WEBVTT

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♪ I'm singing in the rain ♪

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♪ Just singing in the rain ♪

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♪ What a glorious feeling ♪

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♪ I'm happy again ♪

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There was a time when we all used to sing.

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We sat around camp fires,
at church, and at school.

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We sang our stories and our dreams.

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We sang alone and we sang together.

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Nowadays, not many of us sing.

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We think, we can't because at some stage

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someone has told us to be quiet,

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or some of us judge ourselves
against the celebrities we idolize.

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So I have a question
and put your hands up:

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"Who in this audience
has been told by their parents,

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teachers, kids, partner,
or anyone else that they can't sing?"

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Hands up, please. Hands right up.

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OK, so that's about 85% of you,

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about 85% of people
who've been told that they can't sing.

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When I was 14, I desperately wanted
to have singing lessons.

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My best girl friend
started having lessons.

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So I went around to her house one night
and I said, "Will you teach me the song?"

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So, we sang this song together
a few times and at the end of it she said:

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"Well, I will play the piano
and you sing it on your own now."

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And so she played and I sang,
and then she said:

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"Tania, I don't think you
should ever bother having singing lessons.

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You're not good enough."

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And being a 14-year-old I believed her,

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just like probably many of you
believed it when you were told that.

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And so the next year,
I did backstage in a school musical.

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And finally, in year 11, I auditioned
for the Chorus of Oklahoma.

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And to my amazement, I got the lead role,

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and my friend didn't get in the chorus.

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And ever since then,

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singing has been my life's passion,
joy, and inspiration.

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Our voices have been silenced,
and it's not doing us any good.

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There is a taboo about speaking
or singing in public,

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we think that people
will judge us or make fun of us.

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Yet, we were all given a voice to tune in

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and to express ourselves.

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So let's not sit in silence any longer.

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I want you to sit up,
sit up in your seats.

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We're going to start off
with this third of the room,

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so just work out which third you are,

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and we are all going to sing this note.

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Now, just remember, remove
yourselves from limiting believes,

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and no one is listening
to your specific voice.

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OK, so here we go.

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We're going to go ♪ ahh! ♪
everyone, breathe.

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Tania de Jong AM: ♪ Ahh! ♪
(Audience) Ahh!

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And in the middle: ♪ ahh! ♪
Breathe.

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TJ: ♪ Ahh! ♪ Excellent!
(Audience) ♪ Ahh! ♪

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and then the top ♪ ahh! ♪
(Audience) ♪ Ahh! ♪

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OK, we're going to do it together,

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you start and then you keep going,
you keep breathing the same note.

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When I do this, that means "crescendo,"
that means "decrescendo."

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Breathing in and here we go,
♪ ahh ♪, keep going!

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(Audience) ♪ Ahh! ♪

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TJ: ♪ ahh ♪,

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(Audience) ♪ ahh ♪
TJ: ♪ ahh ♪,

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TJ: ♪ ahh ♪.

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How do you feel?

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(Audience) Whoo!
TJ: Whoo! OK!

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So, is your brain buzzing now?

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Because one of the great things
about singing

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is that it really connects you
to the right side of your brain.

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The right hemisphere
of our brain is responsible

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for our intuition, imagination,
and all our creative functions.

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It connects us to a world
of possibilities and all that is.

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The brain is like a battery;
the right side charges it

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and the left side uses
the energy and empties it.

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So our goal is always to keep
our mental battery charged up.

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However, we live in a world
where we constantly

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surrounded with so much information
to process and analyze.

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We talk more to boxes and screens

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than we do to one another.

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And so, it becomes fundamentally important

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to nurture the attributes of human beings

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that set us apart from machines:

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love, compassion, kindness,

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tearing, determination.

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I have a theory of boxes.

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We get born in a little bassinet box,

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and then we go home
and we live in a house,

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- and if we draw it, it looks like a box -

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and we go to school and we often
get taught to think in a box.

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We go to the supermarket,
we come out with lots of little boxes.

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And then we go to work,

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and we have a box
in our pocket, our mobile phone,

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we have a screen in front of us
which is our computer box.

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And we have to tick the box an awful lot.

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And guess what,
when we go out of this world,

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we go out in a... Right.

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So, I believe that life really happens,

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and that our creative potential
is unlocked between the boxes,

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where our mind can roam,

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in that space where we connect
in loving relationships with others,

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when we go into nature,

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and where we do
activities, like meditation.

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But do you know the best activity
for getting outside the box?

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Well, of course, it's singing.

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Because the neuroscience
of singing shows that when we sing

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our neurotransmitters connect
in new and different ways,

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firing up the right temporal lobe
of our brain,

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releasing endorphins that make us smarter,

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healthier, happier, and more creative.

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And you know
what's really great about this?

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When we do this with other people,
the effect is amplified.

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A recent study measured
the levels of oxytocin,

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the hormone responsible
for pleasure, love, and bonding,

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in a group of people
before and after singing sessions,

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and the levels increased significantly
after the singing sessions.

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Further international research

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shows the benefits of singing,
learning a language, and other skills,

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for healing strokes,
speech abnormalities, and depression.

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And when we sing together
like we just did, in harmony,

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not only that we get
goosebumps, and tingles,

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"crescendo" together,
and breathe together,

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but also, as a recent study
actually showed,

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our hearts start beating together.

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I mean, this is a super duper drug.

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It's free, accessible to all,
we all have a voice.

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Other theories speculate that our brains
developed along with music and singing

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as a survival mechanism.

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So, before there were
governments and nations,

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groups and tribes sang and danced
together to build loyalty,

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transmit vital information,
and ward off enemies.

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Literally, those who sang well, survived.

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Well, as well as singing, a lot of people
also don't think they're creative.

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I work with a lot of companies
and top teams

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on building and unleashing
creativity and innovation.

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And it's amazing how many leaders
say, "But I am not creative."

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Yet recently, some futurists said
that creativity has become

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the most endangered species
of the 21st century.

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We have a broadband culture
but not the creative thought to fill it.

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And a recent global study
of 1,500 CEOs by IBM

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showed that in an increasingly complex
and uncertain global environment

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the most important leadership attribute
is creativity.

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Steve Jobs said

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that creativity is just about
connecting things.

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And I'd like to suggest
that those things might be

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all the experiences in your life
up to this moment.

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So, the broader and richer
your experience is,

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the more tools you'll have
in your creative toolbox

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for when you want or need to get creative.

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And I reckon,
the best thing to get creative

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is what I like to call
positive human collisions.

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That is connecting with people
on a regular basis

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who are really different from you.

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You know, we spend most of our lives
talking with, dressing like,

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feeling safe, and endorsing those
who are really like us.

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They make us feel good about ourselves.

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But I think our greatest gains
as human beings

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are when we connect to people
who are really different,

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who challenge us and the way we think,

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who take us outside of our comfort zone.

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When we connect with those
we feel creative abrasion,

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and it's in that moment
where we actually disagree with someone,

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where creativity and innovation can spark.

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So I thought it would be really awesome

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to start a social enterprise,
a movement if you like,

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where we could bring together
the power of positive human collisions

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with the neuroscience of singing.

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And so, five years ago I set up
a charity called "Creativity Australia,"

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and we have a program
called "With One Voice,"

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and every week, we deliberately bring
together the most diverse people possible.

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We bring together CEOs, doctors,
lawyers, grandmothers with students,

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people with depressions and disabilities,

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migrants and jobseekers,

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age from 9 to 90, of all faiths
and all backgrounds.

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Most of the people come along
saying, "But I can't sing."

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We help them find not only
their voice, their singing voice,

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but their voice in life,
their meaning, and their purpose.

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At choir each week, we sing,
but we also share supper.

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We share our hopes,
and dreams, and challenges.

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We have a really innovative part
of our program, called "The Wishlist."

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Anyone in the choir can ask
for a wish from anyone else,

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and so people ask for things like:
"I would love help with my résumé,"

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"I'd like to find a job,"
"I'd like someone to walk home with,"

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"I'd like to find a boyfriend
or a girlfriend,"

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"I'd like free guitar lessons."

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Because everyone is
in such a receptive headspace

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because of those fabulous endorphins,
and feeling much more creative,

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we've literally connected people
to most of their wishes.

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We've created hundred of jobs,

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work experience,
and mentoring opportunities.

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We've connected people to health services,

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and we've even had a marriage.

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And we've connected people
to incredible hope, joy, and inspiration.

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One choir, "Melbourne Sings [Choir]"
has now expanded

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to 15 choirs all around Victoria,
and Sydney, starting in Brisbane.

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And we have inquiries from
all over Australia and other countries

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for our unique "With One Voice" model.

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Before I'll show you a short video,

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I'd like to tell you two short stories.

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This is Natalie on the screen.
Natalie is from Cameroon.

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She came to Australia a few years ago,
and she joined the choir.

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Her sister was massacred,

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and she now brings up
her two children, and her sister's child.

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She had been looking for
a job as an accountant for four years,

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when she joined the choir.

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On the second time she came
to choir, she was crying,

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we said, "What's wrong?"
and she said, "I've got a job interview."

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I said, "That's wonderful."

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She said: "No. I don't think
I can get the job."

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She had experienced so much discrimination
that she didn't believe in herself at all.

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So we gave her mock interviews,
but most of all, we gave her love.

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And a little bit of her
started to come back.

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And two weeks later,
she came back to choir

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and she was beaming,
and she got the job in the call center;

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not as an accountant,

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but she was just wrapped to have a job
to contribute to her new homeland.

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A few weeks later,
the choir started being asked to perform

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at various major events and conferences,

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and we'd teach each of the people to share
their story and what the choir meant,

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and the choir would sing, and inevitably,
the audience would stand and cheer,

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and literally grown men were crying.

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It was really powerful.

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A few weeks later,
she emails me and she says:

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"Tania, I can't come to choir anymore.

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My hours have gone
from 9 to 5 to 9 to 7.30,"

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and I write back:
"And who is going to feed your kids?

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Can we speak to your supervisor?
Can you speak to him?"

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She said: "No. He never speaks
to any of the migrants."

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Well, fate intervened.

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I was asked to present a key note speech
at a major business conference,

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and the theme of the conference
was diversity.

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And I said to the organizer:

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"I've got this amazing diversity choir
called 'Melbourne Sings [Choir].'

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Do you think that they could perform
at the start of the dinner?"

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And she said OK, had a look online,
and she made a donation to the choir.

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They performed three songs, three stories,

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and at the end of each song,

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the audience spontaneously stood
and cheered, and they were all crying.

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At the end of the third song,
this woman comes running up to the stage

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and she says, "Can I have the mic?"

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OK. She's got tears on her face.

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And she get's up and she says:
"My name is Catherine,

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and I am the Managing Director
of ANZ Private Bank -

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Did I mention that Natalie's job interview
was for ANZ Bank?

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No? That's a pretty important fact.

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Anyway, so what happened was
Catherine got up and she said:

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"You know, this model
of social inclusion is so awesome.

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Are we really listening
to the diverse voices

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in our communities and organizations?"

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I got the mic back and I said,
"Well, thank you so much, Catherine.

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It is all about building
bridges of understanding,

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not walls and boxes between us.

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But listen, I've got
a little favor to ask you."

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No pressure or anything, like there were
hundreds of people in the room.

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"Do you think that you might help
Natalie here, from Cameroon,

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with her hours at the ANZ Bank?"

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(Laughter)

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She handed Nathalie her business card
- the whole audience was cheering -

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and the next Tuesday,
Nathalie turned back up

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to the Sofitel [Hotel]
where we ran "Melbourne Sings."

00:14:34.801 --> 00:14:38.164
We were wrapped to see her,
and we said, "Nathalie, what's happening?"

00:14:38.165 --> 00:14:40.420
She said: "I don't know
what's going on, Tania,

00:14:40.421 --> 00:14:43.365
but everyday my supervisor
comes to my desk and asks me

00:14:43.366 --> 00:14:46.033
how am I and do I have any problems."

00:14:46.034 --> 00:14:47.423
(Laughter)

00:14:49.343 --> 00:14:53.405
Catherine then spent further time
with her helping her with her CV;

00:14:53.405 --> 00:14:55.715
Natalie kept applying
for every accounting role,

00:14:55.716 --> 00:14:57.908
and she started
to really believe in herself,

00:14:57.909 --> 00:14:59.953
and she finally got an accounting role.

00:14:59.954 --> 00:15:02.242
Anyway, this is Beth.

00:15:02.243 --> 00:15:04.103
Beth has cerebral palsy.

00:15:04.104 --> 00:15:07.828
She joined our choir also,
"Melbourne Sings," about five years ago.

00:15:07.829 --> 00:15:09.682
Beth changed my life.

00:15:09.683 --> 00:15:14.851
Every week Beth comes to choir,
it's the highlight of her week.

00:15:14.852 --> 00:15:17.319
She said to her mum
and carer after a few weeks:

00:15:17.320 --> 00:15:20.063
"This is going to be
my independent activity."

00:15:20.064 --> 00:15:22.824
She comes in the maxi taxi, we feed her,

00:15:22.825 --> 00:15:27.941
and she knows the words
of every song by heart.

00:15:27.942 --> 00:15:32.319
And every week I go along to choir,
hoping that Beth is there

00:15:32.320 --> 00:15:35.175
because I might be having
a really grumpy Tuesday,

00:15:35.176 --> 00:15:39.031
but as soon as I see Beth is like,
"Oh, my God,"

00:15:39.032 --> 00:15:40.481
pinch,

00:15:40.482 --> 00:15:43.241
"Tania, your problems
are absolutely nothing.

00:15:43.242 --> 00:15:47.211
Here is this person who,
by all rights, is caught in a box

00:15:47.212 --> 00:15:49.500
and her horizon is so big."

00:15:50.460 --> 00:15:54.687
And she has helped us all
to step outside our box

00:15:54.688 --> 00:15:57.811
into a new space of gratitude and hope.

00:15:57.812 --> 00:15:59.825
So please, have a look at this video.

00:15:59.826 --> 00:16:01.201
(Music)

00:16:05.220 --> 00:16:06.703
[With One Voice]

00:16:06.704 --> 00:16:08.068
[Unlocking Potential]

00:16:08.069 --> 00:16:10.089
[Celebrating Diversity]

00:16:10.090 --> 00:16:12.434
[Creating Jobs]

00:16:12.435 --> 00:16:14.292
TJ: "It is amazing what can happen

00:16:14.293 --> 00:16:17.431
when you come together on a weekly basis

00:16:17.432 --> 00:16:20.583
with people who are very diverse."

00:16:20.584 --> 00:16:21.928
[Choir sings]

00:16:39.698 --> 00:16:43.079
Man 1: "I joined this choir
since I migrated from India."

00:16:43.080 --> 00:16:45.835
Woman 1: "I felt I found
a new family in Australia."

00:16:45.836 --> 00:16:47.410
Man 2: "This hands-on experience

00:16:47.411 --> 00:16:50.335
has [taken] my singing
to a different level."

00:16:50.336 --> 00:16:53.860
Man 3: "The choir has just been
the most wonderful thing for my career."

00:16:53.861 --> 00:16:56.769
Woman 2:
"[At the request of] a choir member

00:16:56.770 --> 00:17:01.378
I applied, and fortunately I got the job."

00:17:01.379 --> 00:17:04.239
Woman 3: "You know, like we say,
the angel was behind me.

00:17:04.240 --> 00:17:06.009
They were my angels.

00:17:06.009 --> 00:17:10.358
I went through
and I got the job at ANZ Bank."

00:17:10.359 --> 00:17:13.539
TJ: "We're meeting together weekly
in these programs.

00:17:13.540 --> 00:17:16.402
Each of these people experience

00:17:16.402 --> 00:17:19.804
new self-esteem, hope, friendship -"

00:17:19.804 --> 00:17:22.938
Woman 4: "Actually, we met
in the choir last week

00:17:22.939 --> 00:17:26.453
and this is our second time
with each other.

00:17:26.454 --> 00:17:31.315
And I feel very surprised
and very thankful

00:17:31.316 --> 00:17:33.899
that I can [meet] such a good friend.

00:17:33.900 --> 00:17:38.517
This is the most important reason
for me to keep coming."

00:17:38.518 --> 00:17:42.940
Beth: "This is why I got friends
because I can't do anything for myself.

00:17:44.230 --> 00:17:48.873
I can't feed myself...
that's why you got friends."

00:17:48.874 --> 00:17:50.286
(Choir sings)

00:18:08.858 --> 00:18:13.403
Beth: "I can be here who I want
to be, apart from my disability.

00:18:13.404 --> 00:18:14.710
I could be...

00:18:14.711 --> 00:18:18.457
No one sees me as a kid.
They see me, as a person."

00:18:18.458 --> 00:18:22.816
Woman 5: "A highlight of out year in 2011
apart from, of course, this afternoon,

00:18:22.817 --> 00:18:27.353
was to perform at the opening ceremony
of the New Royal Children's Hospital

00:18:27.354 --> 00:18:30.308
which was opened
by Her Majesty The Queen."

00:18:30.309 --> 00:18:34.088
Man 4: "This 'Melbourne Sings' is a group,

00:18:34.089 --> 00:18:39.284
not only a group, [but] a family,
a family of singers."

00:18:39.285 --> 00:18:42.903
Woman 3: "[Do you want to smile?]
Do you want to be happy? Come with me."

00:18:42.904 --> 00:18:44.241
(Choir sings)

00:18:52.782 --> 00:18:54.082
(Applause)

00:19:05.930 --> 00:19:08.099
TJ: Doesn't that
give you goosebumps?

00:19:08.100 --> 00:19:09.961
[Do] you all want to join?

00:19:09.962 --> 00:19:11.539
You know, it's said

00:19:11.540 --> 00:19:16.465
that we go through our lives
with much of our music unplayed.

00:19:16.466 --> 00:19:19.515
Imagine if we could just unlock
a little more

00:19:19.516 --> 00:19:22.890
the creative potential of our brain.

00:19:23.680 --> 00:19:25.732
As Mark Twain said:

00:19:25.733 --> 00:19:28.328
"Sing like no one's listening,

00:19:28.329 --> 00:19:31.607
love like you've never been hurt,

00:19:31.608 --> 00:19:33.706
dance like nobody's watching,

00:19:33.707 --> 00:19:37.052
and live like it's heaven on earth."

00:19:37.812 --> 00:19:41.654
We are literally changing the world,
one voice at a time.

00:19:41.655 --> 00:19:42.781
Thank you.

00:19:42.782 --> 00:19:43.829
(Applause)