🎶 Harness The Healing Power of Song 🎶

This week, my husband had the opportunity to attend a conference in Oklahoma, where he listened to a survivor of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing share her story. Buried under 10 feet of rubble, unable to move, and uncertain of her survival, she found a singular source of calm: singing. Amid the chaos, her voice became her lifeline, keeping her focused and hopeful when all seemed lost.

➡️Singing has a unique way of grounding us, even in the most challenging situations.

A close friend of mine, an Emergency Room nurse, experienced a similar connection to music. During intense trauma response training exercises, she was immersed in high-pressure situations designed to simulate real-life emergencies. Later, during the debrief, her supervisor asked if she realized she had been singing the entire time. Unconsciously, she had used song as a grounding and calming force while remaining poised and professional caring for trauma patients. 

➡️Singing has a natural way of helping calm us in stressful and high-pressure situations.

I see this every day in my own 7-year-old daughter. She sings constantly. Whether she’s feeling joy, excitement, frustration, or even confusion, she sings her way through it all. It’s how she processes her emotions, handles challenges, and regulates her inner world. Her songs are like windows into her soul, offering insight into her mood, her struggles, and her triumphs. Parents, I encourage you to pause and listen. A child’s song is never just play—it’s their way of navigating life!

➡️Singing helps us regulate our emotions and process life’s ups and downs.

Singing is primal, deeply woven into who we are. Our voice is a reflection of our identity, our emotions, and our deepest selves. It’s not something to take for granted!

Artists, musicians—your voice is a gift, a treasure that deserves to be nurtured and cherished. In a world full of noise, it is your unique sound that can cut through, offering calm, hope, and inspiration to others. Don’t underestimate the POWER of your song.

This week’s Impact of the Arts interview is with Allison Kalist, a beautiful singer and musician. Allison’s journey blends her passion for music with the world of business (which is very cool), and her story shows how the arts can shape our lives in meaningful ways. Be sure to read her inspiring interview below.

Keep singing,
xo Andrea “gonna keep on singing” Donais

P.S. RISE Children’s Choir is having an Open Rehearsal on Monday, September 16. If you have a young singer in your home, be sure to come check it out. It’s completely free. Register here. 

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I had the amazing opportunity to meet up with Allison Kalist and we had a wonderful conversation about her view on the impact of music and the arts. 

At the age of seven, Allison took piano lessons at a local music school, and then joined a rock band at the school. She took flute lessons and played in her school’s band in grade seven and then switched to the bass in grade eight – She still plays the bass in her church band today!

Allison began taking voice lessons with Andrea at Donais Studios in grade 8 and studied here until she graduated from grade 12. 

In our interview, I asked Allison how she feels she has transformed through her art, and she said, “I gained a lot of confidence from it. Like specifically, getting over stage fright.. I was always really scared of singing in front of people because I wasn’t confident in my own voice. The encouragement and support I received in my voice lessons helped me a ton and it made me less terrified to sing in front of other people.”  

“I Realized the importance of Goal setting and learning to broaden our boundaries and try new things out.”

Allison went on to study Global Business of Digital Arts, keeping the arts very present in her life but I wondered if and how she keeps music in her life now. This was her response: “ The main way I keep music in my life is by playing with my church’s band. I have some really good friends from my church that I wouldn’t have been as close with now if I wasn’t in it.” 

The arts expose us to so many new things and Allison highlighted some of the ways her eyes have been opened due to the arts. “Music has exposed me to a lot of things, like different artists and different cultures, and it has been eye opening. People say that music is a universal language which is such a beautiful thought to me, because people from different corners of the world interact through it. Music has always been a part of every culture in some way which is so cool to me.”

“I met some of my best friends through my involvement with my high school’s music council and my church band… I have met a lot of people who I wouldn’t have likely met otherwise if it weren’t for music. There are a lot of experiences that I wouldn’t have if it weren’t for music.” 

The arts truly are one of a kind when it comes to forming connections with others. 

~An interview by Amelia DePiero, Donais Studios