5. Singing through burnout: Balancing giving and receiving in community music with Melissa Gill

In this powerful episode of Leading Notes, we speak with Melissa Gill, former program leader of the Absolutely Everybody Choir, about the transformative power of singing for mental health and wellbeing. Drawing from her unique background in both music and human resources, Melissa shares how she created safe spaces for people experiencing mental health challenges to rediscover their voices – literally and metaphorically.

With remarkable candor, Melissa discusses the delicate balance between maintaining professional boundaries and creating genuine human connections in wellbeing-focused choirs. She opens up about her own journey with burnout and the importance of self-care in this emotionally demanding work. Through stories of transformation and resilience, Melissa reveals how group singing can help people rebuild confidence, form meaningful relationships, and step back into their lives.

Join us for an honest conversation about the challenges and profound rewards of using music to create positive change in people's lives, and learn why Melissa describes this as "the best and most important work" of her life.

Melissa G is a busy lady, and you may hear her phone notifications vibrating during some of this conversation - but what she was saying at the same time was too good to edit most the notifications out!

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