Local Practice Groups are generally organized by participants of MMC events, to get together and practice their singing. You can use this calendar page to set up a new singing event near you, or get in touch with MMC to help you figure out the best way to organize other people in the community to form a local practice group.
Upcoming Events
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Saturday, July 13, 2019 at 06:00 PM
Church of the Village in New York, NY
Join us for a gathering of the New York City Practice Group, an opportunity to practice paperless leadership skills and share new songs in a community of gracious learning and discovery. The group is open to all, whether you've attended an MMC event yet or not. We'll gather in the Chapel of the Beloved Community at Church of the Village in Greenwich Village.
Church of The Village is in Manhattan’s West Village on the corner of 13th Street and 7th Avenue. The 1, 2, 3, A, C, E, F, M, and L trains all stop a short distance away, as well as the PATH train from New Jersey.There is a wheelchair-accessible ramp on 13th Street for those who may have difficulty with stairs. An elevator provides access to church offices, meeting rooms, and gymnasium. Many restrooms are ADA-accessible.
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Sunday, July 21, 2019 at 02:00 PM
St. John's Episocopal Church Rectory in Kingston, NY
We're excited to announce a new Interfaith Practice Group in the Hudson Valley. We'll gather in the Rectory behind St. John's Episcopal Church. Bring a song to share and/or one that you'd like to learn to teach!
For more info, please call Ana Hernandez at (914) 357-0365 and leave a message.
The group meets monthly on the Sunday after the full moon (mainly the 3rd Sunday of the month). -
Tuesday, August 06, 2019 at 09:00 AM
Diocese of New Westminster in Vancouver, BC, Canada
Join members of the Vancouver Practice Group and Paul Vasile for a mini-workshop focused on Songs for Healing and Wholeness. On the 74th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima, we'll explore what we sing when life is painful, anxious, and traumatic. How can the practice of singing together help comfort and mend our communities, and even inspire us to faithful response?
All are welcome to attend. Please RSVP below so we know to expect you!
This event is generously sponsored by The Anglican Diocese of New Westminster.
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Wednesday, August 07, 2019 at 06:30 PM
Bethany UCC in Chicago, IL
Join our Chicago Area Practice Group: Northside for their quarterly gathering. All are welcome to sing with others, learn new tunes, and strengthen your song-leading skills! This month we'll meet in the backyard of the Bethany UCC parsonage with some refreshments (4250 N. Paulina). If inclement weather, we’ll meet in the sanctuary.
Contact group organizer Spencer Foon with any questions! -
Sunday, August 18, 2019 at 02:00 PM
St. John's Episocopal Church Rectory in Kingston, NY
We're excited to announce a new Interfaith Practice Group in the Hudson Valley. We'll gather in the Rectory behind St. John's Episcopal Church. Bring a song to share and/or one that you'd like to learn to teach!
For more info, please call Ana Hernandez at (914) 357-0365 and leave a message.
The group meets monthly on the Sunday after the full moon (mainly the 3rd Sunday of the month). -
Thursday, August 22, 2019 at 07:00 PM through August 23, 2019
Hope Lutheran Church in Bozeman, MT
Music that Makes Community is excited to visit Montana, sharing paperless (oral/aural tradition) music and leadership practices! Hope Lutheran Church in Bozeman will host this time of musical and spiritual nourishment as we join voices and hearts in song. MtMC's Executive Director, Paul Vasile will offer leadership, inviting participants into communal learning and reflection.
We begin on Friday evening at 7 p.m. with an introduction to paperless music and lots of singing together. We'll continue on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. with a workshop exploring how and why we sing together, noticing way our bodies and voices are present when we learn through thoughtful modeling and generous invitation. Together we'll experience how the energy we create through singing affects what we do in worship as a whole, as well as other parts of our human lives. We'll share morning prayer, participatory learning time, and reflection on paperless song forms and leadership practices.Music That Makes Community encourages and support practices of communal singing and learning. Watch this short video to learn about the unique work we're doing around the United States and Canada.
$80 for clergy (including new to ministry)
$60 for lay people, LPAs and retired clergy
Participants/Congregations will be responsible for their own lodging on Thursday night.The event is sponsored by the Northern Rockies Institute of Theology, a continuing theological education ministry of the Montana Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. NRIT exists to provide and promote lifelong learning for the people of the Montana Synod (and their neighbors), for the purpose of equipping them in their lives of ministry.
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Wednesday, September 04, 2019 at 07:00 PM
Episcopal Church of Our Saviour in Arlington, MA
From L-R: Christiana Dutton, Rev. Nancy Wilbanks, Ken Livak, Fiona Vidal-White and Andrew Heintz.
Boston MMC members celebrated the end of the year with singing (including a new composition from Ken Livak), strawberries and homemade pecan shortbread on June June 5. Happy Summer!We'll take a summer break in July and August. Interested singers in the area are welcome to join us again on Wednesday, September 4th at 7 p.m. Please join us if you love to sing in a group in unison or improvised harmony, without printed words or music. Feel free to bring a song to teach.
For more information contact organizer Fiona Vidal-White.
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Monday, October 14, 2019 at 10:00 AM through October 16, 2019
Cross Roads Camp and Retreat Center
We're excited to gather at Cross Roads for our annual three-day retreat focused on congregational song leading skills! MMC presenters will lead worship, workshops, and conversation to help you add the valuable tool of paperless song leading to your community’s singing practice. Learn practical skills and diverse repertoire, and explore how paperless music can enrich and expand your congregation's repertoire of sung prayer and praise.
Take a look at photos from last year's gathering!The three-day workshop begins at 10 am on Monday, October 14 and ends with lunch on Wednesday, October 16. Attendees will have the option at registration to check in early on Sunday, October 13. Otherwise check in begins at 9 a.m. on Monday.
Standard Double Occupancy: $360
Hotel-style accommodations with linens provided. Toiletries are not provided.
Upgrade to Single Occupancy +$40
Early Check In (Sunday at 4 p.m.) +$30
Dormitory-Style Lodging: $310
Bunk beds and a shared bathroom. Linens and toiletries are not provided.
Early Check In (Sunday at 4 p.m.) +$10
Commuter/Off-Site: $260
Individuals staying off site and commuting to the event.
Cross Roads is a welcoming, ecumenical retreat center and camp of the Episcopal Diocese of Newark and the NJ Synod of the ELCA. They are accredited with the American Camp Association. It is most convenient to Newark International Airport (EWR), a one hour drive away. Participants are responsible for securing transportation from the airport to the retreat center. For those commuting by car, there is convenient parking on the Cross Roads property.
The costs of the event are partially subsidized by a generous grant from the ACTS/VIM Fund of the Episcopal Diocese of Newark.
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Wednesday, October 30, 2019 at 05:00 PM through November 02, 2019
Eden Theological Seminary in St. Louis, MO
Sharing the Song is designed for community song leaders seeking to strengthen and refine their skills so they can encourage beautiful music-making wherever they go. We're grateful you are planning to join us!
WHAT WILL WE DO?
- Sing and learn together, experiencing music from a wide range of musical traditions, cultures, and styles.
- Under the guidance of master teacher Alice Parker, explore how song leaders lift song off the page through careful study of melody, text, musical style, and historic context. Learn more about Alice's sessions here.
- Reflect on the energetic and physical dimensions of song leadership with Paul Vasile, focusing on holistic leadership practices that support dynamic communication. Learn more about Paul's sessions here.
- Participants will practice leading the group in song and receive feedback and coaching from Alice and Paul.
- Build a community of practice and support, as we connect with like-minded colleagues and peers from variety of contexts and musical backgrounds.
- Commit to serving as community builders and teachers in our home context, creating spaces where singing together is a beautiful, inclusive, and life-giving experience for all.
The individual registration rate for Sharing the Song is $600 per person. This includes all workshop materials, dinner on Wednesday evening, lunch on both Thursday and Friday, as well as refreshments throughout the workshop. The registration fee does not includes transportation or lodging.
The rate for Auditors is $450 per person. Auditors are invited to participate in learning sessions but will not have the opportunity to lead the group in song or recieve personal coaching from Alice and Paul. The rate includes all workshop materials, dinner on Wednesday evening, lunch on both Thursday and Friday, as well as refreshments throughout the workshop. The registration fee does not includes transportation or lodging.
We're grateful to again be hosted by Eden Theological Seminary in Webster Groves, just west of the city of St. Louis, MO. We'll gather in the Werlhi Chapel at the heart of the campus, a comfortable, acoustically resonant space for singing and learning.
Lodging is not included in the registration fee but we have secured a discounted rate of $159/night with the Homewood Suites by Hilton® St. Louis Galleria, a 10-minute drive from the seminary. Details will be provided upon acceptance to the program. Please note: we are not responsible for lodging participants and cannot guarantee the discounted rate if you fail to reserve a room in a timely manner.
Several meals are covered by your registration fee, including a welcome dinner on Wednesday evening at 5:30 p.m., lunch on Thursday and Friday, as well as coffee, tea, water, snacks and other treats during the day. Continental breakfast is provided by the hotel.
Participants are responsible for dinner on Thursday and Friday evening. There are excellent, eclectic dining options a short walk (5-10 minutes) from the Eden campus. A list will be provided when you arrive.
