SING FOR YOUR HEALTH! SING FOR COLLECTIVE WELLNESS! SING TOGETHER!
‘Singing Soulutions’ is a new and unique program to support all people to come and ‘sing for your health & wellness’. We provide small, focus groups, to support the particular challenges of a specific population, with physical, breathing and singing exercises that are designed to work at each individual’s pace, and music strategies to try at home to slow us, calm us and support us to regulate our nervous systems. We offer all our groups on a sliding scale (pay what you can), and aim to be as responsive as possible to adapt each group to be inclusive and accessible for all members of our community.
SINGING SOULUTIONS FOR …
All groups meet weekly for 75 minutes and there are typically 10-20 participants. Our 6-week ‘Activate’ program is an investment into creating new habits for yourself, stimulating the vagus nerve to promote mental health and body autonomy. You will be encouraged to practice our music strategies to create healthy outcomes, such as reducing the stress-hormone Cortisol, coping with pain, easing anxiety and fatigue, and treating insomnia. Our 12-week SingSoul Circles use our approaches of body, breath, voice, and also include more singing and nurturing of community between us. We recommend first participating in an ‘Activate!’ program, but you will be welcome wherever you join us!
This six week intensive offers a welcoming space for people at all levels of singing experience. Through exploring physical, breathing, and singing exercises that are designed to work at each individual’s pace, we will establish strong singing foundations while prioritizing community accessibility. Each session we will dive into singing songs together, try out different “take-home” music strategies to help slow us, calm us, and support us to regulate our nervous systems, and hold space for reflections on the integration process.
This program is an investment into creating new habits for yourself, stimulating the vagus nerve to promote mental health and body autonomy. You will be encouraged to practice our music strategies to create healthy outcomes, such as reducing the stress-hormone Cortisol, coping with pain, easing anxiety and fatigue, and treating insomnia. Neuroscience tells us that we have the power to change our own brain chemistry by stimulating the vagus nerve.
Let’s activate a shift through song!
Our original 6-week programs, with new material and resources
current offerings:
Self Empowerment | Memory Care | Pain Management | Lung Health | Processing Grief & Trauma
Our 12-week SingSoul Circles use our approaches of body, breath, voice, and also include more singing and nurturing of community between us. You will grow in confidence to open up your voice in a relaxed and fun environment. No singing experience necessary, and no scary sheet music! We will learn a few songs each season, and also share songs between us.
Neuroscience tells us that we have the power to change our own brain chemistry by stimulating the vagus nerve, and in singing together we can also experience a release of the ‘love’ hormone oxytocin. Singing is good for us individually and collectively - and we need community in these uncertain times.
Let’s activate a shift through song! Come and join us to resist fear and create good change between us!
Our new offering to nurture community through more singing! A 12-week season of singing together, implementing the Singing Soulutions’ approaches of body, breath and voice.”
current offerings:
Queer Voices | Community Care | Neurodiverse Minds
FIND YOUR GROUP
MEMORY CARE
for
For People with memory loss, together with their carers.
Music activates us! For many who experience cognitive impairment through conditions such as Alzheimer’s, singing can reactivate the memory and support us to be alive to the present moment, and therefore connected with those we care about for some precious shared moments.
“This class has reminded us to have fun together singing and dancing and laughing. Most of the songs we sing are familiar and bring back memories and the era of the songs. It has been helpful to us as a couple together 46 years!”
During the weekly sessions we encourage you to join us to exercise our bodies, breathe deeply and sing your favorite songs!
“Singing is very helpful to me and I come out of the “class” feeling better each week. It reminds me to sing more often. For some reason, when I’m singing the words come out easily but when I am talking, it is much more difficult. I appreciate the input from others in the group also.”
Singing Soulutions for Memory Care was featured on PBS ‘Cycle of Health’ series in September 2022 (“Music and your Mind”). Watch the short feature above (4:49mins) to get an idea of our program.
NEXT 6-wEEK ‘aCTIVATE!’ PROGRAM
Next program begins when the group fills.
Venue: GereBlock Lounge, 1970 W Fayette St, Syracuse. (Accessible parking)
Click the SIGN UP HERE button to express your interest, or reach out to discuss a ‘Sing & Celebrate!’ group.
Sing & Celebrate! We are currently running some programs with local organizations. (Link to description - ‘What’s involved in a ‘Sing & Celebrate?’). Please email Kath to discuss Singing Soulutions coming to your organization! kath@singingsoulutions.org
PARKINSON’S
for
For people living with Parkinson's disease.
Our Singing Soulutions approaches of free body, free breath, free voice all combine together in this new program, ending with a celebration performance to build confidence and take on a new identity as ‘performer’.
Consistent practice of our music strategies for those with Parkinson’s can deepen the breath, raise vocal volume and loosen the body. Our singing approaches activate the vagus nerve, which calms the nervous system leading to better sleep, a reduction in the stress hormone cortisol and easing anxiety and fatigue.
(Link to description? - ‘What’s involved in a ‘Sing & Celebrate?’)
SING & CELEBRATE!
Starting September through to a December ‘Holiday Concert’
Venue: Empower Parkinson, 4888 West Taft Road, Liverpool, NY 13088.
We are honored to be partnering again with Empower Parkinson at their new venue for this program! Follow the link to contact Empower.
NEURODIVERSE
for
MINDS
For people who identify as neurodiverse (no formal diagnosis needed).
The term ‘neurodiverse’ describes a range of cognitive disabilities, including ADHD, ASD, Dyslexia, Anxiety, OCD & LD’s. It describes the idea that people experience and interact with the world around them in many different ways - there is no one ‘correct’ or ‘normal’ way of thinking, learning and behaving, and differences are not viewed as deficits.
Using our free body, breath, voice approaches, we explore ways to regulate our bodies and freely express and celebrate within community each person’s unique experiences of the world. Everyone is welcome to join us for this class!
Eligible for Self-Direction funds.
NEW SINGSOUL CIRCLES! 2 dates!
Wednesdays 4.15 - 5.30pm September 3rd-November 19th
Mondays 6.45 - 8pm September 15th - December 8th
Venue: GereBlock Lounge, 1970 W Fayette St, Syracuse (Accessible parking)
Register now! - Spaces are limited!
SIGN UP fOR ONE OF OUR 12-WEEK PROGRAMS BELOW!
for
MANAGEMENT
PAIN
For people living with chronic pain.
This class will lead you in exercises for body, breath and voice, and connect you to others through singing. No singing experience necessary!
Living with chronic pain can be challenging, but there are ways to manage it! We discuss the evolving neuroscience of pain and learn more about the autonomic system and ways that the body can reset its pain signals. Over 6 sessions we will move and connect with our bodies, breathe more deeply and strengthen our voices, introducing music strategies as ways to disrupt cycles of pain. Care and attention will be given to your individual journey of self care. We invite you to use the music strategies between sessions as you are supported to explore what works best for you and your body.
“Kath brings a great deal of positive and perceptive energy to Singing Soulutions. She readily accommodated my needs related to my extreme light sensitivity and migraines; being matter-of-fact about it has helped me feel almost "normal," instead of the odd one out. I am starting to believe that I might be able to apply some objectivity and problem-solving to the pain I experience.” Carolyn - group participant.
NEXT 6-WEEK ‘ACTIVATE!’ PROGRAM
We plan to run a group this Fall:
Mondays @5.15 - 6.30pm or Wednesdays 6-7.15pm.
Venue: GereBlock Lounge, 1970 W Fayette St, Syracuse. (Accessible parking)
Please register to express interest and we will reach out to schedule a group when we reach our minimum sign-up. Sign up below!
QUEER VOICES
for
For people who are part of the LGBTQIA+ community.
Singing can be an amazing way for us to bring our bodies, our breath and our voices into focus and to be held in the present moment! The Singing Soulutions for Queer Voices program offers you the space to process your relationship with your body; to deepen your breath, which connects us with our emotions; to find your voice and the confidence to use it!
Over 6 sessions we invite you to process between the weeks by trying out set exercises that support your wellbeing; during the weekly sessions we encourage you to show up in a vulnerable way and take a risk to explore your voice in new ways. We model consent-based interaction, aim to cultivate a “brave space”, and are ready to adapt to provide a fully accessible and inclusive space to all participants. You are warmly invited to join us on a journey!
NEW SINGSOUL CIRCLE!
Thursdays 7.15-8.30pm. A rolling program starting September 4th.
Venue: GereBlock Lounge, 1970 W Fayette St, Syracuse. (Accessible parking)
For people living with grief and/or trauma.
This class will lead you in exercises for body, breath and voice, and support emotional connection through singing. No singing experience necessary!
For those experiencing the often isolating and frightening journey of grief, this 6-week program offers you tools to stay connected to your feelings within a framework of safety. Music opens up a more direct access to our emotions. And a song can hold us.
We introduce ‘music strategies’ for you to try at home, and in our group session each week we focus on our shared music, learning new vocal approaches, and even having some fun together!
GRIEF & TRAUMA
PROCESSING
for
We are grateful and excited to be in partnership with HOPE for this
6-week program!
NEXT 6-wEEK ‘ACTIVATE!’ PROGRAM
Thursdays 5.30-6.45pm August 28th - October 9th (No session September 18th).
Venue: Hope for Bereaved, 4500 Onondaga Blvd, Syracuse, NY 13219. (Accessible parking)
Click button below to register.
Formerly SELF-CARE. This is still for everyone interested in taking care of/ nurturing themselves! We also recognize that developing our resilience will lead us forward in these challenging times, and wanted to convey that in this group name, SELF-EMPOWERMENT!
Singing is good for us in so many ways! An activated body, breath and voice releases the parasympathetic nervous system to calm us and release those feel-good endorphins. We slow down to connect with ourselves and it brings us into community with others.
The invitation is for you to use this time and the recommended strategies to equip and support you to engage in your own process. Come prepared to do some ‘hum’-work during the week, to develop your resilience muscles! The sessions develop a culture of engagement with body, breath and voice, so that any process is worked out in and through the body, rather than just being stuck in your head. You will be invited to participate as much as you are able, while always encouraged to listen to your own body and work within your own limits.
sELF-EMPOWERMENT
for
NEXT 6-WEEK ‘ACTIVATE!’ PROGRAM
Wednesdays 6-7.15pm September 3rd - October 8th.
Venue: GereBlock Lounge, 1970 W Fayette St, Syracuse (Accessible venue with parking)
SIGN UP BELOW!
COMMUNITY
for
A singing circle for everyone! No singing experience necessary!
Our new SingSoul Circles are in direct response to those who experienced our 6-week groups, e.g: “I’d like to sing more songs”; “I’m looking for community”; “What’s happening next?”; “I’m looking for a place to sing with others”. We will continue to use the Singing Soulutions approaches of body, breath, voice, and we will also sing in rounds, with harmonies, building our skills together and feeling good about the sounds we create! There is strong research evidence that singing together releases the ‘love hormone’ oxytocin. When we add this to the other mental and physical health benefits from an activated vagus nerve, it’s a win win!
To first explore more techniques and music strategies, we recommend joining a 6-week ‘Activate!’ program (either alongside this Circle, or before you join here), but you are welcome whatever path you choose!
These days are challenging - and we are stronger together. Join us for more songs, more singing and more time to share in community!
CARE
NEW SINGSOUL CIRCLE!
Saturday mornings 11am - 12.15pm September 6th -December 6th (No sessions Oct 11&18)
Venue: GereBlock Lounge, 1970 W Fayette St, Syracuse (Accessible venue with parking)
SIGN UP BELOW!
LUNG HEALTH
for
For people with breathing difficulties such as COPD.
This class will safely lead you through breathing exercises and lift your spirits through song.
Kath is trained in the UK approach to singing for lung health, supported by the British Lung Foundation and the National Health Service. Click on the video below to watch stories of individuals who have benefited.
NEXT 6-WEEK ‘ACTIVATION’ PROGRAM
We plan to run a group this Fall: Mondays @5.15 - 6.30pm or Wednesdays 6-7.15pm.
Venue: GereBlock Lounge, 1970 W Fayette St, Syracuse. (Accessible parking)
Please register to express interest and we will reach out to schedule group when we reach our minimum sign-up. Sign up below!
PROGRAM RATES
6-week ‘Activation’ program: $100 sliding scale for the 6 weeks 12-week ‘SingSoul Circle': $175 sliding scale for the 12 weeks
Carer/ support participants are welcome wherever needed. Ask us about reduced rates.
We are committed to making sure that finances are not a barrier for you coming to our sessions, so we run them at a sliding scale. If you can pay full price that would be great, and if full price is a bit more than your budget can handle, pay what you can. While we ask you to take these factors into consideration, we don’t want to add extra stress! Please pay what feels right. We have a limited number of fully sponsored spaces. Please reach out to kath@singingsoulutions.org to apply.
Below is a graphic to clarify our sliding scale and allow you to make the right choice for you and the community.
Supported Price
$10-100
For those with limited financial resources who will benefit from community-supported access.
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you have to worry about buying food. You have unstable or inconsistent access to housing and transportation. You are unemployed, have inconsistent income or income that doesn't meet your needs. You do not have expendable income & you are questioning whether you can afford this "luxury".
Fair Price
$100 / $175
For those with sufficient financial resources and can pay fair value for the experience.
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… you do not think about access to food, shelter, healthcare and have stable income. If you are able to pay for your basic needs and attending this program does not create hardship.
Rebalancing Price
$150 / $225
For those with a desire to support others & help rebalance systemic inequity.
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You own the home you live in or covering rent is not a concern. You are employed with expendable income. You have easy access to transportation. You have investments, retirement accounts, or access to financial savings. You are able to travel recreationally. If you have regular access to healthcare and have social or economic privilege.
Sponsor another Member
$100 / $175
For those interested in going the extra mile to support our vision and access to the program
When donating please write in the description what you are donating for e.g. “sponsor a member”