Building Online Musical Community (Online Workshop)

Pre-Registration and Accessing the Workshop Content

You may register for the event right up until 7:30pm on June 15.  When you register, you are automatically provided a link to the Zoom Room via e-mail. 

Registration is required to get the unique Zoom Meeting Link where the workshop will take place.  The presentation will be archived and sent to all registrants, but it will not be publicly livestreamed. 

Since the pandemic spread throughout the United States in March 2020, The People's Music Network (PMN) has been hosting weekly online song and poetry swaps and educational events.  These events highlight the art of PMN members within themes that lift up particular causes and musical traditions.  PMN events elevate both individual members' self-expression and PMN's common mission of using music for justice and peace.  More than 4 decades of tradition and community-building provide a template for these events, which since going online, have led to a 38% increase in the size of PMN's membership.  The context of the pandemic has opened up new conversations about the functions The People's Music Network can play and the boundaries of who can be included in our activities. 

In this workshop, PMN Executive Director, Ben Grosscup will provide an overview of the roles needed to run participatory online community-building events focused on sharing songs and poetry.  We will consider the big picture of how the People's Music Network can mobilize to sustain a vibrant online music culture in a moment of political tumult and economic uncertainty.  Workshop participants will leave with a toolbox for community building work with fellow artists.  These include:

• Tools that PMN is already using to organize and engage PMN members, as well as some tools we could be using much more.
• A list of roles for organizing online music events, and how each role supports the others: Convener; Host; Chat manager; Screen Manager; Facebook Comment Monitor (used for events that are made public on Facebook Live); Tech Coach; Registration Manager; Outreach Manager.
• Resources to improve audio quality for sharing live music online.
• Information about the ways in which PMN currently uses different online platforms, particularly Wild Apricot, Zoom, and Facebook.

Workshop Presenter

BEN GROSSCUP is a labor troubadour and activist folksinger based in Greenfield, MA. Since 2013, he has served as Executive Director of People's Music Network for Songs of Freedom and Struggle.

Intended Audience

This workshop is specifically aimed toward current PMN members who are either already playing leadership roles in the Network, or considering taking on such roles.  The workshop will also be useful for leaders in other organizations that are interested in building a strong sense of common purpose and solidarity within diverse and geographically-dispersed communities of artists. 

Eligibility to Participate:

Workshop participants must:

1. be PMN members in good standing (or request a guest registration code from pmn@peoplesmusic.org.) *
2. register using this form

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