INCLUSION IN COMMUNITY SINGING

While it is impossible to be inclusive to all people these are the ways this community is trying to be as inclusive as possible.

All Voices are Welcome - what does this really mean?   

In this community it means… if you love to sing and want to sing in community, you are welcome. We do our best to find ways to accommodate any needs that you may have.  While we wish to include as many people that we can there may be times this singing community might not be the right fit for you. Please speak with me if you have any concerns.

2SLGBTQIA+  - We welcome all genders. Singers are welcome to sing in any section that feels good to them. Singers can wear gender affirming clothing at concerts.

ACCESSIBILTY

We do our best to rent spaces that are accessible for anyone with mobility challenges. 

Westwood Unitarian has a ramp and parking space at the back of the church. Please let me know if you are in need to use this so I can turn lights on and keep the ramp free of snow.  It also has accessible and gender neutral washrooms

Unity of Edmonton - is accessible for walkers and wheelchairs. Sadly the washrooms do not have an accessible stall but are gender neutral when we use them.

Unitarian Church of Edmonton and Southminster Steinhauer United Church - where we hold our retreats and concerts are completely accessible with gender neutral washrooms. 

Parking – sometimes parking can be a snug depending on where we gather to sing.  A general guideline and suggestion is that if you are more able bodied please park a little further away to allow others not so able bodied to park closer.

Scents - we try to be scent free as possible. Strong smells of perfumes, colognes or body odor can be challenges when singing in close proximity to each other.

DECOLONIZING COMMUNITY SINGING

In this singing community we are actively learning how to decolonize community singing.  I emphasize “learning”  as I am a white, western music educated song leader with a strong passion for singing songs from around the world.  What makes us different from most “choirs” is that we sing in the oral tradition and sing songs from many different traditions.  We acknowledge that songs want to travel and be shared and that some songs have traveled against their will due to colonization. We need to be mindful of this as we welcome singers with diverse musical and cultural backgrounds and when singing music that is not from our culture. We do our best to access direct support from culture bearers to help us sing these songs with the respect they deserve.   We let go of the concept of perfectionism in music but instead look to how we can find the magic of the music honouring its traditions and life. We also stay open other perspectives and do better as we learn more about how to sing together with respect and integrity.