Our All-Ages Community Sing at 99 York in May was such a heartwarming success - we are excited to offer another season this fall!
Are you seeking more community? Do you and/or your kiddos love to sing? Want something fun to do on a weekday morning? We warmly invite you to join us on Thursday mornings, from September to December, for a nourishing dose of community and song. 🤗
Fall Dates & Location
Thursday Mornings
September 11th to October 16th
& November 13th to December 18th
10:00 am
Doors Open
10:30 to 11:45 am
Singing
11:45 am to 12:30 pm
Community Gathering
in the Living Room @ Kingston Community House at 99 York
Membership
Sustaining Contribution for 6 Weeks of Singing:
Regular: $135
Youth (7-14): $75
Children under age 7 are free.
Tea & Coffee are included.
There will be a volunteer snack rotation.
Steph & Paul will bring gluten-free, nut-free, vegan baked goodies to the first week!
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What To Expect
A welcoming environment that embraces you, your voice and your kiddos (if applicable) exactly as they are.
Permission and encouragement to participate in your own way at your unique pace.
Opportunities to connect with your neighbours and experience a sense of community.
Easy-to-learn songs suitable for people of all ages that honour the delights and struggles of being human. Some songs will be chosen for the adults in the room, some will be chosen for the kids. Not every song will resonate with every human, and this is fiercely OK.
And, finally, a perfectly imperfect intergenerational space with kids and adults sometimes participating actively in the singing and sometimes engaging in quiet activities on the sidelines. We will have paper and pencils prepared for making art!
A Few Important Notes
Pre-registration is required.
Registration is limited to 15 participants (not including children under 7) at each gathering.
We need a minimum of 10 registrants to go ahead with a season of singing. We will let you know by Thursday, September 4th if we will proceed with the first term of singing. All fees will be refunded if the term is cancelled.
PWYC (Pay What You Can) registration options are available, allowing individuals to contribute less (including $0) or more than the suggested amount according to their financial ability. We encourage you to give what is generous and sustainable for YOU, based on your very unique lived experience. The beauty of community is that where some can give less, others can give more, and it all works out.
If making a financial contribution is out of reach right now, but you have energy and skills to offer, please reach out, as we may have energy exchange spots available.
We are seeking to create a consistent community. Drop-in spaces at each circle are limited to 1-3 people. The drop-in rates are $25 regular and $12.50 for youth (7-14), when space permits. PWYC options are also available for drop-ins.
We will confirm one week before the start date if we are going ahead with the offering. Stay tuned!
About Steph & Paul
Steph and Paul have been facilitating community song circles together for over 8 years. In a world where everything moves so fast and neighbours no longer know each other’s names, they feel the most important contribution they could make is to re-weave place-based community. Getting people singing is their favourite way of bringing people together!
Known by some as a musical “wizard,” Paul Barton makes clever use of his education in Jazz guitar and experience as a professional musician to help song circles run seamlessly. Steph Drouin is a trained community choir leader, Expressive Arts Therapist and expert space holder. Informed by a lifelong relationship with anxiety, she is passionate about creating spaces where you can feel safe to show up exactly as you are.
Get ready! As a team of gifted space holders and song weavers, Steph & Paul will not only create an accessible and uplifting musical experience for you but also an environment that is welcoming of your fierce and tender human self.
Registration
To save your spot, please fill out the form below and send an e-transfer of your chosen amount to gifts@fiercelyok.ca (no password required). For any youth 15+, please fill out a seperate form.
Since ancient times, people have gathered to sing as a way of caring for themselves, each other, and the more-than-human world. Let's reclaim our collective wellness through the practice of community singing. Come find joy, strength, and solace in song with us.
FAQs
Who Is This For?
All voices, ages and levels are welcome. No musical experience is necessary. In fact, people who only sing in the shower or car are especially welcome. We are all capable of making beautiful sound, and we would love to help you experience this birthright.
How do you support people of all abilities, identities and singing experiences to participate?
While we acknowledge that we have work to do, we are endeavouring to create spaces in which folks of all abilities, identities and singing experiences are able to participate in ways that are satisfying to them. All songs will be taught in the repeat-after-me style and will be simple enough to learn in one sitting.
If you feel concerned about being able to pick up the lyrics, rest assured that we will teach the songs in bite-size chunks and check in with you often. If a chunk is too long, we will teach a shorter chunk. We will move at a human pace and leave no one behind. If visual aids are helpful for you, please bring along a little notebook to jot down the lyrics and let us know if you would like any assistance catching the words. We're here to support you!
Unfortunately, the space is not wheelchair accessible.
All bathrooms are gender-neutral.
While we are working to anticipate your needs, we warmly invite you, if and when you feel safe enough, to let us know how we can best support you to show up. Together, as a community, we will grow.
What is your wellness/COVID policy?
We are currently asking that participants complete their own wellness self-assessment prior to attending Fiercely OK events. Please attend only if you are feeling well and have not recently been sick or been in contact with someone who was sick. If you are unsure of whether you should attend, please complete this self-assessment: https://www.ontario.ca/self-assessment/ and reach out to Steph. If any symptoms of COVID-19, flu or other contagious illness become apparent during the event or in the 5 days after the event, please notify Steph right away.
Decisions regarding how to practice physical distancing at Fiercely OK events are left to the discretion of individuals in attendance. Masks are optional and most likely *will not* be worn by most participants. We ask that all participants exercise caution and sensitivity with regard to masking, maintaining physical distance, and practising hand hygiene in the presence of other participants. In case the circumstances require masking, we recommend you bring a well-fitting N95 mask to the event. Please note that these guidelines and protocols are subject to change at any time without notice.
What is your refund policy?
We consider requests for refunds on a case-by-case basis. While we do not guarantee refunds for cancellations, unplanned absences or no-shows, we are committed to our relationship with you! Please be in touch with any concerns; we will work together to find an agreeable solution.
If you must cancel your attendance due to illness, you will be offered a credit which can be applied towards a future event hosted by Steph & Paul. If we need to cancel/postpone the event for any reason, we will offer participants the option to receive a full refund.
Any other questions?
Please do not hesitate to reach out to steph@fiercelyok.ca.