COMMUNITY SINGING 

When You Know You Love To Sing*

Thinking back to my childhood, I still remember so many of the songs I learned in the first grade. By the time I was 10 years old, I would sing to anyone who would listen. Yet at some point fairly soon after that, I received the clear message that my singing wasn’t welcome and to just quiet down. Maybe my childish exuberance was too much for the adults, but whatever the reason - I shut down my voice and the pleasure of singing.

Fast forward a mere THIRTY-FIVE years later, and I started singing in circle songs with a group of folks practicing earth based shamanism. We sang about the earth, the air, the fire and the water, and the holiness of the trees and animals. It was here, in this realm, that I found MY voice again. There was such joy in singing with these lovely humans. And to my heart’s delight, the feedback was that I was a good singer and they enjoyed me leading them in song. Then I started bringing the songs I was learning to other occasions like a house warming, a women’s circle, or a birthday celebration. I was starting to spread my wings.

Soon after this reawakening of my voice, I heard about this rootsy gathering out in the wilds of Oregon. This was a place where people cooked, camped out and got together for four days for the sole purpose of singing together. I couldn’t believe it...this sounded like heaven. I had been part of the ecstatic dance community for many years by now and found deep satisfaction in becoming embodied and creatively moving my body to music. However, if there was anything I loved as much as dancing, it was singing. And better yet, singing with caring, intentional people.

Experiencing the “Singing Alive” gathering was amazing. It was like I had found my long lost family, and I felt deeply validated as a human. These folks loved to sing as much, if not more, than me. We sang in the morning, while chopping vegetables, while in line to get food, under huge canopies while it rained, and around campfires late into the evening. I went to sleep to the sound of voices singing and laughing, and it was such a comfort. I was in dreamy bliss, and so were the young, the old, and the families with children. What a natural way to be in the world. And I resonated with how everyone’s voice was welcome and how, many people were sharing their original songs. This gave me more confidence and courage to continue to share songs in an even bigger way than before.

When I came back home, there were never enough opportunities to sing. You know...life, work, partnering, death, grieving and many other things have taken precedence these last few years. Yet, one of the gifts of this pandemic has been time.

From the very outset of this lockdown, singing, albeit virtual, has been a balm to my weary heart during this time of isolation. I have brought songs to nearly every online group I have attended. In the last few months, several friends have inquired as to when there might be a time to learn new songs and wondered if I was leading a song circle. It was from these requests, and my personal desire to share singing, that the Oasis of Song was conceived - a place created during a chaotic time, to provide respite and nourishment by gathering together with folks who share the joy of singing.

So here’s the low down, I don’t have a perfect voice and you don’t need one either. All you need is your willingness to have fun, try new things and a love of singing. Together, we will lift up our voices and most likely, our spirits. Come, get away for just a little while, to a place where it is safe, and you will be warmly welcomed. Come join me at the Oasis of Song!


* That's me in the center, eyes closed, blissfully experiencing one of my first song circles at Singing Alive in Oregon. 

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