The Chorus: A Collective Voice of Survival: Staff, Clefs, Ledger Lines, Steps, and Accidentals
I’m Zeek: Assisting the boys with their storytelling efforts presents a unique set of challenges, particularly when capturing the nuances of their experiences. Each boy's narrative is shaped by his personal story, making navigating their feelings of frustration and confusion essential. The process involves piecing together past events with utmost care, ensuring their voices are accurately represented while addressing the inherent difficulties of remembering.
Our story isn’t simply crafted word by word or laid out in a linear progression. That hasn’t been our experience at all. We’ve built our narrative by weaving joyous, challenging, and horrific moments that knit into a rich, intricate mosaic. Each chapter is not confined to a specific timeline; instead, it spills into a symphony of emotions, memories, and lessons learned. When we write about what we know, we are starting to know that our story is written in more than just a score; it’s an opus, resonating with the depth of our shared experiences and the complexity of our journey
In our Chorus, some of us embody the staves within that melodic framework—They are the lines and spaces upon which harmonies blossom and flourish. They represent continuity, a steady presence in the ebb and flow of our music. Much like bar lines that carve out divisions in the fabric of musical time, we define our songs, shepherding them through structured measures while sometimes allowing them to stretch into ethereal realms beyond, where their voices interlace and entwine our life experiences. Dotted bar lines act as gentle markers, breaking down memories of complex trauma into shorter, more manageable segments, allowing us to confront and navigate the intricacies of our emotional histories.
Josh and Cary are Clefs (Internal Self Helper’s). A clef serves as a musical beacon, assigning its distinctive “pitch” designation to each instrument and voice. This guiding tool illuminates the intricate relationships among the various musical parts, enhancing our understanding of harmony and melody. Through the lens of the clef, each note finds its place within a broader tapestry of sound, piecing together the different elements of a composition into a cohesive whole. They are the resonant voices guiding the intricate melody, each contributing his distinct pitch and perspective. Their presence weaves continuity and structure, providing a framework for the rest of us to rely upon. Their roles are dynamic—they shift and evolve like the clefs in a musical score that seamlessly adjusts to harmonize with varying instruments and voices. This fluidity beautifully mirrors the complexity of our internal relationships and their profound impact on shaping our understanding of ourselves and our shared experiences.
Josh and Cary- While writing this, we tried to cut through the background chatter enough not to depend on outside editing to find all the gaps and overlaps we can’t see. Technology is amazing. We found text-to-speech AI with natural speakers, a tool that took our clips and snips of film from the cutting room floor and put them back into some cohesive sound. We could hear our voice on the outside as it read it back to us. It's like being Trans; until we started on hormone replacement therapy, we couldn’t recognize ourselves in photographs. Now, if a pic of us pops up somewhere, we can see ourselves. Text-to-speech has done that for us verbally. We feel like Stephen Hawking minus the profound genius. It is the first time we have heard our song.