Upcoming Visiting Songleaders: Shireen + Ahlay

We are so excited that two fantastic song leaders are traveling through the Twin Cities soon! Check out the details below and make plans to join us in singing with them.

Shireen Amini is in Minneapolis, May 9 & 10!  A fantastic musician, healer, song leader and incredible non-binary (pronouns: she/her/elle) human of Puerto Rican-Iranian heritage, Shireen Amini will be holding a Drum Song workshop on Thursday night and a Community Song Circle on Friday night.  Come for both if you can!  I had the opportunity to participate in her virtual Drum Song series and it was sooooo good online; this will be amazing! 

Drum Song Workshop with Shireen Amini

Thursday, May 9, 5:30-8 p.m.

Center for Performing Arts, 

38th & Pleasant, Mpls

Register here.

Community Song Circle with Shireen Amini

Friday, May 10, 6:30-9 p.m.
New City/Walker Church, 3104 16th Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55407, USA
Register here.

Ahlay Blakely is back in town in July!  

Mark your calendar for July 22 & 23 and check back for more details as it gets closer!

Setlist from April 19 Songs In Your Body On This Land @ The Beautiful Studio

Here are the songs we sang at the BIPOC+Mixed Race song circle, Songs In Our Bodies On This Land at the inclement weather location of The Beautiful Studio in the Dow Building on University Ave on Friday night, April 19, 2024 with links to online recordings for your at-home remembering pleasure.

1. Comfort* (Heather Wilson)
2. River Water Flows* (Earth Practice)
3. Let Go and Move (words: Candance Butler/music: Velma Frye)
4. One by One (Michael Stillwater)
5. One Body (Ahlay Blakely)
6. Holding Song (Ian Carrick)
7. We breath together / Stop the occupation (adrienne maree brown) plus harmonies and Ceasefire refrain by Rise Choir Collective
8. The Cure for the Pain (text inspired by Rumi; tune: Yam)
9. It’s not yours to carry anymore* (Liz Digitale Anderson)
10. PLZ PLZ Universal Soul (Lyndsey Scott)
11. The Way Knows the Way (Lyndsey Scott)

* no online recording available. If you discover one, please let us know in the comments!

Here are some of the Resources we promised to share: 

• 
  The World Wide Labyrinth Locator - an online resource to find labyrinths near you and around the world that are in public and private places.  
• My Life on the Road by Gloria Steinem - Book recommended by Pauline.
• About the Card Decks: Having a tangible tool to sit with and reflect our feelings back to us helps us slow down, process, and make space for emotional work and intentions we otherwise tend to ignore. In April we spread out the Rest Deck by Tricia Hersey and the Earthcraft Oracle Deck (Hay House).  
• Instruments we use: 
• CajonTab by Louson Drum - Conie has a 12" CajonTab; Liz has one of the Pro series. Get to know a bit of the cajon's musical history here. Use Liz's affiliate link to get 10% off!
• Shruti Box, literally "sound" or "singing" in ancient Sankrit, replicates the sound of the Tambura, an East Asian Indian drone instrument. Part of the family of drone instruments that show up in many cultures, related to bagpipes and harmoniums. Conie's instrument is from Shrutibox.com run by Ron Kravitz of https://www.musicinthemoment.com/ in Philadelphia, PA.

Thank you to the crew who sang with us! The right people were there, tenderness, grit, and support were shared. Community was tended. This is part of the dream Liz and Conie are working towards!  

And many apologies to you if you didn't hear about the location change until too late.  We don't make a decision to change details of an event lightly and believe we made the right decision considering the wind and coolness.  

Many thanks to Michael G for lending us the cozy Beautiful Studio for us!

  
It takes more than desire to keep this BIPOC song circle going. Your contributions, energetic, trades, and financial, a0re welcome and needed! If you missed the big blue-green tip jar, contributions can be sent through Paypal or Venmo or a check can be mailed to P.O. Box 11791, St. Paul, MN 55111.

The next BIPOC+Mixed Race Song Circle will be a special one!  On Friday, May 10, 2024 we are directing everyone to join us in singing with guest songleader Shireen Amini, an amazing Puerto Rican-Iranian musician and non-binary human (she/her/elle).  More details here for Friday night's song circle and Thursday night's Drum Song class!  After that, we'll should be at the river on Friday, June 21, around the summer solstice!  Stay tuned here or signup for the "Soul Songs BIPOC/Mixed Singing Space" list here.

Keep singing and stay warm, hydrated and creative!

Love, Liz and Conie, a.k.a. Good Trouble

May 2: Retrain Your Lizard Brain: Somatic Singing for Trauma & Resilience

What: Train Your Lizard Brain: Somatic Singing for Trauma Awareness + Resilience

When: Thursday, May 2, 2024, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Where: Walker/New City Church, 

3104 16th Avenue South Minneapolis, MN 55407 (map)

With: Minnesota Peacebuilding Leadership Institute and GOOD TROUBLE

REGISTER HERE:  Eventbrite

Facebook event page: https://fb.me/e/wDVOicsyt

How do we find our way through personal, cultural, and systemic trauma towards resilience? Our culture is honestly pretty terrible at having community rhythms to process this and tools to live towards growth. Singing and somatic practice are one container offering a space to practice working through our grief, pain, and conflict towards finding joy, courage and connection.

Inspired by the STAR* training, you’re invited to a monthly community song circle of simple songs, taught call and echo, and somatic practices to check in with how our bodies are processing. You don’t need to “be a singer” - we’re not singing to perform; we sing because it changes us.

What to Bring:
To make the most of our time together, please remember to bring the following items:

• Water to stay hydrated throughout the event
• Clothes that are suitable for easy movement
• Yoga mats, pillows, and blankets for your comfort during somatic practices
• A journal and pen for any reflections or insights you may wish to jot down

COVID-19 Precautions:

Apr 19: Songs in Your Body On This Land (BIPOC-Mixed Races Song Circle)

We'd like to welcome People of the Global Majority (Black, Brown, Indigenous, People of Color, and Mixed Race) to these monthly song circles.

When:  Friday, April 19, 2024, 6-8 p.m.

Where:  Hidden Falls Park, North Gate (down by the boat launch!) INCLEMENT WEATHER PLAN UPDATE: BEAUTIFUL STUDIO.  See details below

Led by GOOD TROUBLE, aka Conie Borchardt and Liz Digitale Anderson. We teach songs for joy, courage, grief, hope, and justice in the oral tradition, call and echo. You don't need to "be a singer" or "know what you're doing", you just gotta be willing to breathe and open your mouth and echo back. Maybe even move your hips and grab a shaker if you're feeling it...

We will be down by the river at Hidden Falls Regional Park-- take the main drive past the picnic area all the way down to the parking lot and we will be on the sand probably close to the boat loading dock (look for the SING HERE flag). We plan to have a bonfire and be outdoors even if it's cold, so layer up!
Feel free to bring snacks to share

>>>If it's raining, please check this event page for updates!
RAIN PLAN IF NEEDED:

We'll meet at The Beautiful Studio #214, 2242 University Ave West, St. Paul
(There is parking in the lot behind the building; you'll need to text us to get inside.)
**We will be requesting that folx mask up for the sake of collective community health if indoors. Thank you for understanding**

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Photo by Mankwe Ndosi: Preparing the Unburdening Ground, Say Their Names Cemetery at George Floyd Square, Minneapolis