WisconSing
Community
Singing Adventures
"The main mission of Community Singing is to re-acquaint people with their birthright and natural ability to make beautiful and meaningful sound together. Most of the songs... are short, easy to learn, chant-like
songs with several layers that fit over and around each other in interesting and pleasurable rhythmic and harmonic challenges that make them fun to sing.
Group singing is one of the most ancient and primal “technologies of belonging” that we
humans have been using since our earliest times, possibly before speech itself. When
we make joyous and passionate song together, it nourishes our souls and offers an
enlivening gift back to the natural world that made us and gives us our sustenance and
our very being. When such an exchange is genuinely made, and the song finds its
natural ending, often there is a sweet, lively silence in which we simply stand and hold
the “enchantment,” the sense of deep and genuine communion amongst each other and
with the whole living world.”
Song leading in this context is sacred work, reuniting people who have lost their voices
in our culture with the simple pleasure of giving voice to their soul."
Laurence Cole - Community Song Leader, Song Writer, Grief Tender, Wise Elder
Singing Together: More Than Meets the Eye
All voices are welcome regardless of creed, color, background, gender or identity. We are an intergenerational community building gathering.
(images from WisconSing23)
WisconSing!August 10-13th, 2024
Registration now is open.
Event Timing: August 10-13th, 2024
Location: Bethal Horizons Camp & Retreat Center
Address: 4651 Co Rd ZZ, Dodgeville, WI 53533
Registration now is open
Link to Registration: www.https://forms.gle/aHGCDiUfyMirts5y6
We are excited to host WisconSing: A Community Singing Adventure! This summer we have the entire Bethel Horizons Retreat Center in Dodgeville, WI, located on more than 548 acres bordering Governor Dodge State Park. Oh what a glorious sound we will make!
Our intention is to bring the medicine of song to each other, therein creating a place of harmonious community. We'll spend most of our time outside singing and playing in nature. We are making a special effort to weave ease and rest into our daily schedule.
We are so pleased you will be joining us for this 4 day community singing journey. We look forward to connecting with you in song. The medicine of song reconnects us to the living world, to ourselves and each other. In addition to singing, there will be time to rest, create, relax deeply, wander in nature, swim, and celebrate.
We have an amazing team of song leaders this year: Laurence Cole, Liz Rog, Lia Falls, Dodie Whitaker, Sarah Burgess, Sarah Moore, Tatiana Berindei, Lucas Malson, Abby Rose Wolf, Emma Koeppel, Kva Mary Wajer and more surprises, perhaps.
All voices are welcome! WisconSing is a family friendly event. We welcome people of all ages, races, backgrounds, genders, and identities. We are intentionally an intergenerational community.
The children's programming is in creation. We will have youth programming during all song circles from 9 am to 5 pm.
Check in opens 8am on Saturday. Our opening circle will begin at 10am Saturday. Check out time is 2 pm Tuesday.
Registration includes lodging and 10 delicious meals, your choice of accommodations, access to Bethel Horizon's beautiful grounds for the weekend and all the weekend programming.
We are offering a sliding scale payment in the hope that no one will be turned away for a lack of funds. There are also limited scholarships available.
The price is dependent on your lodging choice. Please choose what is affordable and generous for you. Your generosity in choosing the highest amount possible on the sliding scale helps enable others to attend and supports WisconSing as a whole.
Registration, which includes meals, lodging and programming for the 4 day event starting at ($250-320) for an adult camping to $625 for a private room in the modern Prairie Center with multiple options in-between. All information is below.
Link to WisconSing Registration -https://forms.gle/aHGCDiUfyMirts5y6
Song Leading Workshop & Spring Singing Retreat
March 23rd & 24th, 2024
Welcome to the Big Spring Singing Retreat! March 23 & 24th, 2024
What an amazing heart centered event this was! Thank you everyone!
This community singing retreat is meant to deeply nourish, connect and hold us all in the medicine of song while opening to the energy of what spring is stirring within us.
Song Leaders Liz Rog, Sarah Burgess, Kva Mary Wajer, Claire Moore, Lucas Malson, Tatianna Berindei, Abby Rose Wolf, Dodie Whitaker, Emma Koeppel led circles, with lots of space for song sharers and budding song leaders to offer song.
Kva is offering a Community Song Leading Workshop woven into a Big Spring Sing gathering of about 60 participants. This community singing retreat is meant to deeply nourish, connect and hold us all in the medicine of song and to encourage the budding spring energy of new growth and stepping into something new.
We'll learn heart-centered songs, funny songs, grief songs, all songs that create community as we sing together. We will also discuss many aspects of community song leading as well as the details of starting and nurturing a Community Song Circle in your area.
You will be part of a small group where you will learn basic community song leading skills and have the opportunity to practice leading in our small group and, if you choose, in bigger groups during the Big Spring Sing Retreat weekend.
We welcome diversity. All voices welcome regardless of creed, color, background, gender or identity. We celebrate life together by lifting our voices in song.
Registration includes 4 delicious meals, your choice of lodging accommodation, access to Bethel Horizon's beautiful grounds for the weekend and all the weekend programming.
We are offering a sliding scale payment in the hope that no one will be turned away for a lack of funds.
______________________________________
Big Spring Singing
Equinox Event
March 20 - 23, 2025
SAVE THE DATE!
Welcome to the Song Leader/Song Sharing Workshop
The song leader participants come in on Friday evening at 7pm and the Big Sing participants will be coming in on Saturday after breakfast. We'll all stay until Sunday afternoon.
In addition to the song leader circles with Kva, you will also be part of the Big Spring Sing and learn by participating in circles with amazing song leaders like Liz Rog, Sarah Burgess, Claire Moore, Abby Rose Wolf, Tatiana Berdinei, Emma Koeppel and Luca Malson.
We welcome diversity. All voices welcome and celebrated regardless of creed, color, gender, background or identity. We celebrate life together by lifting our voices in song.
We are offering a sliding scale payment in the hope that no one will be turned away for a lack of funds.
Viroqua Community Song Circle
*
2nd & 4th Sundays of the month.
2:00pm - 3:30pm
@ The Commons in Viroqua, WI
*
Kva co-leads with Jim Plaugher
________________________________
Healing Hearts Threshold Choir
Rehearsals - 1st Sunday
2:00pm - 3:30pm @ The Commons
We affirm the beauty, dignity, and wholeness of all people and believe that everyone deserves to be treated with kindness from their first to their last breath.
Why We Sing
Our choir honors the ancient tradition of singing at the bedsides of people who are struggling: some with living, some with dying.
Song is a calming medicine communicating care, belonging and love at the deepest level. Every mother who has sung to her child when distressed and every child who has rested in that mother’s arms knows the power and remembers the feeling of being held in this way.
What We Do
When we are invited to a bedside, we will visit in groups of 2 to 4 singers. We invite families and caregivers to join us in song or to participate by listening. Most of the songs we offer communicate ease, comfort, sacredness and presence. Other pieces may include rounds, chants, lullabies, hymns, spirituals, and choral music. We know that many communities of faith surround their members with this kind of circle of comfort; because our songs are not religiously oriented, we hope our singing can be equally available to those who might be deeply spiritual but not necessarily religious.
A session typically lasts about 20 minutes; if there appears to be benefit, we might sing longer. Using soft, lullaby voices, we blend in harmony or sometimes in unison, if that provides the most comfort. We offer our singing as a gentle blessing, not as entertainment, and we are honored when a client falls asleep as we are singing.
The service is our gift; there is no charge.
It is a great honor to be of service to community members, their families and caregivers during a tender stage of life. The opportunity to provide comfort and peace is a great motivation for the Healing Hearts Care Choir. The singers are healed by our songs before the vibrations ever leave our bodies. We are blessed first and then we send out blessings.