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Song Village 2024
May 30 to June 2

Pre-Registration Lottery is now closed.

We are so excited to gather with you once again. Stay tuned for updates.

New Lead Organizer:
Sarah MacEwan

Song Village 2024 introduces Sarah MacEwan as our new lead organizer! Sarah takes the reins as Tim and Amy step into participant/mentor roles. We welcome Sarah’s reverent and passionate embracing of the vision that founded Song Village, and all the singers and songleaders who continue to co-create it.

Please contact Sarah with all questions about the event.

Soul Village 2024
August 15-18

Soul Village is a gathering that celebrates life with both dancing and singing. (It is not another version of Song Village). If you love to both dance and sing, check out Soul Village on the Soul Village website.

Our Purpose

We love to sing together. Song village is a gathering where we sing to express the longings in our hearts, celebrate the joy in our souls, and reconnect ourselves to the earth and to each other.

Song Village is about building community through song. We teach each other. We harmonize together. And as we sing, we create a village where each voice is heard, and each person is celebrated.

What is Song Village?

Song Village is held in a beautiful redwood forest in the Santa Cruz mountains. We have three or four song circles each morning afternoon and evening. The circles are lead by guest song leaders or by the participants themselves. Each circle has a theme or genre, like the ones listed below. You choose the circles that interest you the most. Learn and sing new songs, or teach the group some songs you love.

Our gatherings also include fun and rich community building events, including dance, improv theater, heart share circles and delicious meals. Our gatherings are consciously facilitated to help everyone feel included and connected.

Our Culture

Song Village culture is created by the participants. We consider our “gathering” to be a forum where we are all participant/leaders. Some people may facilitate sessions with their song leading skills, but our goal is to create an egalitarian atmosphere, where each person is welcomed, esteemed, and given a chance to express themselves. Thus, we work to dismantle hierarchical social patterns. This includes paying attention to the impacts of larger societal oppressions, such as racism, sexism, age-ism, able-ism and gender and sexuality oppressions. We are committed to addressing these dynamics whenever they may emerge as a barrier to safety, inclusion and heartful connection.

Our Music

At Song Village the focus is on singing. Other instruments are played only to support the voices, never to drown them out. We are all about participation, not so much about performance. Some song circles are loud and raucous. Others are small and intimate. 

Cross-Fertilization

People come to Song Village from various singing groups, some eclectic and some specializing in specific genres. In this mix you can feel both the excitement of learning new songs and the comfort of songs that are familiar to you. Exposure to the variety of music at Song Village can inspire you to take your music in new directions. You can broaden or deepen your repertoire. And you may meet new people to collaborate with after camp.

Our Nonprofit Sponsor

Shine a Light Counseling Center is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization founded to provide low fee counseling services to the California central coast community. Song Village cofounder, Tim Hartnett, is the executive director of Shine a Light. Starting in 2020 Song Village has been adopted as a project of Shine a Light Counseling Center. This means that all administration of Song Village will be coordinated by Shine a Light. The event is budgeted to break even, but sponsorship by Shine a Light offers Song Village some financial backing in case of a loss or liability, as well as a good destination for any unexpected profit.