energy, enthusiasm and inspiration” to the groups she teaches. She has always loved to sing but didn't find what she was looking for singing in choirs. Singing and training with Jill has enabled her to find and truly connect with the song in her heart. She is a very practical person and has considerable experience of ‘Applied Giving Voice ’, using songs both silently and out loud to enable her to be truly effective in how she lives her life and what she is able to offer. She has pioneered a series of events called Building the World we Want. She lives in Sheffield, where she recently retired from her work as a librarian in a university, supporting IT and library systems. Along with Jill and Rachel she supported Jill in completing her book. Members Our members are people who want to support the Foundation's aims and principles , and contribute to its development ​