VIRTUAL SING-ALONGS ARE BACK THIS SPRING!
Saturday Afternoon Sing-Alongs Virtual Community Song Circles w/ Aileen Vance
Singing out loud from our homes for fun and inspiration! Coming together in persistence for songs of freedom & struggle, hope & healing, peace & justice.
*all on Zoom until further notice–RSVP TO: avandlt@cruzio.com for link, password and song sheets
When we sing together, we reach deep within ourselves to spread hope and inspiration; we build community. During the pandemic, when in-person group singing cannot happen, we can still find those reservoirs of hope and inspiration by letting our voices ring out from our own homes! In 2020, we found the urgency to sing songs of significance with each other through these hard times. As we enter 2021, the end of the tunnel is in sight, but we are still struggling towards that light: a time when we can be together in the same room again.
So, please join me for the first virtual Rise Up! Community Song Circle of 2021 on Saturday, February 27th at 1pm (Pacific time) on Zoom. The theme of this first event is “How Do We Go On? Songs that Inspire Us to Keep Moving Forward.”
Chord charts are provided; bring your guitar, ukelele, mandolin, percussion instruments, whatever you want, to play and sing along! Song requests are welcome. We have been singing a lot in these pandemic times from the Rise Again Songbook. If you want to purchase a copy: https://www.riseupandsing.org/songbooks/rise-again
UPCOMING DATES: Saturday, February 27: “How Do We Go On? Songs that Inspire Us to Keep Moving Forward.”; Saturday, March 27: “Bread & Roses! Songs in Celebration of Women”
Saturday, April 24–“The Tide is Rising!”Annual Earth Day Sing-Along;
Saturday, May 22 @ 1pm PDT-Annual “Sing Out for Pete’s Sake!” annual Pete Seeger tribute; a Zoom sing-along concert using “If I Had a Hammer!” songbook. Special guest: Annie Patterson! Purchase a copy ahead of time to follow along: https://www.riseupandsing.org/songbooks/seeger-songbook
Click here to contact me for Zoom link & more information
Saturday, June 12 @ 1pm PDT-a return to live, in-person singing! A special post-vaccination outdoor song circle with all South African songs (seating is limited and only fully-vaccinated singers may attend). Verification of vaccination and a confirmed reservation is required to attend. This event has a ticket price of $10-24 sliding scale. For more info:
SPECIAL COMMUNITY SINGING EVENT! January 30th @ 1:15pm Pacific/4:15pm Eastern, “Planetary Survival & Communal Singing” featuring myself, along with Annie Patterson, Emma’s Revolution, Lea Gilmore, Jane Sapp, Melanie DeMore & Peter Blood. For details & registration: peoplesmusic.org/event-4115935
August, 2020
Hi, everyone!
I miss you all more than words can say. Thanks for all of the kind notes and requests for music. As we head into fall, we are seeing that singing in groups is still as dangerous as going into a crowded casino with a bunch of un-masked bikers in a red state. I had hoped that by September, it would be different, but I’m going to listen to the scientists and I won’t be hosting any public singing gatherings until it is deemed safe to do so. In the meantime, let’s all do what we can to get out the vote, stay active and stay connected! NOTE in Jan 2021: mission accomplished!
And let’s not let COVID stop us from singing! To that end I will be hosting Saturday afternoon sing-alongs on Zoom, beginning in September.
Here’s how it will work: I will send out an “invitation” via e-mail. Once you RSVP, I will send you the unique Zoom link and password to attend (this is to avoid the “Zoom-bombers” who troll Zoom meetings), as well as song sheets and audio files. Also included will be a link to a page where you can pay me for the event. As always, I ask for a suggested sliding scale, with the caveat than everyone honestly pay what they are able, so that all may sing.
We will have a sing-along set list, but can flex if the mood strikes us. For anyone who hasn’t yet experienced a Zoom room, due to the inherent delay of multiple servers all coming from different locations, everyone will be muted while I lead….I always let everyone unmute for a big chaotic chord at the end of a session. On the plus side, anyone can attend from anywhere in the world and you can bring any instruments or percussion you want to play along with. You can also wear your pajamas :-). I will be working a lot from “Rise Again Songbook” —if you want, you can purchase a copy from their online store: https://www.riseupandsing.org/songbooks/rise-again
I will post details and updates on my Facebook pages, my web site and via e-mail. Practice videos will be posted on my YouTube channel and I will send out the links. For now, I hope you will save the dates on your calendars and plan to join me!
Above: Community singing! photos from the big “Street Corner Choir” weekend January 19-21 in Santa Cruz. Members of several different choirs joined together and hit the streets to sing for peace & justice!
