Songtuary
The Vision and Practice of Contemplayful Singing
Songtuary Stewards
Craig Green and Cleo Keller have hosted weekly Songtuary gatherings in Charlottesville, Va. since March 2020. They say:
Songtuary began as an experiment in socially spacious outdoor singing during the COVID shutdowns. It's now a proliferating intercultural singing dojo, a grassroots school of vocal co-enchantment and co-empowerment. Songtuary's structure and repertoire have evolved from our many years of cultivating contemplayful communities. We blend the craft of song transmission with a dedication to activating imaginative intimacy in service to realizing a more wonderful world. We convene and propagate Songtuary cohorts when and wherever the opportunity arises. Get in touch If you want help growing a songtuary cohort in your community.
Craig also teaches ukulele at The Front Porch music school.
Photo by Megan Kaspar, 2021
Affiliations
Charlottesville, Virginia
Craig and Cleo are members of Charis Community, affiliated with Grace Church Red Hill.
Harrisonburg, Virginia
Harrisonburg Songtuary is supported by the Office of Creative Propulsion of James Madison University.
Megan Kaspar, under Craig and Cleo's mentorship, is a founding member and co-facilitator of Harrionsburg Songtuary. Megan believes that music can connect the individual to the infinite, and music in community can be transcendent. She enjoys the way Contemplayful Singing is accessible yet rich with possibility.
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Songtuary is a growing community of song sowers. We seek to network with individuals and organizations who share a common vision. Please reach out for more information.
Grant Award
Harrisonburg Songtuary is a proud recipient of the Spring 2024 Arts for Education Grant of the Arts Council of the Valley, and past recipient of the Spring 2023 Arts for Education Grant of the Arts Council of the Valley.
This grant brings monthly Songtuary and Song Sowing events and trainings to Harrisonburg from April through October of 2024.
What is Songtuary?
The Way of Contemplayful Singing
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Befriending the voice
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Playground for singers
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Songs to mark seasons and transitions; songs of hope & sorrow, of taking on, of letting go; songs of presence & vision
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Songs for community
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Songs for personal growth
A Songtuary is an intercultural singing gathering that provides a supportive environment for vocal co-empowerment. Songtuary is an enlivening playground for singers, a well-held container for co-creativity and community building. Songtuary leadership is shared by a cohort of experienced song sowers. Our goal is not perfection or performance, but presence and authenticity. We sing in resonant spaces, both indoors and outside, typically standing in a circle, facing each other. All songs are taught by ear, without sheet music or paper. Participants are encouraged to sing and listen in equal measure. Our repertoire is a culturally eclectic mix of rounds, chants, anthems and layered songs. No prior singing experience is required. If you can talk you can sing!