Our bi-weekly Zoom Play Time group brought inventive experiments and heaping spoonfuls of creativity to the table, our first-ever Virtual Summer Retreat opened for registration, and our Summer Singing Celebration was a splash of a party, with Chanda Rule, Conie Borchardt, Ana Hernández, and other MMC leaders bringing over 85 attendees together in songs and visions of peace, justice, and community.

And, not least of all, our first round of Virtual Practice Groups took flight, with five groups practicing virtual song-leadership, building skills and community throughout May and June. Our participants spoke and...they were a hit!

"Centering, community building, and worth it!", reported one participant.

"The Virtual Practice Groups were a great way to meet new singers and to talk together about how to face the challenges of singing in online environments. I really looked forward to my hour of singing," said another.

We've all, by now, experienced myriad Zoom and virtual meetings, but participants thanked our intrepid MMC leaders for offering such a "unique and wonderful experience," one participant going further to say that "while many are busy with the technical aspect of virtual choirs, being in an MMC Virtual Practice Group gave me the opportunity to just sing and enjoy being with others in this new way."

We're proud of our Virtual Practice Group leaders and participants and look forward to kicking off a new cohort in August. As we navigate isolation and the impossibility of in-person gatherings, we've discovered new rewards and delights of connecting in virtual spaces. One participant shared that it was "lovely to meet and sing together despite the barriers of the current world," that, in this challenging time, we're forging friendships and community "with folks from all over the country, who I never would see in my usual group."

We look forward to singing together with you, for justice, for change, and for humanity, and we hope you'll join us for this practice in August!