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• Songs of the Spirit (Participatory Singing)

  • When
    04/27/2025
  •  
    11:30 AM - 12:45 PM
  • Location
    Private Zoom Meeting, provided via e-mail upon registration

  Register

  
  

  Registration
  

  Free registration for this event is open to all members of PMN.  Not a member?  Check out our inclusive sliding scale membership policy.

  Immediately upon registering, you will receive an e-mail confirmation that provides you a link to a private Zoom meeting.

  Description

  Come join us in this shared experience of Community and Heart.  You're invited to enjoy a (digital) community circle where inspirational and empowering songs from many traditions rise up from the group.  Singers offer a song one by one without instruments or song sheets.  These are songs that people know or can learn easily without requiring a lot of teaching.

  In this online event, we are drawing upon the tradition of Songs of the Spirit, which has been a consistent feature of PMN/SFS Gatherings since 1977.  One person will sing and others will sing along.  We ask everyone to mute themselves while the one person is singing, allowing all of us to at least see each other as we fill our separate physical spaces with music.

  Between songs, we pause, breathe and feel the energy and connection of the group. We are sustaining this rich tradition during the pandemic, despite the inherent limits of Zoom.  One part of our tradition is recognizing that the silence is sacred.  In avoiding the urgency to fill a space with song, once we finally do fill a space with song, that song sinks in more deeply.

  This is a wonderful opportunity to build community and to harmonize (in your own home) and to start the day with some grounded sacredness.

  This event will not be livestreamed or recorded.

  If you have any questions, please contact the coordinator:

  • Joanne Tuller <jt4cmn@yahoo.com> 
    

  SPECIAL INVITATIONS:  If you can think of a person you know who would enjoy Songs of the Spirit, but they are not a PMN member, you can invite them to participate in this event.  All you need to do is contact Joanne Tuller <jt4cmn@yahoo.com> and let her know that you are inviting folks.  She will send you very simple instructions for how to invite guests to be part of this experience.
  

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• PMN Songwriters Peer Feedback Session: "If I had a Song" -ZOOM Only

  • When
    04/28/2025
  •  
    7:30 PM - 9:00 PM
  • Location
    Zoom Meeting info provided after registration. Confirmation provided by Eric Law <ehflaw@gmail.com> on day of Workshop.

  Register

  
  

  *** Registration Deadline: Sunday, April 27, 2025 at 10:00 PM (ET). 

  Workshop Description

  Songwriters in People's Music Network strive to write songs that wake people up, challenge the status quo, and reach people’s hearts and minds. We don't believe it takes larger-than-life talent to create powerful songs. Rather, the craft of songwriting involves skill, practice, hard work, and the willingness to listen to how our words and music land with others.

  Through our monthly “If I Had a Song” workshops, PMN is building a loving and supportive creative community that provides songwriters with the honest listening we need. Participants present a song-in-progress to like-minded songwriters, and then receive constructive feedback. We’d love to have you join us.

  BREAKOUT GROUPS:  During the session, we'll break into groups of 4-5 songwriters presenting songs-in-progress.  Each presenting songwriter gets 15 minutes to share their song and receive peer critique from the group.  We'll explore giving and receiving kind, truthful and supportive feedback, while striving to make our songs more effective.  One may register for the workshop as a supporting songwriter to listen and give feedback.  Breakout groups may have 1-3 supporting songwriters.
  

  LYRIC SHARING: On the day of the workshop, all confirmed registrants will receive an email containing the Zoom Link plus a link to a google drive folder.  Confirmed registrants will receive a separate notification via google drive, which gives you the ability to make written comments on other people's lyrics-in-progress.  This can be done before, during, or after the session.

  Requirements for Participation:
  

  There is no wait list for the session.  Every registrant who meets the following requirements will be confirmed to present a song in progress for peer critique: 
  

  1. At the time of registration, if you are bringing a song to the group for critique, you must submit a lyric sheet of an original song in progress.  This means 1) you wrote the lyrics and 2) your intention is to get feedback from others to help you do further work on your song to improve it.   If the songwriter believes their song is finished and does not intend to do further work on the song, it should not be submitted. 
  2. The song-in-progress you submit should connect with PMN’s mission of using music as a catalyst for a just and peaceful world.

  Eligibility to Participate:

  Participants in this workshop must:

  1. be PMN members in good standing* 
  2. register using this form
  3. have a computer with functioning video camera and microphone.

  * If you are not a PMN member, you may join here: https://www.peoplesmusic.org/join-PMN

  Workshop Facilitators:

  • Marcie Boyd:  Marcie Boyd is a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, teacher, activist, and longtime PMN member.  She lives in Berkeley, CA, where she sings with Occupella and the LaPeña Chorus.
  • Steve Deasy:  Award-winning American-Canadian performing songwriter, producer and arranger; socially conscious in the tradition of Bob Dylan and Pete Seeger with contemporary musicality.  PMN Steering Committee member. www.stevedeasy.com
  • Eric H. F. Law: Singer/songwriter, visual artist, Episcopal Priest, author of over 10 books on building justice and inclusive communities and founder of the Kaleidoscope Institute for diverse and sustainable communities. PMN Steering committee member.  https://erichflaw.hearnow.com/

  • Joanie Calem is a musician, singer/songwriter, storyteller, disability awareness activist, community-builder, cross-cultural worker and teacher. She has been teaching music and performing since 1983. Joanie uses music to break down stereotypes, build community and foster connection.

  FACILITATORS EXPLAIN THIS PROCESS

  Watch our 3 minute video explaining how members of the People's Music Network are building a community of peers who are writing songs for social change: 

  Share this Event on Facebook

  https://www.facebook.com/events/1333177387828780
  

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• International Workers' Day in Spoken Word and Song

  • When
    05/04/2025
  •  
    7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
  • Location
    Zoom Link Provided upon Registration
  • Registered
    16 registrants

  Register

  
  

  FREE LIVESTREAM: Sunday, May 4, 2025, 7:00 – 9:00 PM (ET)

  on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQYdnZOWeE4

  *** Once event ends, livestream is archived at this same link.

  Deadline to register to perform: Thursday, April 24, at 11:59 PM (ET)
  

  May Day, celebrated on May 1st, commemorates the Haymarket Affair of 1886 and was designated as International Workers' Day by an international federation of socialist groups and trade unions in 1889. May Day is now observed in many countries as a day to commemorate the historic struggles and gains made by workers and the labor movement.

  Come join us for an evening of songs in honor of workers who put their bodies on the line (often on the picket line) to win fair and just labor practices, the right to join a union, and other worker rights.

  Contact Marcie Boyd marcie.boyd@gmail.com>

  LYRICS:  (to be posted day before the event)

  PERFORMER LIST:  (to be posted before the event)

  How to Participate

  Using the button on the left side of this web page, PMN members and invited artists can register to share a song or a poem and/or to be part of the audience for this event. After registering, you receive an e-mail message containing the Zoom Meeting link. Due to time constraints and a vibrant community of performers keen to participate (400 active PMN members in total), it isn't always possible to include every interested performer in the final line up. In the event that not everyone performs, we'll make a wait list. Most people perform live, but we also welcome pre-recorded videos, immediately preceded by a live introduction.

  Technical Orientation Session: 45 minutes before showtime @6:15pm (ET) /  3:15pm (PT).

  Performers are invited to a technical orientation session, 45 minutes before showtime, where we discuss and practice how to get the best sound when doing a musical performance on Zoom.  Each performer has a chance to sing a verse of a song and then receive feedback on ways to improve the audio quality.  Artists new to Zoom are strongly encouraged to attend the tech orientation, because doing so will build your confidence in using these tools.  The audio quality that listeners hear of your live performance depends on the equipment you have and how you use it.  Check out this great resource for performers wanting to get their best audio quality when playing on Zoom.  It comes from our friends at Folk Alliance Region Midwest: https://www.farmfolk.org/zoom-performer-toolbox/

  Help Spread the Word!

  on Facebook:   https://www.facebook.com/events/514835371449337

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• PMN Summer Gathering in Groton, MA (In-Person)

  • Start
    05/23/2025
  •  
    4:00 PM
  • End
    05/25/2025
  •  
    3:00 PM
  • Location
    GROTONWOOD CAMP & CONFERENCE CENTER, 167 Prescott Street, Groton MA, 01450

  Register

  
  

  Register IN-PERSON

  Read Summer Gathering Program

  
  

  The 2025 People’s Music Network Summer Gathering takes place at Camp Grotonwood, Groton, MA.

  Save the date: add the PMN Summer Gathering to your Google calendar.

  The event begins with arrival and participatory singing on Friday, May 23, 2025. Then on Saturday and Sunday (May 24 & 25), we’ll have participatory workshops and song swaps, and a Saturday night “Collaborative Concert Round Robin” – all highlighting the role of music in progressive social change. Expect numerous opportunities to share music, sing together, and to join efforts to bring music into the heart of struggles for justice and freedom today.

  Click on the Summer Gathering Overview for details about Schedule, Workshops, Logistics (Food, Housing and Other), Directions, Transportation and more.

  MEMBER RATES: To make member rates available and pre-fill your contact information, please login before registering.  Not a member? Join PMN before registering and get a discount.

  Registration Rate Table:

  
  

  Discounts

  • Membership Discount: PMN members receive a $20 discount for full weekend registration.
  • Early-bird Discount: Adult full weekend registrations received by Monday, May 5, 2025 at 11:59 PM, receive a $10 discount.

  Registration Policies:

  
  

  • Pre-Registration: PMN aims to keep gatherings accessible to all while sustaining the organization financially.  Choosing the "Supporting" option enables PMN to keep our gatherings financially accessible to the full diversity of our musical community, regardless of financial means.  Please register ahead of time to give us accurate meal counts for our caterer.  Payment at the time of registration is requested.  However, you may pre-register online and create an invoice to be paid in person when you arrive at registration (check or cash) or by mail (check).
  • Contributing to the PMN Scholarship Fund is another way to keep PMN events accessible.  You'll have the chance to "scale up" on the registration form.
  • Financial Aid: We don’t turn anyone away for lack of funds. If you can’t afford to pay the discounted rate, please contact <pmn@peoplesmusic.org> to request a cost reduction and please state what you can afford.  The cost to PMN for food and overnight lodging at the camp, before covering any of PMN's operating budget, is approximately $210/person.  This increase covers a substantial increase in PMN's catering costs in 2025.
  • Work Shifts: The cost of the weekend is reduced because we share the workload! Please sign up for one or two one-hour work shifts when you arrive.
  • Cancellations by May 10, 2025 will be fully refunded. After May 10, PMN will subtract $70 to cover food costs.

  • The Matt Jones Scholarship Fund (MJSF): The MJTF fosters a multi-racial and inter-generational artistic and political community at PMN by covering registration costs (including meals) and travel costs for young people and people of color. Scholarship applicants may request up to $50 in travel stipends to reimburse for the cost of travel.  Since 2016, the fund has awarded $24,400 in scholarship funds to people attending PMN gatherings. We're inviting individual registrants to consider making an extra contribution to the Matt Jones Scholarship Fund when you register in order to sustain this fund.

  • To apply for this scholarship or to get in touch about making a donation to this fund, contact ben.grosscup@peoplesmusic.org with the SUBJECT: “Matt Jones Scholarship Fund”.   Click here for more info on MJSF.

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• Juneteenth Celebration: Songs of Liberation, Freedom and Disability Awareness

  • When
    06/12/2025
  •  
    7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
  • Location
    Zoom Link Provided upon Registration
  • Registered
    Be the first

  Register

  
  

  The People’s Music Network will honor and celebrate Juneteenth with our fourth online community art performance event on Thursday, June 12, 2025.  In this Zoom event, members of the People's Music Network and artists from around the world will share poetry and songs of Liberation, Freedom and Disability Awareness in honor of Juneteenth.  We are curating songs that speak to the struggles of people fighting for a better world, free from war, poverty, racism, and all forms of oppression.  We're prioritizing inclusion of artists with disabilities who are physically unable to attend the many in-person Juneteenth events taking place later in the month.

  FREE LIVESTREAM: Thursday, June 12, 2025, 7:00 – 9:00 PM (ET)

  on YouTube: [LinkComingSoon]

  *** Once event ends, livestream is archived at this same link.

  Join us via Zoom

  To be part of the audience on Zoom, press the "Register" button.  As a member of PMN, you may register for free.

  Non-members can register for a donation of $5 or more.   Non-Members wanting to register without payment can do so using the registration code: "juneteenth". 

  PERFORMER LIST:   TBA

  
  

  
  

  Help Publicize!
  

  Encourage your friends to tune into this online musical event for progressive culture:  Share the event on Facebook!!    [LinkComingSoon]

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