In this half-day event, seasoned facilitator, music-maker, and songleader Lydia Violet Harutoonian will teach facilitators in how to integrate community singing into workshops. Humans have been making music in community together forever. Singing together bolsters us during hard times, and lets us share in the beauty of being alive. If you want to bring song into your workshop spaces, join us to learn the skills and gain the confidence to start!
Music can feel like a mysterious magic…
and it IS magical! That’s why so many of us want to include it in our facilitation. But it doesn’t have to be mysterious. There are accessible systems for understanding how to lead communities in song. Truly, accessibility is an important part of the power of community singing. This is a musical form that widens the circle and draws more people in. Songleading can be accessible too. If you have enjoyed community singing and feel the desire to lead songs, you can!
For many millennia, humans have made music together in community…
and it’s been a crucial way we bolster ourselves in hard times. Music can mend our bones and pour in the grace. It can transform our exhaustion and help us feel more held as a part of the choir. As we rediscover over and over in Work that Reconnects workshops, it feels good to act in the companionship of others on behalf of life. So too does the homecoming of singing together.
Many facilitators feel drawn to integrate songleading, but feel shy to do so. This might be because of how they feel about their own singing, or because they need to know more about musical leadership.
The good news is, there are many ways to lead songs! You can adapt your methods to your level of musical comfort. In this workshop, Lydia will cover:
About your facilitator…
Lydia Violet is trained in music and a performing musician, but she really came to love community singing and start leading song after touring with Rev. Sekou. During that tour dedicated to music and activism, Lydia had a revelatory experience about the purpose of music, beyond a performance art: Music is an incredible tool for helping people access connection and healing.
Lydia is also a facilitator of the Work that Reconnects (WTR). She is always joyously committed to sharing this work with others, conjuring integrity and deep emotional resources for our time. Lydia serves as a dedicated keeper and steward of the lineage of deep ecology elder and wisdom keeper Joanna Macy. After fifteen years of sustained study, mentorship, and co-facilitation of WTR workshops with Macy, as well as immersion in anti-oppression education and adrienne maree brown’s Emergent Strategy, Lydia is excited to empower the next generation of WTR facilitators.
