Classes & Circles

Circle Singing  |  Workshops & Classes  |  Loopers & Looping

Circle Singing

Spontaneous Song!

What is Circle Singing? Circle Singing is a community singing and sounding practice, spontaneous and evolving — like a drum circle for voices.

Based on practices developed by Bobby McFerrin and his collaborators, Circle Singing is a supportive, judgment-free space to play with your voice. Leaders create songs in the moment — patterns, percussive sounds, rhythms, harmonies, melodies, recognizable words, or invented language — and teach the parts orally to the rest of the group. The parts layer together into completely original compositions, each song a unique creation, never sung before, never to be sung again.

It's a very organic, playful, community singing experience. All voices are welcome! 

Upcoming Circles: 

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Circle Singing at Swallow Hill Music 
NEW Schedule - Every Second Saturday

When: Saturday, March 9th
Time: 2:00 - 3:30 p.m. 
Where; Swallow Hill Music
Address: 71 E. Yale Ave, Denver CO (Map
Price: FREE! (Donations accepted to support Swallow Hill) 

CLICK HERE TO RSVP

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Circle Singing in Boulder
Deep Dive in the Labyrinth

When: Second Thursdays
Time: 7:00 - 8:45 p.m.
Where: Boulder First United Methodist
Address: 1421 Spruce St, Boulder (Map)

PRE-REGISTRATION REQUIRED

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Community Song Circles

Swallow Hill Community Chorus

Singing for Everyone!

This is a non-performing group. We sing for the fun of it. We foster safe judgment-free zone to explore singing, sound, and harmony in a playful, relaxed atmosphere.

Lift the Spirit Choir

intermediate/advanced Chorus

A performance group, we learn more advanced pieces and take a deeper dive into musicianship and the practice of blending and harmonizing together. 

Workshops and Classes

Vocal Meditation: Singing for Self-Care

One Night In-person Workshop

Next workshop TBD

We'll learn and practice vocal techniques to achieve a calm, meditative state.

We'll use breathing, toning, chanting, and deep listening to focus our attention in the present moment. We'll explore guided sound meditations. We'll allow improvisational "soul singing" to emerge and lead us into a deeper, meditative state of mind.

This practice fosters relaxation, healing, and an increased capacity for creativity. 

No singing or meditation experience necessary.

Offered via Swallow Hill Music School
Please register at least 48 hours in advance

When: TBD
Time: TBD
Where: Swallow Hill Music
Address: 71 E Yale Ave, Denver 80201


Email Roy to be notified

Singing & Dancing Your Authentic Self

Next worskhop TBD

Improvisational Voice and Movement Workshop 
with Amy Biondo and Roy Willey

Learn the practice of Contemplative Voice and Movement, an improvisational singing and moving meditation, and discover and celebrate your own authentic voice and movement as you practice over a “sound bed” of layered vocals created in the moment by Roy and Amy.

The practice of sustained, improvisational singing and moving not only calms the nervous system, it grounds us in the present moment and connects us to our creative, intuitive selves. 

In this workshop, you'll explore all of these practices from the comfort and privacy of your own home. All voices welcome, no prior experience necessary. 

When: TBD
Where: Online via Zoom

 

Loopers & Looping

Boss RC-505 Loop Station

Basic & Advanced Workshops

The Boss RC-505 is the industry standard loop station for Vocalists and Beatboxers. Two online workshops will help you get up to speed or dive deep into Live Looping technique. 

 

Loopy HD App

workshop & classes

This powerful App for iPhone and iPad is a great way to practice improvisation, build your looping skills, and even perform or lead songs live. Check out these two offerings to Loopy: 

 

Optimizing Zoom Audio

Getting the most out of Zoom Audio is as easy as 1,2,3...   

1. UPDATE ZOOM: Having the latest version of Zoom ensures you have the best sound settings available. 

2. USE HEADPHONES OR EARBUDS: Using headphones greatly improves our ability to sing unmuted on Zoom, because it reduces the amount of processing zoom has to do to eliminate echoes.  (Note: If you have an external microphone, that makes it even better.) 

3. TURN ON ORIGINAL SOUND: This is a simple audio setup in Zoom that further improves the sound quality. This can be found in Zoom's Audio Settings. For a step-by-step PDF on setting up Zoom for singing, follow this link: 

Zoom Audio Setup PDF

(Note: We'll never entirely eliminate the "lag" or latency of internet audio, but following the simple steps above will greatly improve the sound quality for everyone.)