Summary
Workshop Number: P-45
Leaders: Ruth Fitz
Who May Register?: Open to All
Worship/Worship-Sharing: 15%
Lecture: 10%
Discussion: 10%
Experiential Activities: 65%
Who May Attend?
only full time attenders (participants should attend all week)
part-time attenders welcome (can come any session)
Strong and shy singers are all welcome to join in this circle of f/Friends singing rounds, spirituals, sacred chants, peace, fun and world songs in the oral tradition. Singing together energizes our bodies and nurtures our souls with music that affirms our diversity, reflects our beauty, and celebrates our unity. We will begin each session…
Workshop Description
Strong and shy singers are all welcome to join in this circle of f/Friends singing rounds, spirituals, sacred chants, peace, fun and world songs in the oral tradition. Singing together energizes our bodies and nurtures our souls with music that affirms our diversity, reflects our beauty, and celebrates our unity.
We will begin each session with a gentle warm-up of our bodies and our voices, then sing energizing, fun songs and rounds. We’ll progress to songs with layered harmonies, interspersed with shorter songs and sacred chants, and will allow space for worship and reflection as the Spirit leads. Engaging in the music often takes us beyond the words and into a worshipful space.
Building our repertoire throughout the week, participants can expect to grow in confidence as the words and music become familiar, and as we work and play together and become a singing community. Each session will close with a time of worship or worship sharing.
No experience is necessary, in singing or music reading, to fully participate in this workshop, just a willing and open spirit, and a desire to sing! We will revisit songs learned in this workshop in past Gatherings, as well as learn new ones during the week.
Wear comfortable clothes, which allow for movement and for adaptability to temperature ranges (pack a sweater, just in case). Bring a water bottle to stay hydrated (a singer’s best friend). There will be a space for friends to record some of our singing for personal use only, so bring your smartphone or recording device if you are hoping to do so.
Leader Experience
Ruth Fitz has Soulful Singing workshops at FGC Gatherings from 2014–2019. She has led singing in Baltimore Yearly Meeting’s Annual Sessions, annual Sing’s, and Spiritual Formation Retreats, in Arizona Half Yearly Meetings, and in various Monthly and Quarterly Meetings.