11th hour singing reminder

Just a reminder! Sing Heavenly Harmony Home (SHHH!) in the Library convenes at Rondo Library at 2 pm tomorrow (Sun, Aug 4, 2013). 

Hope to see you there!  

SHHH! Need to escape a dark and rainy month?

Has it been a dark and dreary month for you? 

You and me both! 

Let's get together and sing songs to lighten our souls!  Here's the details: 

• When:  Sunday, June 2, 2013, 2-4 p.m.
• Where:  Rondo Community Library, in the Youth Meeting Room.  Address is 461 Dale St, St. Paul, MN
• More details:  http://pointsoflightmusic.blogspot.com/p/sing-heavenly-harmony-shh-in-library.html

See you there! 

May we sing together?

Consider this your invite to the May 5 Sing Heavenly Harmony Home (SHHH!) in the Library event. 

 

More details here:  http://pointsoflightmusic.blogspot.com/p/sing-heavenly-harmony-shh-in-library.html

Singing in April showers!

The time to sing in April's showers is around the corner!

Join me and other good folks to sing songs about water, spring, growth, hopefulness, life's triumph over death, and maybe a little foolishness on Sunday, April 7, 2013, from 2-4 p.m. at Rondo Library back in their Youth Programming Room.  Click here for more details about Sing Heavenly Harmony Home (SHHH!) in the Library.

Bring a song to share if you like. A heart and voice open to beautiful and wild sounds is a must. Inviting someone to experience this with is recommended!

See you soon to sing into spring!

Bring March in with SHHH...

Do you want to bring March in like a lamb or like a lion?

How about both?

Sing Heavenly Harmony Home is this Sunday and you are invited to come with friends and sing like lambs and lions.  Here's the details: 

Where: Youth Services Program Room of Rondo Community Library,
461 Dale St N, St. Paul, MN 55103 (map)
When: Sunday, March 3, 2013, 2-4 p.m.
Why: Because singing is heavenly. Creating harmony makes us whole. Being together brings us home.

SHHH! is a place to experience community singing in the aural tradition. Through echo, call and response, and a lot of repetition, we embed new tunes into our voices, bodies, and souls and create harmonies together that we might not have imagined on our own.

Come if you want to sing ...

• ... just for the fun of it.
• ... If you are interested in Grace Notes, the hospice choir, attending SHHH! gives you a small idea of what our rehearsal process is like.
• ... If you are interested in the "Music that Makes Community" movement in the church (here's a blog post on it), you'll find a community to practice leading and learn new songs.
• ... If you are interested in empowering people to tell their story through song and Arts Responding to Foreclosure, you'll find others finding their voice and telling their story.

Bring your voice and yourself, water, a heart open to experience joy and compassion, and if you're so inclined, a song to share with everyone else. All are welcome (yup, even you who have been told not to sing). Come.

February SHHH! in the Library

The first Sunday of February is just around the corner! 

Come and Sing Heavenly Harmony Home, a.k.a. SHHH! in the Library! 

Where:  Youth Services Program Room of Rondo Community Library,
461 Dale St N, St. Paul, MN 55103 (map)
When:  Sunday, February 3, 2013, 2-4 p.m.
Why:  Because singing is heavenly.  Creating harmony makes us whole.  Being together brings us home. 


Let's make music jump off the walls and come alive!

Bring your voice and yourself, water, and a heart open to experience joy and compassion.  All are welcome (yup, even you who have been told not to sing).  Come.

Is that the January wind you hear? SHHH...

That's not January's wind you hear.  It's your reminder of January's installation of Sing Heavenly Harmony Home (SHHH!)!

Join us on Sunday, January 6, 2013 for singing songs of struggle and resolve, concern and hope, and sadness and joy. 

In this New Year, SHHH is in a NEW LOCATION at a NEW TIME and added another 'H' to the acronym. 

• New Locale:  Rondo Community Outreach Library, 461 Dale St. N, St. Paul, MN.  We'll be meeting in the Youth Meeting Room.
• New Time:  2-4 p.m.  The library is open 1-5 p.m. on Sunday so we're adjusting to meet during their hours.
• Additional 'H':  Each of the 'H's stand for different projects.  "Heavenly" represents a connection to the Grace Notes hospice choir and to the movement in faith communities to do more (not exclusively, just more) paperless music (see the Music that Makes Community work of All Saints Company).  "Harmony" represents the connection between individuals in community art.  "Home" points to the connection with the Arts Responding to Foreclosure (ARF!) project. 

If you're not able to join us this month, pencil SHHH! into your calendars for the 1st Sunday of the month.  Check out the Public Events calendar for details. 

SHHH! It's December soon!

Now that we are in full fledged holiday mode, be sure to get enough exercise.  Singing exercise that is!  It's time to warm up those Christmas carols! 

On Sunday, December 2, 2012, from 4-6 p.m. Sing Heavenly Harmony Home (SHHH!) will be singing at the O'Shaughnessy-Frey Library's O'Shaughnessy Room one last time in 2012.  Please join us for a smattering of tunes of the season, and songs for all times.  You can even lead one if you'd like.  Just let me know when you get there!  Here's a link to the usual details. 

Next SHH! in the Library is Aug 5

Join us this Sunday afternoon from 4-6 p.m. in the O'Shaughnessy Room for some singing! 

Details on specific location, directions, etc. are located here. 

Looking forward to singing with you! 

What we sang at SHH today (7/1)

One of my rules of life is whoever shows up is the right people to show up. Even though I want to fire my marketing person (ah, the wishes of a artist entrepreneur) there are times when what happened or didn't happen is just right. This is what went right at Sing Heavenly Harmony today:

- welcome to the temple of melodious sound
- come, come whoever you are
- let us see what love can do
- what wisdom can you find that is greater than kindness
- I'm goin' down (newly learned)
- sanctuary
- narrow bridge

Next Sing Heavenly Harmony (SHH!) in the library gathering is Sun, Aug 5, 2012, 4-6p at the O'Shaughnessy-Frey Library at the University of St. Thomas (northwest corner of Summit Ave & Cleveland Ave) in St. Paul. We'll be meeting in the O'Shaughnessy Room, a.k.a. the "leather room," room 108. We will continue the evolution of SHH and invite any participants from the Music that Makes Community workshop (or wanted to be and couldn't make it) to lead a song they want to practice. Drop me a line at PointsOfLightMusic at gmail.com if you'd like to lead something!

Bring a friend and I'll see you then!

-clb

Sing Heavenly Harmony Evolution

There's a Sing Heavenly Harmony event today, Sunday, April 1, 2012, from 4-6 p.m. in room 108 of the O'Shaughnessy-Frey Library at the University of St. Thomas.  Join us to have fun singing and learn some songs by heart.

A few weeks ago, I attended a Music that Makes Community (MMC) workshop in South Minneapolis presented by All Saints Company.  There 50-some folks from the Twin Cities metro, Iowa, Wisconsin, Vermont and Oregon gathered to learn more about a movement to include paperless singing in worship.  The workshop also prepared lay persons, musicians, and clergy, in the basic leadership tools of this practice. 

Having attended this workshop previously, I knew the next step beyond the fundamentals is having a community of practice to hone one's skills.  Can you guess where I'm going next?  Yep, I'm opening up SHH to any leader who attended MMC to bring songs they're working on to this monthly gathering. 

So, come!  Come if you'd like to get some kinks out of your voice.  Come if you'd like to learn some new songs.  Come if you'd like to lead some songs with a grace-filled, singing-loving group. 

What:  Sing Heavenly (or Hearty) Harmony -- SHH! in the Library
When:  April 1, 2012, 4-6 p.m. (and every first Sunday of the month hereafter)
Where:  O'Shaughnessy-Frey Library, University of St. Thomas
- northwest corner of Summit Ave and Cleveland Ave, St. Paul
- Room 108, the O'Shaughnessy Room

SHH in the library - 2012 dates

Just a simple post with the details.

First Sundays of the month, except January, September (traditionally holiday weekends) and any other dates the library might be closed. In 2012 it looks like:

- Feb 5
- Mar 4
- Apr 1
- May 6
- Jun 3
- Jul 1
- Aug 5
- Sep ... Oops not tis month
- Oct 7
- Nov 4
- Dec 2

Jot those dates in your calendar, send reminders to yourself and then find yourself in the OSF library between 4-6pm. Updates on parking to come soon.

"Come, come, whoever your are .."

SHH, Dec 4, 2011

• What:  Sing Heavenly Harmony, a.k.a. SHH, in the Library - a contemplative, reflective, meditative singing flash mob.  You'll walk away a little clearer and more connected to your heart. 
• Where:  O'Shaughnessy Room 108, O'Shaughnessy-Frey Library, University of St. Thomas, NW corner of Summit and Cleveland Ave, St. Paul, MN (parking)
• When:  late afternoon on Sun, Dec 4, 2011.  The room is reserved between 4-6 p.m.  SHH may be the first hour or the second, but not both.  We'll update this as soon as details with the videographer are finalized.  (What's this about a videographer?)  UPDATE:  SHH will be at 4 p.m.

SHH Updates

Tomorrow afternoon I and others (I hope you!) will be Singing Heavenly Harmony, SHH-ing, in the library.  Checkout this post for location details. 

We're switching lightbulbs in December.  Instead of Dec 11, we are rescheduling to sing earlier, on Dec 4, so SHH doesn't compete with Barbara McAfee's Singing in the Light event (see her Schedule).  If you have an opportunity to check it out, Do! It is where SHH was and many other voices are nurtured into their fullness.  The December 4th SHH will be at the same bat time, 4-6 p.m., and at the same bat place, the O'Shaughnessy Room (108) of the O'Shaughnessy-Frey Library at the University of St. Thomas. 

In 2012, we're setting up permanent lamps for SHH on the first Sunday of the month except when the library's closed.  Like Sun, Jan 1, 2012.  It's likely SHH will shift to the next open Sunday.  Check back here to see where the SHH spotlight will land.

Share this blog with others.  Subscribe to the newsletter in the right column.  Sing and make music every day!

Upcoming Fall 2011 Sing Heavenly Harmony dates!

Another Sing Heavenly Harmony (SHH!) season begins!  Jot these dates on your calendar, invite a few others, and come prepared to make a little noise with that voice of yours!

• Sun, Oct 9, 5-6 p.m.
• Sun, Nov 6, 4-6 p.m.
• Sun, Dec 11, 4-6 p.m.

SHH will commence in the O'Shaughnessy Room of the O'Shaughnessy-Frey Library of the University of St. Thomas (map). 

I am excited to share that the good folks at 3-Minute Egg: The Twin Cities Arts Seen will be joining us for one of these community sings.  When that date is finalized, I will pass it onto you! 

Blessings!  C~

No SING today; Next is 12/22

Oh, the weather outside was frightful

and the fire is sure delightful.

And since it's best not to go

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

(with apologies to Sammy Cahn)

Hello Sing Heavenly Harmony fans --

I haven't heard if the library is open today ... it was yesterday, amazingly enough ... but even so, I don't think anybody is able to maneuver very well in this snow. So stay home. Be warm. Sing about the beauty of Snow as you make snow angels and snow labyrinths (thank you Bing, Danny, Rosemary, and Vera-Ellen). Or yearn for Summertime (thank you, Ella). Or listen to the coming Spring (thank you random and unknown chamber orchestra and violin soloist) as crocuses, daffodils, and tulips start thinking about when they might start peeking their heads through the dark ground into the light.

The next Sing Heavenly Harmony is Wed, Dec 22, noon-1 p.m. Come for a little sing to calm your heart before the holiday.

An invitation to join a hospice choir starting in Jan.  I will be directing a hospice choir in partnership with AseraCare hospice. If you'd like to be part of this group, please email me at pointsoflightmusic@gmail.com and I'll fill you in on the details.

Blessings!

Fall 2010 Sing Heavenly Harmony Dates!

Woohoo!  The dates for upcoming Sing Heavenly Harmony, a.k.a. SHH! in the Library have been set!  Mark these in your calendar and invite friends who will enjoy making a joyful noise for an hour or two of their day. 

WEDNESDAYS, noon-1 p.m.

- Sept 15

- Oct 13

- Nov 10

- Dec 22

SUNDAYS, 1-3 p.m.

- Sept 26

- Oct 24

- Nov 28

- Dec 12

The location to meet is the beautiful O'Shaughnessy Room in the O'Shaughnessy-Frey Library at the University of St. Thomas' St. Paul north campus. 

Unless there is a big event on campus, you'll be able to find parking on the street around the library (northwest corner of Summit and Cleveland Aves) on the weekend.  For the mid-week, mid-day sings, I highly recommend parking in one of the parking ramps on campus (for a fee) OR plan time for a little stroll through the lovely residential neighborhood of Merriam Park-Macalester Groveland -- on-street parking near campus is primarily permit based and reserved for the early arrivers (and lucky). 

Future dates will be posted on the "Public Events" link (see the right margins) while all events are subject to change. 

Cheers!  Conie

SHH-ing on Wed

Sing Heavenly Harmony is back in the library for a mid-week, mid-day vocalizing break in your work day!  Come and make beauty for a little while.  Or sit and listen to the sounds we're making. 

• Wed, Aug 18, noon-1 p.m.
• Wed, Sept 1, noon-1 p.m.

Location:  Room 108 of the O'Shaughnessy-Frey Library Center
NE corner of Summit & Cleveland Aves, St. Paul, MN (map)
Parking Information & Suggestions

jUST Parking

Here's a short article on parking at and near the University of St. Thomas to help you plan how to get to Sing Heavenly Harmony (a.k.a. SHH!)

Public Transportation
I would be remiss if I didn't provide a bit on the bus schedule!  Here's a list of buses routes in the near vicinity of St. Thomas.  Get more at http://www.metrotransit.org/.

• #63
• #21
• #134
• #87
• #53

By Car
Parking at UST is especially challenging with the current construction projects in progress.  Here's some tips about where to park vehicle while you sing.

• During the summer
• On-campus: 
• Weekends:  Most campus lots do not need a permit during the summer, so please use them!  The only restrictions are don't park in the handicapped spots unless you have plates or the hanger; meters are still patroled as well as other no-parking signs.  Here's a link to campus maps -- use the handy dropdown on the left to see where the various lots are.
• Weekdays:  Unfortunately, the campus is pretty busy during the week and the campus lots closest to the library are full.  You'll find on-campus parking farther from the central core of campus -- consider it a warmup stroll to raise your heartbeat before singing!
• More details on page 12 of UST's parking guide. 
• On-street -- observe the posted signs, take note of hydrants and driveways.  Though you can get lucky finding a spot on the campus side of a street, you can also enjoy a lovely stroll through the beautiful residential neighborhoods around UST.  Four blocks away is a safe bet. 
• During the academic year, the weekends function much like they do during the summer.  No permit is needed on campus lots until after 6 p.m.  On-street parking is available university side, just mind your signs to confirm.  The students are in their last month of the semester so they're hitting the books and campus hard. 

If you need driving directions to campus, their website has a page for all the directions you could be coming from AND the interactive map has mapquest/google map capabilities too. 
Can't wait to see and sing with you soon!

Renaming SHH & upcoming dates

SHH is going through a bit of a makeover, trying on new word clothes to see if they fit.  Much thanks to Tammy, Carol, Mildy, Mary Lynn, Julie, and Jo whose thoughtful suggestions prompted more brainstorming.  How does "Sounds Hearts Hear in the Library" work for you?  Might the pain and joy our human lives experience fit within its bounds?  Could it invite stillness within for the stories to emerge around? 

Regardless of the event's name, more community singing is happening ... here's the 411 on dates and places

• TODAY, Sun, Jul 18, 2:30-4:30p (co-hosted/lead by Julie Bonde)
• Sun, Aug 1, 6-7:30p
• Wed, Aug 18, noon-1p
• Wed, Sept 1, noon-1p

(it looks like there's a 1st and 18th trend happening ... it's serendipity and not part of a conscious scheme.  Really!)

Location:

O'Shaughnessy-Frey Library, Room 108
University of St. Thomas, North Campus
(on Cleveland Ave just north of Summit Ave)
St. Paul, MN

Thanks again to you who shared personal requests about event times.  The times will be in flux for a bit longer with a goal of settling down by mid-fall.  If you'd like to add your voice to the chorus, click through to my earlier post about it. 

p.s. I'm working towards presenting an Around the World in Community Song-like program, matching up Daniel Levitin's book The World in Six Songs with community songs in English and other global languages.  Would love to have a cultural song from each continent -- if you've got a song to share, I'd love to hear & learn it!  And I'm willing to travel (there's three more continents on my bucket list and slews of countries!)