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• Songs of the Spirit (Participatory Singing)

  • When
    08/17/2025
  •  
    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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• Singing for a Livable Future International Song Swap

  • When
    08/24/2025
  •  
    2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
  • Location
    Find the Zoom Link in the email confirmation after you register. (Times are EST, unless otherwise noted)

  Register

  
  

  Singing for a Livable Future International Song Swap

  Sunday, August 24, 2025

  2:00 PM - 4:00 PM (EST)

  6:00 PM to 8:00 (GMT)

  FREE LIVESTREAM on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tv5r0d6HXU

  *** Once event ends, the livestream will be archived at this same link.

  PMN invites musicians from around the world to participate in our August song swap.  We timed it to encourage participation by performers from multiple time zones – the Western Hemisphere, Europe, and Africa.  Our hearts are breaking over horrific events happening throughout the world.  Let’s come together to share songs to acknowledge what is happening and to offer a vision for a livable future.

  JOIN US ON ZOOM:  To be part of the audience on Zoom, press the "Register" button on the left.  As a member of PMN, you may register for free. Non-members can register for a donation of $5 or more.

  PERFORMERS: TBA

  
  

  ABOUT THIS SESSION:  The MC will call upon participants in assigned order. When called upon, you will have up to five minutes of performance time for a song, recitation, or poem.  We may designate some additional time for international guests.  If you want to listen only, be sure to register using the "audience" registration option. We encourage you to begin with a brief comment honoring the previous performer. We request that participants attend the entire session. We ask that performers honor PMN’s purpose by choosing a song, recitation, or poem that focuses on freedom, peace, social justice, human rights, and/or liberation.

  
  

  ELIGIBILITY TO PERFORM: All participants in this singers session must...

  • Either be a PMN member in good standing, or else be invited by the session hosts.

  • Either be pre-registered by invitation or else use this form to register.

  • Have a computer or tablet with a functioning video camera and microphone.

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

  
  

  HOW WE SELECTED THE PERFORMERS:

  • If you have been invited by the session organizers (Joanie Calem, Jane Sapp, Luci Murphy), you are assured of a performance slot.

  • We are aiming to have about half the performers be from outside of the United States and/or new to PMN. One of the goals is building person to person links across national borders. 

  • If you would like to perform, please indicate so when you register. The organizers will seek diversity of demographics, geography, and musical/artistic style. They will also give preference to artists who have not recently performed in an on-line PMN event. If we can't fit you in this time, we anticipate more opportunities in the future.

  Technical Orientation Session: 60 minutes before showtime @1:00pm (EST) / 5:00pm (GMT).

  Performers are invited to a technical orientation session, 60 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/

  ABOUT PMN: With roots going back to 1977, the People's Music Network for Songs of Freedom and Struggle is a diverse community of performing artists, activists, and allies, based mostly in the US, who use music, poetry, and other art forms as catalysts for a just and peaceful world. Before the pandemic, PMN's main activity had been holding two large in-person get-togethers each year referred to as gatherings or convergences. During the covid pandemic, PMN began hold many on-line activities. Today PMN holds both in-person and on-line events.

  SPREAD THE WORD

  Tell your friends how they can tune into this online musical event for progressive culture.  Share this event on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/events/629056859721911

  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/DM0efv4gZPG/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

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

  • When
    08/25/2025
  •  
    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, August 24, 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: 

  
  

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