Songs of Meaning and Power
Lovers of music and justice are invited to gather in Sydney in November to sing songs together of a fair, inclusive and sustainable community.
It will take place on 26-27 November at the Fire Brigades Employees Union conference centre at 1-7 Belmore St Surry Hills.
Music can help build a better world: to express common and different values, dreams and stories through song. This weekend will create will create time and space for us to raise our voices and learn songs that are relevant today and that kept past social movements strong, including movements for peace, liberation and civil rights.
The Songs of Meaning and Power weekend will take place in the final weekend of November 2011, and will facilitate sharing and learning of songs with social justice themes. The weekend will focus on theme- based music-sharing circles, and will also include workshops, a concert on Friday the 25th at the Gaelic Club featuring Penelope Swales and Ecopella, and a Saturday night session for everybody to play and sing.
For more information:
http://www.songweekend.wordpress.com
PROGRAM The format of Saturday and Sunday is as follows:
SATURDAY
10am Registration and greetings
10.30 Opening plenary, Block Harmony singing and acknowledging Country. Housekeeping, explanation of how workshops and open spaces will work, introduce organisers and workshop presenters who will give short summaries of their workshops.
11.30am- 1pm Workshop session 1.
1-2pm Lunch
2-3.30pm Workshop session 2.
3.30pm- 4pm Afternoon tea
4pm-5.30pm Workshop session 3
6pm Dinner and acoustic song session/ workshop performances in courtyard. This will be informal, in the format of a session (a go-around where each person either sings, requests a song or requests a singer)
SUNDAY
10am-11.30am Workshop session 4
11.30am-12.00 morning tea
12.00-1.30 Workshop session 5
1.30 -2.30 Lunch
2.30-3.30 Closing Plenary
-A go-around of what we will continue out of this weekend.
the program so far
Australian Working Life led by the Roaring Forties
– Robin Connaughton, Tom Hanson, Chris Maltby, Margaret Walters and John Warner – veterans of the folk scene in Australia. (Yep - they've got beards and wrinkles!) They will present a mix of traditional and well-crafted contemporary songs telling of people at work – convicts, factory, railway and waterside workers, drovers, timber getters, steel workers, sailors, shipwrights, shearers, farmers, miners, piece workers. Their songs reverberate with wit, choruses and harmony. Participation is encouraged with song sheets provided. There'll be space for for people to offer their songs about work either at the end or - if your song is on topic that we've touched on - slot it in! www.roaringfortiesfolk.com
Gardening, farming and food....Some of the most ancient folk songs are about working the land. It's our most primal activity and from it grew myths and religions. But there won't be a lot of mystical stuff in this session; we'll stick to practicalities with songs about digging up potatoes, 101 uses for herring, harvesting cockatoos, roses versus apples, making compost, and so on. Margaret Walters knows fuck all about gardening, farming and food production - but she knows a hellovalota songs and she loves people to join in. So bring along your songs on the subject - and we'll be so inspired, we'll be harvesting produce from our own backyards by this time next year! www.margaretwalters.com
Womens song sharing session
led by Lina Cabarero
Lina Cabarero is an organiser and musician working for Asian Women at Work, uniting migrant women in collective action for their rights at work. Her repertoire of songs draws from her experiences organising home-based garment workers through the Fairwear campaign, as well as her experience in the feminist, student and trade union movements in the Philippines. In this song sharing circle you are encouraged to bring and share songs of womens’ experience and feminist movements.
Songs of refugees and migrants workshop session
led by Kate Maclurcan
Kate Maclurcan has become best known in recent years for running highly popular themed choirs. These have included the songs of Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Neil Diamond, Cat Stevens and the Summer of Love. Kate is currently running two Simon & Garfunkel Choirs in North Sydney and Narrabeen. Kate believes everyone has a singing voice and loves helping people find theirs! For six years Kate worked as refugee advocate. Singing to an audience she found was the most direct and immediate way of telling a story.
Singing in harmony for harmony in the world workshop
led by Mary-Jane Field
In this workshop Mary-Jane, a bilingual English-Spanish folk singer will share some of the secrets for creating, singing and imparting good harmonies that she has learned along the way in arranging harmonies almost non-stop for her Latin American group, Sol Latino, and for various choirs, including the Bright Star Singers with whom she has been associated for over twelve years. Major inspirations for Mary-Jane include the gospel singing and freedom songs of the Civil Rights movement in the United States during the 1950’s and ‘60’s, as well as more recent African and South American protest songs. There will be plenty of opportunity for people to raise the rafters with singing and to experiment and try things out, Song sheets will be provided, and there will be some written music, but the emphasis will be on singing by ear – so no need to be proficient with dots!
Ecopella workshop
led by Miguel Heatwole and the Ecopella choir
Ecopella gives an exciting musical voice to environmental advocacy by blending modern classical, folk, and popular music traditions into a unique and interesting repertoire. Join with us to learn some of our delightful Save-The-World music. Sing songs to make you laugh and cry. Ability to read music not required – ‘though handy!
YouTube Sing-Along Workshop session
Facilitators: Maggie Huang & Mish Sparks
Join a bunch of friendly people for a sing-along (and maybe even learn a new song or two). We have selected some fabulous social justice songs from youtube, which we’ll project on ‘the big screen’ for a sing-along. No previous singing experience required! Feel free to share your favourite clips. Bring lyrics on USB or sheets to give out if possible.
Songs of Decolonisation session
led by Manuel Flores
Manuel Flores is an activist facilitator, who is currently writing a book on the New Latin American song movement in Chile. He is particularly interested in political liberation and consciousness-raising through music, particularly to express reactions to the experience of colonisation. Come to this workshop and share songs and stories about colonisation and how people of different continents have creatively resisted it. The group will also make a song together, addressing a relevant contemporary dimension of oppression.
Making topical songwriting tick workshop
led by Penelope Swales
This workshop will analyse three or four constrasting songs and look really closely at the way they’re put together, and why they work. Led by Penelope Swales, a singer-songwriter described by Drum Media as “The most authentic voice to come out of Australia in the last 15 years,” whose work has spanned two decades and ten albums. She combines wry and often outrageous humour with her deep passion for people and issues. Her spoken word material swings from anecdotes bordering on stand-up comedy to an astute presentation of deeply challenging and thought-provoking ideas. She works both solo and with Totally Gourdgeous, a band of musicians who play instruments hand made by Penelope from gourds. www.penelopeswales.com
Singing-in-Rounds Session
led by Kate Boverman
Kate has been singing a cappella since childhood and has come to love the practice of singing together in rounds. A round is one of the easiest forms of part-singing, as only one line of melody must be learned to make a beautiful, collaborative song. Singin’ together in rounds is an old tradition in which two or more voices sing exactly the same melody, but begin at different times so that the melody is staggered in such a way that the differences fit together harmoniously. Join Kate and others in a fun workshop learning and singing rounds! Be sure to bring along any simple rounds that you’d like to share with the group! If you like, bring copies of the lyrics as this makes for easier learning.
The Solidarity Choir workshop
led by Miguel Heatwole and The Solidarity Choir
The Solidarity Choir has been around for over 24 years. During that time we have collected some of the world’s most uplifting songs of freedom, given them sophisticated choral arrangements, and sung them with joy and defiance. Come join us for the heady and hearty experience of singing songs that matter in good company. Scores provided but music reading not essential.
Environmental songs session
facilitated by Anne O’Brien
When Anne first heard songs from a CD on the history of Australian forest blockades ten years ago she was instantly intrigued and excited by the historical richness and the power of story in these songs. Since then she has sung songs at rallies and blockades in the course of being an organiser in the climate movement. Bring your favourite songs about the environment to share- campaign songs, reflective songs, educational songs, kids songs.