- Song Organizers - Shared Weight Lists

Mailman upgrade and bounce notifications #Admin

by Seth Seeger

Hello SharedWeight community, I am the system administrator for sharedweight.net. Today, I upgraded the Mailman3 software that runs the lists. One of the new features in this version is automatic bounce processing. That means that if your email bounces a message back to the server enough times, your subscription will automatically be disabled. Unfortunately, it started counting bounces from a long time ago, instead of starting with a clean slate. Some of you may have received a notice that says your mailing list subscription has been disabled. I have re-enabled all subscriptions that were disabled today because of bounces. I'm hoping that today's upgrade also fixes the garbage characters that some of you see in your digests. Please let me know if you find any problems. Thank you for your patience, Seth

3 years, 2 months

1
0
0 0

CDSS workshop on cultural equity at the local level

by Emily Addison

Hi trad song organizers. I just posted this info on the dance organizers list and thought that song folks would likely be very interested as well... CDSS is hosting a workshop with Dr. Dena Ross Jennings on Cultural Equity at the Local Level. Dena is familiar with many of our traditions --- she led cultural equity workshops at the Youth Trad Song weekend this year and she's the facilitator of CDSS's Cultural Equity Working Group. I attended Dena's workshops at YTS and they were fantastic. More info is below. (Heads up - you need to sign in through CDSS's web portal to register but that's pretty easy.) Emily Join us for our September Common Time, "Cultural Equity at the Local Level," with Dr. Dena Ross Jennings (of Imani Works <https://www.facebook.com/ImaniWorks/?__cft__[0]=AZXzvzQzigUKRxFpPv06VGBSpUX…> )! Cultural equity embodies the values, policies, and practices of providing equal access to the arts, including our shared dance, music, and song traditions, especially to people who historically have been underrepresented or denied access to those traditions. This means we are working to ensure that everyone who wants to participate in our traditions is empowered to do so with a full sense of belonging and ownership. This also means we are working to educate ourselves on the full history of the living traditions we share, including where and how these traditions have silenced and appropriated ideas from marginalized voices. But how does this work apply to local dance, music, and song organizations? How do our organizations and events need to change in order to be more equitable? And how do we begin to have these conversations? Join us as Dr. Dena Ross Jennings, facilitator of CDSS’s Cultural Equity Advisory Group, leads a presentation and discussion about cultural equity, appropriation versus appreciation, and the key element of communication that makes all of this work possible. Register at cdss.org/common-time <http://cdss.org/common-time?fbclid=IwAR0BEO-pLfYTci6BXKcoyn0lu39I8-aBf6-_aw…> .

3 years, 3 months

3
2
0 0

Bucket Brigade Demo, Thursday 1/14 8:30pm

by Jeff Kaufman

Hi song organizers, I've been working on a program to let people sing together online, and I'm hosting a demo to show how it works: * Thursday 1/14 * 8:30pm ET * https://echo.jefftk.com What you'll need: * Computer (not a phone or tablet) * Chrome or Firefox * Ideally, wired headphones The general idea is that people are in six buckets, with the song leader in the first bucket. Everyone can hear all the people in the buckets ahead of them (lower-numbered), and be heard by all the people in the buckets after them (higher-numbered). This is a different approach than realtime options: instead of minimizing latency, it adapts to it. This means it does not require a wired internet connection or any specialized audio hardware. It also includes video and voice chat, for talking between songs. Jeff

3 years, 11 months

2
1
0 0

CDSS webchat about singing and playing music in real time

by Emily Addison

Hi song organizers, CDSS is hosting a web chat next that I thought you might be interested in. See below! Emily Addison Join us for our next Web Chat: Singing and Playing Music in REAL TIME! An online discussion for organizers of song communities and open bands Wednesday, January 13, 2021, 7:00-8:30 p.m. ET Join us for this conversation with a member of the Sacred Harp group FaSoLa Philadelphia (PA) and a member of Phoenix (AZ) Traditional Music & Dance Society. During this Web Chat, they’ll be sharing their successes with using the computer program Jamulus to enable their groups to sing and play music in real time! We know a return to in-person singing and jamming is on the horizon, but it will still take some time before it’s safe to gather in groups. Tune in to find out how these groups have tackled the challenge of creating online real-time song and music sessions. We’ll make sure there’s plenty of time for Q&A and breakout sessions, so come with your questions ready! REGISTER online <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001v1vVRo2Ph1ZSiyUe6bfwwn0sXsJ9FN-4T8DQkBG9a7ad…> by January 11. Soon after you register, Zoom will send you a confirmation email with your own personal link. You’ll need this info for joining the Web Chat! To keep track of it, we recommend saving the email and/or creating a calendar event. Please share this invite with members of community music and singing groups! Questions? Contact resources(a)cdss.org.

3 years, 11 months

3
2
0 0

New Shared Weight email discussion list - Growing Up Trad!

by Emily Addison

Hi song organizers, There's a new Shared Weight list that I wanted to tell you about.... it's called Growing Up Trad! Here's our mission: *Growing up Trad! is an email discussion list for caregiving adults who love traditional dance, music and song. The focus of our conversation is around nurturing these traditions within our families and in particular with the children in our care. * *We are dancers, singers, callers, musicians, and/or lovers of the traditions. We are seeking ways to network with others so that our children can have increased opportunities to engage in our shared traditions, especially if we are isolated in our local communities and have few kindred spirits.* *We welcome parents, grandparents, and anyone else interested in discussing how to encourage the love of traditional dance, music, and song among children in their families. We also hope that this online community will help children and families prepare for connecting in person over time as we are able to meet locally, regionally, and beyond.* We'd love to have any of you join us. More info and how to join is here: https://www.sharedweight.net/lists/growinguptrad/ Thanks! Emily Addison

4 years, 1 month

1
0
0 0

Remote singing program

by Jeff Kaufman

I made a program for people to sing together over the Internet. It works bucket brigade style, where each person in the brigade is three seconds behind the person in front of them. Everyone can hear everyone before then, and be heard by everyone after them. It runs in the browser, though currently it only works in Chrome. It also works best if you have wired headphones, so it doesn't mix your sound with other people's. Would anyone be interested in trying it out? Jeff

4 years, 1 month

1
0
0 0

Have you run any online sings?

by Amanda Witman

I know there are some folks on this list who have been running online sings on a regular or ongoing basis and perhaps others who have done it once or a few times but not ongoing. I myself am gearing up for my first. And there are many possible ways to go about it. (Building a plane while flying it, anyone?!) What has your experience been with running/hosting/leading online singing opportunities? I'm interested in any and all aspects of the experience...singing, tech, all of it. Pros? Cons? Challenges? Tips and tricks? Frustrations? Benefits? Unexpected positives? Who's been in the trenches trying to make this happen? Or who has attended a sing hosted by someone else, and how did it go? I would love it if you would share your experiences. Constructive, kind feedback will help us all evolve this new genre... - Amanda PS Thank you, Lynn Noel, for so helpfully encapsulating your learnings in a previous email to this list. Any additions/amendments?

4 years, 1 month

3
2
0 0

CDSS Song Organizers web chat this Wednesday - updates on speakers + registration

by Emily Addison

Hi All, Just a quick reminder that the CDSS song organizers web chat is this Wednesday. There is information about the spreaders below. Please share with others you think might be interested. Emily Addison Writing from Ottawa, Ontario -------------------------------------- *Reminder about next CDSS Web Chat!* *Supporting Song Communities Across the Continent* *Wednesday, September 16, 7:00-8:30 p.m. ET* Don't miss this exciting and valuable opportunity for organizers of song communities far and wide! You'll hear from organizers who are creating ways to keep their groups safely engaged during the pandemic. Community chorus leader Suzannah Park from Asheville, NC will get us singing "together" and share tips for leading songs. Long-time community sing organizers Bruce Baker (Seattle, WA), and Debra Chesman (Corning, NY) will share many aspects running successful online sings. You'll also hear about other possibilities for group singing during this time, plus Q&A and open conversations in breakout rooms. You're sure to gather new energy, ideas, and resources from this Web Chat! *REGISTER online <https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwrcOusrzgtGtYncnJiFci7M43X1IxQw4…> ASAP!* Soon after you register, Zoom will send you a confirmation email with your own personal link. You’ll need this info for joining the Web Chat! *Please share this invite with singing friends!* Questions? Contact resources@cdss <resources(a)cdss.org>

4 years, 3 months

1
0
0 0

Song organizers - another CDSS Web Chat just for you!

by Emily Addison

Hello song organizers! CDSS is hosting another web chat for song organizers coming up in a few weeks. See below for all the details. Hope to see some of you there :) Emily Addison Writing from Ottawa, ON *Supporting Song Communities Across the Continent* *Wednesday, Sept. 16, 7:00-8:30 p.m. EDT* Calling organizers of song communities far and wide! Many of you are finding creative ways to keep your community engaged and connected during the pandemic. In this Web Chat, we’ll hear from organizers about experiences that are working well in their song groups. We’ll feature a few *guest speakers* and have plenty of time for* Q&A*,* open conversation*, and *breakout rooms*, all to fill you with new energy, ideas, and resources. If you have a successful experience to share, please let us know via your registration form. All input welcome! *REGISTER online* <https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwrcOusrzgtGtYncnJiFci7M43X1IxQw4…> : https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwrcOusrzgtGtYncnJiFci7M43X1IxQw4… · by September 9 to provide a brief description of your group’s experience · by September 14 for all other registrants Soon after you register, Zoom will send you a confirmation email with your own personal link. You’ll need this info for joining the Web Chat! To keep track of it, we recommend saving the email and/or creating a calendar event. *Please share this invite with singing friends!* Questions? Contact resources(a)cdss.org

4 years, 3 months

1
0
0 0

New Blog Post: Who Sings When? Ways to Manage an Online Session Roster and Singers' Queue

by lynnoel

https://crosscurrentsmusic.blogspot.com/2020/08/who-sings-when-ways-to-mana… Who Sings When? Ways to Manage an Online Session Roster and Singers' Queue - August 29, 2020 <https://crosscurrentsmusic.blogspot.com/2020/08/who-sings-when-ways-to-mana…> When we're together in real life, there are some recognized forms of etiquette for how to manage the order in which singers follow each other in a session. What is similar, and what is different, online? A Note on Terms This article uses the term *session leader* interchangeably to describe the person actually leading the sing --the *compere*--and the person tracking the roster--the *house manager*. It uses the term *host *as a term of art on the the Zoom platform to mean the person in charge of managing the meeting. The host can be either a solo compere/house manager or co-hosts in each role. We have developed some effective techniques that depend on the compere NOT being the (only) meeting host--see below. Common Real-Life Models for Song Sessions POPCORN SING The most informal has been called a "popcorn sing," where each singer takes their turn as the spirit moves them, in response to a segue or casually as in conversation. This works great for a smaller group, and/or for singers who know each other as a community and are able to manage participation gracefully as a group, with or without a designated compere. CIRCLE SING (TALKING STICK) For more than 20 singers, and/or at a festival or event where people don't know each other well, the most common format is the circle sing. Participants sit in a circle and the session compere starts the session and indicates the direction around the circle (usually clockwise). Sometimes the compere will provide a talking stick or a twig as a tangible item that gets passed around the circle so everyone can see whose turn it is. CURATED SING Less common IRL in North America, but common in Britain and Europe and found in the US and Canada, is what I would call a "curated sing" led by a compere. It is the session host's choice in what order to call on each singer. This allows the leader to shape the sing with a balance of experienced singers, special guests and professionals, newer participants, and latecomers. Some festival sings, notably the Middle Bar Singers at Sidmouth, have a hybrid model that allows one of the four "drivers" (comperes/session leaders) to override the circle and physically move the twig to another location to curate the sing. Emerging Online Models for Zoom Sessions Zoom sessions have taken the folksong world by storm since March 2020. The Virtual Session Calendar <https://www.bostonsongsessions.org/virtual-sessions>lists over 30 regular sessions a week in North America, Britain, and Australia. The Country Dance and Song Society (CDSS) has a growing Online Events <https://www.cdss.org/community/covid19/online-events> section on their portal. Folklife Magazine out of Wales sponsors a Virtual Folk page <http://folklife.uk/virtual.folk.html>. All of these consolidators are eager to hear of new online/virtual/digital sings that they can catalog and share. Full disclosure: no one person could attend all these sessions in a week or a month, and I certainly have not done so. However, from mid-March to late August, I've been to a wide range of song sessions in multiple countries. Here's what I've seen on the question of how each session decides which singer goes next and in what order. The most formal of the models properly comes last in this list, but here it demonstrates the contrast with the more grassroots models. Broadcast Models SIGN UP AND PRESELECT (CONCERT MODEL) The largest participatory sings I have encountered are the two chantey sings at the South Street Seaport and the San Francisco Maritime Museum. Both sessions provide a series of links in a workflow where singers buy a sometimes free ticket (total headcount), indicate in registering or by filling out a separate form that they would like to sing (singer headcount), and then receiving a link to the session. Comperes appointed by the organizer review the singer headcount and accept/decline according to the estimated available singing time. Ideally acceptance/rejection gets sent to singers before the sing (which is a great deal of overhead). Once a signup sing starts, it becomes a CURATED - COMPERE'S ROSTER sing and evolves through the following stages until the event becomes too large for a real-time roster. A sing can absorb only 10-12 songs led an hour, so if a 3 hour session were expecting more than 35 song leaders each to sing one song, they would need to extend to 4 hours or go to an advance signup concert model. Solo Host Models POPCORN- MICS ON/OFF Again, best for smaller sings and well-established communities like local pub sings gone online. The host usually, but not always, kicks it off and then opens the floor to conversation until the next singer starts up. This requires sharp microphone skills, since every participant has the option to mute/unmute at their choice. I've seen this work most effectively with an experienced and courteous group willing to absorb a fair amount of "oops, never mind" and "no no, after you!" This model often combines in practice with a curated sing. CURATED - AD HOC This approach is the easiest for a new sing, and can work very nicely with a conscientious compere and a small group of up to 10-12 singers. The compere chooses and announces either the first or the first three singers (#1, 2, and 3) and everyone mutes their mics. After each song, only the compere unmutes between songs, announcing the next three singers (#2, 3, and 4) in rolling fashion. It's becoming customary, and emerging best practice, to greet first-timers as they arrive, ask if they'd like to sing, and move them to one of the 3-5 songs up next. This means new folks don't have to wait too long to sing, and the group can meet the newcomers musically. This transitions seamlessly into the next model. CURATED - COMPERE'S ROSTER At about 10 singers, even the best comperes' brains explode. We run out of fingers and start scribbling names on a pad. This roster usually gets jiggered throughout the session as the compere crosses off those who have sung, adds new singers at the bottom or by squeezing them in, and tracks who has just arrived, who has to leave early and needs to be moved up, and who has already left. Choosing a small scratch pad for this usually self-corrects within an hour. There's a basic choice here, to assume everyone wants to sing or to ask people to confirm. A good compere can graciously balance thanking the last singer, welcoming new singers, asking individuals if they have a song, and announcing the next singer and the upcoming roster. Talking is a different cognitive activity from writing a list AND admitting users from a waiting room! It totally helps to designate a House Manager/Left Brain as a backstage technical host and a Compere/Right Brain to do the talking. If you are fortunate enough to have two session leaders, see the Shared and Published roster models. Try trading off roles to practice using the other halves of your brains for both online speaking and online writing. CURATED - NUMBERED NAMES I've seen several sings where the meeting host--most effectively when NOT the compere!--edits the Name of each Zoom participant to add a number, like 15-Lynn Noel, or (for speed's sake) replaces name with number. Early on, people hoped that this would translate into displaying singers in order in the Gallery, aka Brady Bunch view. Unfortunately for that plan, Zoom has a highly dynamic interface that moves the active speaker to the home screen depending on your device screen. However, meeting hosts can see the Participant list in order, which can function roughly as an online roster. This numbering approach had some very quick parallel evolution in spring 2020, but by late summer it's largely transitioned to one of the standalone roster models. Co-Host Models There's a key transition here from solo to duo. If you haven't already enlisted a co-host, even if you like flying solo as a compere, let me lay out some of the opportunities and advantages of online collaboration. CURATED - SHARED ROSTER Paper lists have two limits: they're hard to edit at speed (even in pencil), and only the compere can see them. A number of sings, including the Mermaid's Tavern sessions, have discovered the opportunity of using a Google Doc to share the responsibility between two comperes/hosts. If you anticipate that your sing will get more than 15 people, it's a good idea to set up a Google Doc just in case. You can transition to one mid-sing if you're handy with multitasking and can't read your scribbled notes without retyping them anyway. Once you have a Google Doc, your two compere/host leaders don't need to be in the same place any more! That means you can run your sing from Boston with your chantey buddy in Gloucester or your evil twin in Maine. As the compere, you get a nice clean list to work from without the hassle of editing it while you talk, and you can still "move the twig" verbally if you want. It also opens up an exciting opportunity for folklore nerds and YouTube stars with the Transcript Roster model. CURATED - TRANSCRIPT ROSTER This records not only who sang, but WHAT they sang, so you can find it again on the session recording. The House Manager/host starts by listing names in a numbered list and adds a hyphen. During or after each song, either session leader writes down the song title and author, if known, after the hyphen. Singers can and do paste this info into the chat window, especially when asked, so it's easy to transfer to the Google Doc. We use a permanent transcript in a single document called Session Roster rather than creating a new one (and a new link to share) for each session (Aug Session, Sept Session, &c). This has the additional advantage of creating a history of the sings, searchable so you can answer a singer's question "have I sung this here already?" From here it's a short step to create demand for the last model--to let everyone see the roster in real time. CURATED - PUBLISHED ROSTER Every Google Doc has a permissions model where you can assign users to view, edit, or own the document. There is also a setting to Get Link to a somewhat messy URL so that Everyone With the Link can View (but not edit). Once the compere, house manager, and any dedicated scribe can collaborate smoothly in the transcript roster working smoothly, it's easy to share to viewers with Get Link and pasting the link into the chat. Reflections on Real-Time Rosters Some interesting things happen when everyone can see the transcript roster in real time. Singers who got passed over even though they chatted SINGER will pipe up that they are not on the roster. Singers will send chats with corrections to their names, singing order, song titles, and authors. The smoothest we've had a sing go is when we have a third designated Scribe who handles the transcripts, the part after the hyphen, as well as any corrections. That way the House Manager focuses on creating the queue and the Compere on managing it with the singers, including any reordering needed. The compere "holds the twig" for the room, and can move it around as long as the roster gets updated at or near real time. The published transcript roster is very popular with singers who enjoy knowing where they are in the queue, especially at a larger sing. It's the equivalent of noticing that you're sitting at 6 o'clock and the twig's only at 2 o'clock, so you can nip down to the bar for a pint without losing your spot. Don't be surprised if your singers ask that the roster link be posted frequently to the chat throughout the session. Chats get wordy, and singers don't want to waste valuable singing time scrolling when they can ask to have a new link posted. Sadly, Zoom does not as yet have a Pinned Post feature like Facebook Chat, so the easiest thing to do is to keep the URL on the clipboard for a lightning copy/paste. This can backfire for mobile users. Remember I said it was a messy URL? It's long, full of special characters, and doesn't work if the line wraps. Our singers got frustrated with that, so first I made a TinyURL with a permalink http://tinyurl.com/mermaidstavernballadroster and then later http://balladroster.mermaidstavern.com. We also have chanteyroster.mermaidstavern.com and openmicroster.mermaidstavern.com. Your mileage may vary, and for a small sing this is overkill. But we draw 25-40 singers a session, so we evolved these models quickly as our session grew. Back to the Circle Sing Once people can see the queue as well as hear it, we are as close as we may get online to a Circle Sing model. All singers can tell visually at any time where they are "around the room," check to see who's singing now, and "count twigs" until it's their turn. The compere can mention to visually impaired singers that they are #25 and we are currently at #15. Everyone can confirm that their name is spelled right and their contribution is correctly recorded, and anyone can search the history of the sing to see what they sang last time and whether a particular song has been sung recently. Interestingly, this is what singers want to ask the compere rather than each other, so it saves some on-mic time as well. The roster becomes the collective memory of the compere rather than having to remember who last sang Barrett's Privateers and if anyone's sung Claudy Banks yet. How do you run YOUR online song session? Write me at info(a)lynnoel.com and tell me what model you use and what special sauce you've developed for Zoom sings. Lynn Noel info(a)lynnoel.com http://www.lynnoel.com

4 years, 4 months

1
0
0 0

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

Song Organizers