Location
Cambridge
Cambridge
I lead harmony song circles, women's song circles, fire-side groups, singing in nature, and chant.
If you love song, chant or harmony singing, I’m leading the following things this year – email me or message me to join in. If you’re more of a whatsapp user, I can add you to our groups so you can see what’s going on 🙂
Song Sisters
Heartsong Evenings
Vocal improvisation
Sacrae – Cambridge’s sacred song circle
Cambridge Dances of Universal Peace
Global Harmony (Rowena Whitehead)
I am an experienced teacher and facilitator, having been teaching a variety of things for about 25 years and love sharing songs and leading dance! I am a member of the Natural Voice Network and the Singing for Health network, and have trained in singing group leading with Susie Ro Prater, in sacred song with Delia Rosenboom, in vocal technique for singing leaders with Ailsa Nicholson, and have taken part in workshops to improve harmony singing with Chris Rowbury. I have also taken part in workshops lead by Larisa Gosling and Heather Houston exploring mindful singing, alongside enjoying many thousands of hours of acapella harmony singing and song-sharing workshops and choir sessions. I led Companion Voices, singing for the end of life, in Cambridge, and have held many Heartsong circles.
I am proud to be an NVN member and to contribute to a movement that believes that singing is everybody’s birthright. For thousands of years all over the world people have sung — to express joy, celebration and grief, to aid healing, to accompany work, devotion and the rituals of life — without worrying about having a “good” voice or “getting it right”. Singing has been a part of life, a way of binding communities.
Each person’s voice is as unique as their fingerprint: the voice we are born with is capable of freely expressing a full range of emotions, thoughts and experience – this is what we mean by the “natural voice”.
Creating an accepting community is an essential element of our approach: a community where singing together is a natural experience that is open and accessible to all.
Mmmmmmmm! Making music from nothing! Deep listening, deep magic – Vocal Improvisation is a way of touching the song inside of you, and it’s fun (ok, can be scary too). If the idea of a safe space to explore this attracts you, let me know. I ran an intro session in October with the Cambridge Music Improv group, and now we meet regularly and plan to have invited CVI leaders too.
Join our group here: https://chat.whatsapp.com/G7ZapIO4CL7IfcZ8o8FhHR
ad-hoc
Not a choir but singers and dancers who gather for Dances of Universal Peace on the first Friday of the month. Dances of Universal Peace (or DUP) are circle dances which embody a sense of unity, presence and compassion. They are sung dances, offer an open, deep and joyful way to connect with your heart, or the sacred, or the sense of the divine – however you perceive this to be.
Led by Cathy Kassam, we dance a rich variety of Dances of Universal Peace and occasionally other circle dance. I am a mentored dance leader in training and usually share dances at this lovely session. All welcome – just drop in or message me for more information.
The first Friday of the month
An invitation! Join us as we gather in the evenings and to share food and chant together, journeying as ever through chant created with intention.
Everything is taught by ear, so no singing experience needed, and we sing simple heart-opening chants by candlelight. The chants and songs may come from or be inspired by wisdom traditions or drawn from the river of song and their heritage and the song-writers are honoured. Songs might include Prana chants, chant from earth-based traditions, or chant inspired by sacred texts or mantras. They may be in simple harmony or sung in unison.
Singing in this way relaxes the body, regulates the nervous system, and helps us reconnect with our heart, our path, and our community. New people come all the time and you will be very welcome. It’s a chance to open the voice, receive sound, connect with others and be nourished in body and soul.
We eat together before singing – usually I or another singer will cook a sweet potato dahl and rice (vegan and gluten-free) to share beforehand, or similar. If the weather is fine, we may sing round the fire or gather round it afterwards too.
You will be so welcome to join us and drop in to warmth, nourishing food and heart-opening chant and song.
We meet on Thursday evenings once or twice a month off Mill Road, central Cambridge. Everyone welcome. CB1, parking nearby. Cost on a sliding scale, at the time of listing this is £15 /£11 /£8.
Message me to join, or join our WhatsApp group here – https://chat.whatsapp.com/L12345vcMF79QIagzuITIo
Thursday evenings once or twice a month
Rowena Whitehead leads a great drop-in community singing group in Cambridge on Thursday afternoons.. Helen East will be leading from time to time – come and sing delicious harmonies with a good crowd! New and experienced singers all welcome.
Parking nearby, at the time of writing the cost is £8 per session. Bring yourself and your water bottle!
Thursday afternoons, 2.15pm to 3.30pm
Sacrae is Cambridge’s long-running sacred song circle, lead by myself and Anna McIvor. We gather once a month or more on a Sunday afternoon to sing simple song and chant with beautiful harmonies with the intention of connecting to ourselves, to our sense of the sacred.
Singing together in a circle in a held space with this intention relaxes the body, nourishes the spirit and can provide the sustenance needed to take ourselves back out into the world and make the difference we can.
Sacrae is usually held off Mill Road at Romsey Mill, CB1 3BZ, from 2pm to 3.30pm with social space and tea afterwards. Suggested donation £10. Parking nearby. No spiritual affiliation or beliefs necessary 🙂
Usually twice a month on Sundays from 2pm - 3.30pm
A wonderful song circle of women gathering every Monday afternoon from 1.30 to 3pm in Cambridge to sing songs old and new, songs for the Earth, songs for ourselves, songs for humanity.
We are a non-performing, welcoming, relaxed group of women who sing just for the pleasure and connection of song. There are women completely new to singing, and women who have sung all their lives. Come for a free trial session and see if you enjoy it! Recent songs have included “There is so much magnificence near the ocean”, “No more holding on”, “Let peace descend”, “Brigit’s Mantle”, “Believing in Love”, “This is Home” by songwriters such as Ali Burns, Nickomo Clarke, Penny Stone, Sophia Efthimiou, Susie Ro Prater, and many more. We also drink tea and share a bit of ourselves.
Free trial afternoon!
Message me to find out more, or join our WhatsApp group here – https://chat.whatsapp.com/CAcdks7JtuaLVvq1x2SVqB
Commitment is in blocks of approx. 6 weeks. Open to women and all who have had significant lived experience as a women.
Mondays 1.30 - 3.00pm
