Aug 25: Retrain Your Lizard Brain

 

When:  Mon, Aug 25, 6:30-8:30p
Location: New City Center, near 31st + Bloomington, Mpls.
With Good Trouble.
😷 (Masks up pls!)

Apr 22: Spirit of Peace Meditation [In Person]

What:  Spirit of Peace Meditation - In Person!

When:  Tuesday, April 22, 2025, 4:30-5:30 p.m.

Where:  South Minneapolis, email for location

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What is this?  Read more about this practice here and join us in practicing seeing the love and light in each other and recommitting our strength to the cause of love.  

Mar 27: Retrain Your Lizard Brain in St. Paul

 

What:  Retrain Your Lizard Brain: Somatic Singing for Trauma Awareness and Resilience

When:  Thursday, March 27, 2025, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Where:  Dendros Group, University Ave, St. Paul

Register:  Eventbrite

Aug 30: Spirit of Peace Meditation ONLINE

 

It feels like a season to invite folks to a public practice of the Spirit of Peace Meditation.

If you feel called to join with others in 1) recommitting to "give our strength ... that love may reign and war may cease" and 2) to practice seeing the love and light in one's self and others, please consider yourself welcome to the next public online practice.

What: Spirit of Peace Meditation*
When: Friday, August 30, 4:30-5:15 p.m. Central Time USA (UT-05)
Where: Zoom Meeting ID: 941-277-002; Password: DUP

At this time we will meet monthly online. It may shift to in-person and more frequently, so sign up for the Spirit of Peace newsletter on this page to be most up-to-date.

If you have interest and delight in supporting this public practice of dedicating one's spirit to peace and seeing the holy love and light in each person, please reach out and let us know. Use the contact form here or send an email to listening@pointsoflightmusic.net.

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Interested in history of the practice? Follow this link of posts tagged with "Spirit of Peace Walk" including *how we adapted it to zoomland,

Apr 16: Midwest Mixed Special Edition Dialogue: Freeing Refrains

It's here!  Freeing Refrains is here!

What:  the premiere of Freeing Refrains, as a Special Edition Dialogue of Midwest Mixed!
When:  Friday, April 16, 5-7p
Where: on zoom!  Register here.  
For WHO:  any folks who identify or have experiences as mixed, biracial, multi-ethnic, and/or trans-racially or trans-nationally adoptee*. 

Conie B and Sheryl Raygor are co-facilitating this Special Edition Dialogue space in partnership with Midwest Mixed.  During this event you will be hearing about Conie's rural mixed Asian story, learn songs that have bouyed her (if you'd like), and then dialogue with others about the challenge of speaking our truth.  Open to all mixed folks.  

Come and listen, sing, and dialogue with others with similar and different mixed stories.

(*don't fret if you don't fit the Mixed audience!  We'll be scheduling more of these participatory performances soon.  Watch the calendar and subscribe to "Freeing Refrains" Updates in the Newsletter.  

Spring 2021 BnR Update: Freeing Refrains

It's been a long time in coming, but it's here!  

After a long hibernation and germination process, Points of Light Music is excited to share the current stage of the Biracial & Rural project called Freeing Refrains!  

Freeing Refrains is a song circle and storytelling gathering, sharing one person’s mixed Asian story of growing up on the predominantly white rural plains of Minnesota before the internet.

This story launches Biracial & Rural (BnR), a community of care and storytelling space connecting rural-urban and BIPOC-white communities. Through Freeing Refrains, Points of Light Music is calling in other BIPOC folks to come together for support, encouragement, skill sharing, and connection.

In Summer 2021, we're planning to bring Freeing Refrains to Greater Minnesota in outdoor socially distant performances around the state. We would love your assistance in lots of ways!  Please visit the Freeing Refrains page for more details and then go to our Contact Us page and connect.  

Fall 2018: Song Circles

A place to find where to sing in the aural tradition in the Mpls-St. Paul area: 

I'll be adding to this list throughout the fall, so check back! 

• Sun, Aug 19, 3-5p - Song Circle with Lia Falls @ St. Croix Falls Library, 230 S. Washington St. St. Croix Falls, WI (and every 3rd Sunday of the month)
• Sun, Sept 16, 4-6p - Singing in the Light with Barbara McAfee @ Hennepin Ave United Methodist Church
• Sun, Oct 21, 4-6p - Singing in the Light with Barbara McAfee @ Hennepin Ave United Methodist Church

  

  A heart-centered moment at Singing in the Light.

Oct 17: DUP at Cross Roads, NJ

I'll be in New Jersey October 16-18 assisting in Music that Makes Community's 3-day workshop at Cross Roads Retreat Camp and Center. 


The logos of Music that Makes Community
and Dances of Universal Peace
overlapping, cross-pollinating!

I'm especially excited for Tuesday evening, October 17 when I'll be leading an hour of Dances of Universal Peace for the MMC participants.  I love it when I get to cross-pollinate my work areas (thus, the overlapping logos here:)

If you're in the area and want to check it the 3-day retreat, or know someone on the East Coast who is looking for musical enrichment or professional development, send them!  Registration ends Sunday, October 8. 

And if you want to check out the Dances for the evening, reach out and let me know. 

Sun, Sep 4: Singing with Daniel from Kauai

An invitation from Brenna E:  

My friend Daniel is visiting from Kauai! Get ready for some great songs! He has lived on Kauai for 8 years and is well steeped in Hawaiian tradition and language. He leads a choir there and has such a great presence wherever he is.

What: Singing with Daniel
When: Sun, Sept 4, 4PM
Where: Powderhorn Park, 3400 15th Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55407
* Park at the lot by the recreation center and then walk to the South corner of the lake on the hill. Look for other singers or just sing your favorite round and maybe someone will join you?

Indoor Location: 3501 15th Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55407

Upcoming Dances of Universal Peace: May 21-June 31

I'll be leading my first circle as an all-but-the-official-paperwork-certified Dances of Universal Peace leader this Saturday, May 21, 2016!  Join me in the Undercroft (fancy term for Lower Level) from 7-9 p.m. at St. Mary's Episcopal Church, 1895 Laurel Ave, St. Paul. 

The theme I'm working with is growing and we'll have dances that incorporate beauty, lotus, breaking open (like seeds, ya know!), water, light, and more related things.  It'll be a nice follow-up to my temporary labyrinth installation of Tom Vetter's Flower in the Seed design for The Trust for Public Land at Frogtown Park & Farm's Backyard Farm Fest. 

Can't come?  Here's some more upcoming Dance circles you can attend: 

• Sat, May 21, 7-9p @ St. Mary's
• Sat, May 28, 7-9p @ Center for the Performing Arts, S. Mpls (I will be attending my 2nd of 3 Full Voice training retreats this weekend so I won't be present.  Hakim is the host and long time dance leader)
• Sun, Jun 5, 7-9p @ Holistic Gateway, NE Mpls with host Saleem Adam
• Sat, Jun 11, 7-9p @ Center for the Performing Arts
• Fri, Jun 17-Sun, Jun 19:  A weekend long retreat at the Villa Maria Retreat and Conference Center in Frontenac, MN.  More details at PeaceDanceMN.com (No 3rd Sat Dances in St. Paul and Duluth due to this)
• Sat, Jun 25, 7-9p @ Center for Performing Arts

Location details for Holistic Gateway and the Center for Performing Arts is available at PeaceDanceMN.com.  Click on the links for the regular dance circles. 

That moment #201604271940

I seem to be having a flurry of *those* moments. You know, those moments when everything magically aligns more perfectly that you could have imagined or planned.

Tonight's I was part of a prayer vigil for the AME 9. The organizers asked the local AME church to preach.  They responded with "Yes and can we bring a choir?"  We said yes!  So there was awesome gospel sung, honest prayers, an inspiring message ... And me with two paperless chants.

The... first was after the message with its reminder that "The struggle isn't over." As one who doesn't like to rush things, I announced there would be a moment of silence before the chant because well, how does one compete with a fiery message? Then I taught the two lines of the chant and let it take over. Thank G-d because I almost missed the cue for the second voice. That chant knew how long to run, knew more than I how much the people needed to sing it, to let the psalmist's words become their words, a promise deepening into a vow and vision of trust. 

The second chant was after some more prayers. "Spirit of Peace" is from the Dances of Universal Peace canon and is a simple walking meditation with arm movements. Since the list of typical liturgical movement is quite small (sit, stand, kneel maybe, I invited those who felt compelled to join me in the movements if they wished. Sing, hands moving outward like a bird in flight, joining hands, turning, bowing, we walked around. The round started. Quite a few folks joined in. But what really floated my boat was the ending. I started in the middle, walked the perimeter, and then went back into the center again. The attendees were mostly white Episcopalians. There were a few attendees from the AME church. At the end one of the AME women was in the center with me. We processed down the center like equals, turned and bowed to each other as folks sang "Mir, Miru, Mir" (Russian play on words for "peace on earth). We held that wish for each other a long moment. And then she gave me a big hug.

This is a moment I have wished for and didn't know how to authentically make it happen. I'm so glad that I just to put it out there and trust that all the stars will align. 

 

Putting this experience to words only describes a tiny part of what happened.  I can't sing and dance these things by myself to the same effect. The love and longing from all the hearts present added so much. Experiences like this is strong evidence of what we do together is more powerful than what we do alone.

 

After the service there were many hugs and greetings that I'm grateful for and connections and dreams shared and enthusiastically embraced and supported that I want to share. But for now I will dwell in the beautiful moment of shared coming together in the struggle of dismantling racism.

Open Choral Masterwork Sings

From John Hoffacker

 

Join us for Open Sings on Wednesday evenings in July at the Church of the Epiphany in Plymouth. Each week it's a different choral/orchestral masterwork, raising funds for a different charity.  

We welcome all singers and instrumentalists! Orchestra and chorus rehearse at 7pm for an hour. After a very brief talk from the charity's representative and some delicious refreshments, we come back and take it from the top, no stopping. 

 

Wonderful soloists and a full orchestra, all volunteer!

Bring your own score or borrow one at the door. 

The church is air-conditioned, and the dress is casual.

 

Here's our schedule for this summer:

• July 2: Vivaldi Gloria - charity: CARE, the international relief organization
• July 9: Handel Messiah (excerpts)  Mozart edition - charity: Can-Do Canines, training & providing service dogs
• July 16: Mozart Requiem - charity: Natl. Alliance on Mental Illness
• July 23: Haydn  Lord Nelson Mass - charity: Nets for Life, providing mosquito nets to fight malaria
• July 30: Brahms Ein deutsches Requiem - charity: City House, connecting with people on the margins of society

Church of the Epiphany  4900 Nathan Lane N, Plymouth  [map]

just west of 169 at the 49th Ave N exit

Last SHHH of 2013

This quote is, once again, ringing true for me.  As I'm listening to what's going on around me, listening to what's inside of me, and sensing what my next action is, I'm aware of how adaptable life is when we're paying attention. 

And what I'm attending to on the birthing threshold of November 2013 is a cornucopia of goodness in a variety of fronts in my life. Two fulfilling jobs, one amazing hospice choir, plus a blossoming relationship. Life is full, indeed. 

Overflowing, in fact. I have a few art projects waiting in the wings, a final report to write, book reviews to complete, and a certification course to wrap up.  A financial analyst might say I'm to the point of diminishing returns because I'm too tired to get around to these things. Wouldn't you want to hang out with your honey after a long day in the library/church/insert your occupation here? 

So, Sing Heavenly Harmony Home (SHHH) in the Library is going on hiatus. After the November 3 sing at Rondo, SHHH is hibernating. 

Or what is it that butterflies do? Emerge from the cocoon completely transformed from the previous state of being.  This is most likely. 

So stay tuned. Not only to what's going on at Points of Light Music, but to your own life and the music around you. Are you composing by ear, feeling, and instinct? It can be unknown and scary. But you don't have to be alone.  I'll be doing my own composing and discerning and will share it here. 

Until we sing together, beit on Sunday or some other blessed day. 

C-

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.

Take a tour with Grace Notes

Have you ever wondered what a Grace Notes hospice choir sing looks like?  Follow us on this video tour.



Intrigued? We'd love to get to know you. Read more about us at the Grace Notes link and contact us at PointsOfLightMusic@gmail.com.

Many thanks to Matt Peiken for the video work and Springboard for the Arts for their fiscal sponsorship of Grace Notes. 

Eat, dance, and pray together

I engage in a number of different spiritual practices.  I write morning pages (though rarely in the morning), sit for centering prayer, walk labyrinths (especially in the snow), sing chants with my shruti box (though not usually Gregorian or Anglican), and dance. 

I flit from one to another almost daily depending on my mood, anxiety level, ability to focus, need to move, available time, and the brain rats in my head.  The goal is always to feel closer to God and have a greater sense of peace.  Sometimes that means letting the brain rats have their say.  Most of the time it is letting myself be absorbed enough in the activity to lose the distinction of my separate self and to connect with my body, spirit, still small voice, nature, or the wholeness createdin community. 

It is my hope to write about each of the spiritual practices I groove to.  This first reflection will be about the Dances of Universal Peace. 

Wanted: Sensitive Singing Males

Seeking heart-filled males who enjoy singing to bring soothing songs to the bedsides of fragile folks on hospice services.

Are you game?

Grace Notes hospice choir is a group of joyful and compassionate people who love to sing together and bring comfort and a smile to those who are facing a sensitive life transition.

We meet to rehearse and sing at the bedside on Monday nights. On the first and third Mondays we rehearse at St. Mary's Episcopal Church, 1895 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN. On the second and fourth Mondays, we go and visit folks on hospice services with AseraCare at Twin Cities nursing homes. If there's a fifth Monday, we have a potluck with our supporters and anyone who is interested in our work to share stories, sing more, and eat good food!

It's summer and rehearsals are on hiatus. Come September 17, 2012 we'll be back to rehearsing on the first and third Mondays.

In the meantime you can contact Conie about the other details of joining Grace Notes. A background check, letters of reference, medical tests, paperwork and two orientation meetings (coming up in August and November!) are required to volunteer with these beautiful vulnerable people.

Still serious? Email PointsOfLightMusic at gmail.

p.s. females are welcome to apply. We like gender equity.

Arf! ARF! ARRRROOOF! (Translation: Calling for singers, song leaders, and songwriters impacted by the foreclosure crisis!)

Arts Responding to Foreclosure (ARF!) is looking for people to share their story through community singing and documentary photography about how the foreclosure crisis has impacted them. 

ARF! is partnering with the Frogtown Neighborhood Association and the St. Paul Fair Lending Coalition to offer FREE art workshops to people who want to share their foreclosure story.  Participants who attend all 6 workshop sessions and show their art at the end of the workshop will recieve a stipend of $300. 

The Community Singing and Songwriting workshop is Thursdays, July 12-August 16, from 6-9 p.m. at 1080 University Ave (at Lexington).  Lead by Conie Borchardt (yep, me!), participants will practice the folk art of community singing in the oral tradition and create new songs that tell today's foreclosure stories and educate others.  Applications are due on Thursday, June 7.  Forms are available at the Frogtown Neighborhood Association or online.  Interviews for the 15 slots will be conducted on Thursday evening, Jun 14, and Saturday morning, June 16.

The Documentary Photography classes will be held on Thursdays, September 13-October 18, 2012.  Minnesota State Arts Board Teaching Artist Barry Kleider will be leading this workshop.  Watch for more details on applications and interviews in future emails. 

For more information about these Arts Responding to Foreclosure (ARF!) workshops, including Sheronda's lead-off series using Spoken Word, the artists teaching them, and its history, please direct your browser to http://artsrespondingtoforeclosure.wordpress.com/. 

This activity is funded, in part, by the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA) at the University of Minnesota and Minnesota State Arts Board through the arts and cultural heritage fund as appropriated by the Minnesota State Legislature with money from the Legacy Amendment vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008.  

Summer Dog Days: ARF! ARF!

Just raising the signal on a project I will be a part of this summer, Arts Responding to Foreclosure (ARF!)
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We're having an open community gathering and info session on Thursday evening, April 12, at Frogtown Square!  Join us! 

Call for new text: general farewell-well wishes-Godspeed on tune of OLD 100th

We have some special people in our community who will be moving away soon.  Wanting to give them a special St. Mary's sendoff, the rector asked if new texts could be written to a familiar tune so we have something we can pickup to sing when this happens (hopefully rare!). 

You're up for a challenge, aren't you?

So sharpen your pencils, open up your rhyming dictionaries and put on your wordsmithing caps.  Your mission is to write a verse about wishing good people Godspeed on their journey and with fond wishes that we'll meet them again some day.  The tune to fit these words into is OLD 100th, which is also known as "Praise God from whom all blessings flow" or the Doxology.  For those of you who know poetic meter, Old 100th is LM (long meter).  Translation:  four lines with 8 syllables each.  Wikipedia has a nice & short article on hymn meters you can read up on, if you wish. 

The deadline for this challenge is next Sunday, April 15, 2012, noon.  Please email your entry(ies) to conie at saintmarysepiscopal dot org, hand it to me at church, or post it here if you wish.  We'll premiere the finest verse the following week.  (and if your holy muse is opposed to things like deadlines and other logistics, feel free to drop a note any time:). 

Blessings on the final day of the Triduum!