Songleading Series

Do you feel called to bring people into song but want some extra support & training? Songleading is a beautiful & deep craft, and one that can only be developed through practice with a group. Come join a cohort of other aspiring songleaders in a welcoming, fun, and engaging learning & practice environment. Brand-new, beginner, and experienced songleaders will all be engaged and supported in this series.

This series is for those interested in leading songs in a variety of spaces, including:

• At song circles
• At political actions or marches
• At weddings, birthdays, funerals, baby blessings, or other life thresholds
• With a group of friends, family, or community
• Or any other place that people gather!

Participants will learn and put into practice a variety of songleading theories & skills, including:

• Jordan's 4-part “songleading arc” theory
• Effective oral tradition teaching skills
• Group conducting & attunement skills
• Simple somatic exercises to ground yourself & the group
• Plus opportunities to deepen into skills like harmonizing, vocal improvisation, and other advanced techniques in a private “Embodied Vocal Coaching” session (more info below).

Overview of the Series:

Session 1 (6/15, 7-9pm, Cambridge): Songleading Foundations

• we'll create the group container, review basic theories and skills of songleading, and start to put those skills into practice with a collection of fun, songful games & exercises.

Session 2 (6/22, 7-9pm, Cambridge): Songleading Lab 1

• participants will get to practice leading a song, receiving supportive & constructive feedback , and workshopping their songleading skills. We'll both learn from our moment of leading, as well as from watching and witnessing others' leadership.

Session 3 (6/29, 7-9pm, Jamaica Plain): Songleading Lab 2

• Same structure as Session 2, this time in JP .

Session 4 (7/6, 7-9pm, Jamaica Plain): Community Singing Circle

• For the final session in our series, series participants will get to put their learnings into action by co-leading our monthly JP singing circle! Note that depending on group size, we may not have time for all series participants to lead a song.

Requirements:

• While participation in all 4 sessions is highly encouraged, participants MUST be able to join the first session on 6/15, and either the 6/22 or 6/29 session.
• Participants should feel reasonably comfortable holding a steady rhythm and accurately reproducing pitches. If you don’t know whether this applies to you, please set up a free online consultation with Jordan here.
• All participants will be asked to find a place to lead a song during or shortly after our series in order to put their learnings into action. This could be at anything from a political march to a small gathering of friends. Two opportunities to lead within our community are our 6/20 Summer Solstice Songshare, and the 7/6 Jamaica Plain Singing Circle featuring Songleader Series guest leaders

Between Circles:

• Participants will be given simple assignments between circles to continue to build songleading skills on your own
• A WhatsApp group chat will be made for participants to stay connected throughout the series & complete assignments via voice note. These chats have been great ways of building community in past series.

About the Facilitator: Jordan Mudd is a songleader, grief tender, vocal coach, and co-founder of Boston-Area Singing Circles. He has been catching & leading songs for close to a decade, and has led songs at protests, festivals, retreats, weddings, funerals, and many more spaces where people gather. Learn more about him and listen to his music at www.jordanmudd.com

Additional 1-1 Coaching Available: All participants in this series are eligible for a private "pay-what-you-wish" Embodied Vocal Coaching session with facilitator Jordan Mudd (original price $125). These sessions will go deeper into the songleading skills you specifically want to develop (ex: rhythmic proficiency, harmonizing, vocal improv, etc). Sessions last 75 minutes, and can be scheduled between 9am and 6pm, Monday to Friday, at Jordan's home studio, a 5 minute walk from Forest Hills, JP. Sessions must be conducted between 6/15 & 7/6. Participation in a vocal coaching session is not required to participate in this series. Learn more about Jordan's approach to Embodied Vocal Coaching here.

Cost: $125, with sliding scale options from $75 - 175. If you are able to contribute more, that helps keep this series accessible to those who can't afford the regular price.

Racial Equity Discount: Songleaders of color can use the code "Equity" to get a $25 discount. While we do not assume that all people of color require or want financial support to access this series, we also recognize that our, and many other community singing spaces are predomninantly white. This discount is an effort to support more songleaders of color to step into song leadership.

RSVP: This series will be capped at 15 participants - sign-up to reserve your spot today!

Cancellation: Full refunds offered if you cancel before 6/12. Half-refunds offered if you cancel or back-out before 6/21. No refunds offered after 6/21.

Location Details:

• Our first two sessions will be at First Parish Church in Cambridge, a 5-minute walk from the Harvard T stop. There is street parking available nearby. We meet on the first floor in the Chapel room, which requires a small flight of stairs to enter. An elevator is available but requires special door access - please reach out to us by email if you need to use it.
• Our second two sessions will be at Hope Central Church in Jamaica Plain, a 4 minute walk from the Green Street stop on the orange line, which has its own free parking lot across the street. Weather-allowing, these circles will be outdoors in the courtyard. If indoors, a small flight of stairs is required for entry.

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Host or Publisher Jordan Mudd & Milly Roberts