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March 1  ∙  April 5  ∙  May 3  ∙  June 7, 2023

First Wednesdays
Song Circle
with Cary Sheldon

Join us to sing around the virtual campfire! FREE monthly sessions on the first Wednesday of the month with mentor Cary Sheldon.

Register Now!
?

The button will take you to the Eventbrite registration page for this event. You may register for the series before the first session, or for individual sessions.

Already registered? Go to your Eventbrite access page. Be sure to log in to Eventbrite with the same account that you used to purchase the ticket.

More questions? Check out the Online Access Help Page

About the Event

There’s nothing that brings people together better than singing our favorite songs. It recalls summer nights around the campfire: someone strumming the guitar and all singing a mix of folk music, familiar songs we heard on the radio, and occasional new songs that someone shares.

Join us the first Wednesday of every month over Zoom for Song Circle. Mentor Cary Sheldon will invite us into her home to lead us in singing old favorites and new gems. Registration and participation are FREE!

Nobody has to worry about whether you know the songs or can sing like a pro. All online participants will be on mute. Lyrics and listen-links are posted on this page. This is our chance to share the joy of singing simply for the fun of it.

Date and Time

First Wednesday of the month  |  7:00 p.m. Pacific
March 1    April 5  ∙  May 3  ∙  June 7, 2023

Who should apply?

Everyone who wants to sing favorite songs and learn some new ones, too.

How should I prepare?

No preparation is required! We will post lyrics on this page but no practice is needed, just join us for an hour of musical fun with friends.

Is there a cost?

There is no cost, Song Circle is FREE.

How do I apply?

Register through Eventbrite using the “REGISTER NOW” button to get your personal Zoom access link.

Register Now!

The button will take you to the Eventbrite registration page for this event. You may register for the series before the first session, or for individual sessions.

Already registered? Go to your Eventbrite access page. Be sure to log in to Eventbrite with the same account that you used to purchase the ticket.

More questions? Check out the Online Access Help Page

Meet the Mentor

Cary Sheldon is a singer, songwriter, and beloved Berkeley voice teacher with 30 years’ worth of grateful students. She has been playing and teaching in the Bay Area for the last 40 years. Her love for R & B music led her to be part of Zazu Pitts Memorial Orchestra in the 1980’s.  Other affiliations include The Henry Kaiser Band, The Henriettas (a recreation of DeZurick sisters, a popular country music duo from the 1940’s), who appeared on Prairie Home Companion, and most recently her band DanceChant, a joyful community-inspired R&B band that encourages audience participation. She continues to be inspired by her love of singing in community. “Singing together with others is one of the greatest joys in my life.” Now in her 60’s, she returns to influences from her early life. Her grade school music teachers included John Langstaff, creator of the Christmas Revels, and the repertoire was based on the American folk tradition, including old English ballads, spirituals, freedom songs, and the popular folk and protest songs of the 1960’s. She hopes to inspire others to explore the depth of this material and rediscover the joy of community singing.
Photos by Jeanette Yu

 

April Guest Artist David Gans delivers literate, improvisational folk-rock with looping in a “solo electric” setting. A solo Gans show is likely to consist of several elements: country-blues-style fingerpicking; loop-based improvisations created live in the moment; sweetly-sung ballads, original or borrowed; Grateful Dead songs reinterpreted to suit his voice and guitar; wry observations of the music-festival subculture and the larger world; soulful and passionate political commentary; favorites from the folk-rock canon of the last 50 years. Mix and match – it’s never the same show twice, but it’s always worth a listen.

Learn more at perfectible.net
Photo by Rita Hurault

Workshop Materials

SONGS! Lyrics and chord charts

These are songs we’ll be singing at the April 5, 2023 session. We might not get to all of them, we might bring in some others. 

Note that sometimes the key of the recording or YouTube is different from what we will sing together. This is because not all these recordings are in keys that are ideal for all voice parts, and we want everyone to be able to join in.

HOW TO READ THE CHORD CHARTS

For each song, there is a short introductory note, then two music sheets. The first sheet has lyrics, and the second version has the music chords. For those who wish to play along, here are instructions from Cary about how to navigate the songs’ chord charts. For those who just wish to sing, refer to the first page (just the words).

SONG CIRCLE ARCHIVE PAGE

Lyrics and chord charts from other Song Circle sessions can be downloaded on our Song Archive page.

Songs for April

    Freight Train

    Words and music by Elizabeth Cotten
    Performed by the Elizabeth Cotten

    Download the lyrics (with listen links)

    Yesterday

    Words and music by John Lennon and Paul McCartney
    Performed by The Beatles

    Download the lyrics

    Listen on YouTube

    Ripple

    Words and music by Robert Hunter and Bob Weir
    Performed by The Grateful Dead

    Download the lyrics

    Listen on YouTube

    Yellow Submarine

    Words and music by John Lennon and Paul McCartney
    Performed by The Beatles

    Download the lyrics

    Listen on YouTube

    All I Have to Do is Dream

    Music and lyrics by Boudleaux Bryant
    Performed by The Everly Brothers

    Download the lyrics

    Listen on YouTube

    I Know You Rider

    Traditional, American
    Performed by The Grateful Dead

    Download the lyrics (with listen links)

    Ob La Di, Ob La Da

    Words and music by John Lennon and Paul McCartney
    Performed by The Beatles

    Download the lyrics

    Listen on YouTube

    Wayfaring Stranger

    Traditional, American
    Performed by Emmylou Harris

    Download the lyrics (with listen links)

    Shady Grove

    Traditional, American
    Performed by Jerry Garcia and David Grisman

    Download the lyrics (with listen links)

    O Mary Don’t You Weep

    Words and music by Elizabeth Cotten
    Performed by the Fisk Jubilee Singers

    Download the lyrics (with listen links)