Paradigm Shift
Picture by Mark Henson
Living today can be extremely painful.
We might say that life, at least in the Global North, and perhaps especially in the UK and the US, is dominated by a 2000 year old paradigm of power over; of fear, violence and trauma; of taking, violence and dominance.
This lack of life-honouring has life in the brink. 24-150 species go extinct each day. With climate change, we question what is the world we are handing on to the children; and when, if not now, is it sensible to stop having them.
Picture by Daniel Garcia
In this world, as a mother, I cannot keep leading my groups in a bubble separate from that reality.
Things must change profoundly. How can this mycellial web of the vocal improvisation play its part in that change? What is the place of our singing, our voices, our communities and our songs in midwifing a regenerative paradigm here in the global north?
What pains rumble in our hearts and minds around these collective themes? Let’s sing them.
What dreams of a better world live in our hearts? What piece of the dream arises in each of us? Let’s sing that too.
In this program, we’ll gather for 4 days, warm our voices up, sing all the forms, get language going, and sing and feel and talk and pray through this.
What a time to be alive.
Here we go.
Taboo
Can we widen the truth frame, as vocal artists; so we can stand in our ground while giving voice to realms of human experience so often couched in privacy, shame, and unspoken-ness?
This is an experimental journey into the wider shores of courage, power and intimacy as vocal artists.
We’ll work a lot with improvising with language, self expression, poetry and creativity; all embedded in collaborative vocal improvisation.
We’ll hold a strong container of confidentiality and safety, and have each other’s backs as we feel what we feel as we give voice to what is authentic.
Together, we become braver
Together, we grow in voice and power.
In doing that, can we create a truer, kinder culture? When we as vocal artists dare to address what is usually kept private, we welcome all of ourselves home, and we help everyone who hears us to welcome themselves home. To meet the wider shores of humanity and be prepared to meet it in themselves and whoever they encounter.
And in that, does our brittleness soften, do we judge one another less, throw each other away a little bit less? An enquiry.
Let’s do this!
The 4 Days
These two themes are directions I want to take my work in. Honestly, right now, I’m not sure if this should be one 4 day course or 2. Let’s start by combining them and see what happens.
Over the 4 days, we’ll warm up, drop in and sing together. We’ll hold space each day for whatever this work is bringing up for us: whether it’s the singing itself, or the themes as the central fires that we’re gathering around - what this content brings up for us. We’ll hold each other in listening, compassion and kindness, with tools for nervous system regulation and care - as we dare to go into the deep inner, the big outer, and bring it all into our artistry and our singing.
Led by Briony Greenhill
Practicalities
Price - see the Money Page. This is a 4 day non-residential course at MIC, Buckfastleigh.
See here for some pointers for staying in Buckfastleigh.
Food is included - within the start and end frame of the workshop. I.e. 3 meals a day on the middle days, lunch and dinner on the first day, breakfast and lunch on the last day.
Our sessions run 10-1, 2.30 - 6. On the Wednesday and Thursday there’ll be optional yoga / dance 8-9am, then breakfast at 9am.
We’ll have an evening together on the Thursday night. On the Wednesday evening I’ve requested to book us into a nearby lakeside sauna in the woods. I’ll amend this as and when it’s confirmed.