Songleader Flight School

“Flight School was exquisite, divine, and nourishing! Lisa designed the lessons and prompts with thoughtful care, insightful reflection, and valuable tools. I feel woven into a web of song leaders who are led by love and dedicated to infusing joy, kindness and compassion into our world.”~ Francesca

“Community singing is a powerful and joyful way to reconnect us to our courage, joy and humanity. It’s also the quickest way I’ve ever found to create a “we” out of a group of “me’s.” Flight School is a great gift to emerging song leaders who want to lend their voices to this beautiful movement. Lisa’s generous and brilliant course equips budding song leaders with everything they need to foster song in the world with confidence and skill.”
~ Barbara McAfee, Professional Songleader, Author, TedX Speaker & Creator of the Full Voice program

ABOUT THE COURSE

Developed by community singing facilitator Lisa G. Littlebird, this online course offers an accessible but deep dive into the basic skills needed to effectively lead, organize and grow community song circles. The course has been refined based upon student feedback in the previous sold-out cohorts. It is offered over six weeks with a digestible and interactive presentation of the material each weekday.

Whether you are an experienced singer with a vision of starting and leading a choir or are new to singing and wish to rapidly grow your confidence singing with others, this course is designed to meet your unique needs.

Lisa writes:

“It is my passionate mission to see community singing become a  prolific activity in our modern, Western culture. I know firsthand that singing together profoundly boosts the wellbeing of each singer as well as the community as a whole. I hold a vision where community singing is as commonplace as yoga, found in every neighborhood and a part of our daily lives. I aim to create a pathway for many other song leaders to step forward – enriching the lives and communities around them while providing abundance for themselves. I see the uprising of a singing revolution that offers vitally necessary transformation and healing to our hearts, communities and planet.”

This is a course for those who share that vision and wish to be a contributor in it. You will leave the course with:

• • A digestible but comprehensive knowledge base of tools and skills, developed over Lisa’s decade of teaching experience.
  • A library of resources to support your ongoing learning and service in singing, song facilitation, community organizing and business management.
  • A rich network of peers and allies on your path from around the world.

COURSE FORMAT

The course is now offered in two formats. You may elect to purchase access to the course and use it in an entirely self-directed way, or join an organized and well-supported, interactive cohort.

The online course includes access to more than 10 hours of audio and video content, dozens of articles and other resources to support your development and success as a song leader. Once purchased, you have permanent access to the course for as long as it exists.

The structured cohort format also includes:

• Pre-course self-evalution and testing to help identify your goals.
• Personal goal and milestone tracking, supported by a private Skype or phone session with Lisa.
• A daily email with a link to that day’s coursework delivered to you each weekday for six weeks. You may complete the class when it best works in your schedule, or choose to augment or skip classes according to your interest.
• Assigned peer cohorts for interactive study, accountability, practice, support and networking.
• Five live group video conference calls. (Most scheduled on Thursday evenings (California time), and all recorded for later playback.) These are not recommended but not required.
• Access to a private Facebook group with the other students and alumni to share resources during the course and beyond.
• A certificate of completion at the end of the course (not publicly accredited) with Lisa serving as a reference and mentor in your future endeavors.
• Options to attend in-person trainings.
• Resources and connections with peers and allies for a lifetime!

The structured cohort is recommended, as it provides the structure and support that most students require for successful completion. However the new, self-directed option offers flexibility for those who need the material on a different schedule, are only wanting a portion of the content or are highly self-motivated. You can purchase the self-directed option now and access will be provided within 48 hours. You will have access to the course for as long as it exists from that date forward.

COURSE SYLLABUS

This course is well-rounded in that it addresses the full breadth of skills that Lisa has found to be most useful in successful oral-tradition style song leading. You will likely have some areas of fluency and other areas that are less developed. The course is designed in a self-paced, modular and customizable way, so you can focus more on your personal areas of growth and move quickly through the sections where you already have competence.

We will cover the following:

• Group leadership & facilitation skills
• Music theory basics
• Ear training and harmonies
• Specific skills for effective song sharing and leading
• Building and organizing your song repertoire
• Voice fundamentals – for yourself and supporting others
• Community building
• Business skills – organizational systems, marketing and creating an immediate career path by generating income
• Profiles of other successful songleaders
• Many new songs

Each segment includes specific skills and knowledge, Lisa’s personal tips and best practices and a large, living library of musical and professional resources.

Of course, the most effective way to become a songleader is to practice! This course is focused not only on skill building, but on supporting you with actionable steps toward creating live practice opportunities.

This course presents the equivalent material of a college course. Plan for about an hour each weekday of coursework and study, with additional time for peer and large group calls. No assignments or emails will be distributed on weekends.

IS IT FOR ME?

This class can be used and customized to meet a wide range of goals and experience. There is no grade or final test upon completion, allowing you freedom and ease to self-direct your time and focus.

Experience with songleading is not required for this course, however I do recommend the following basic pre-requisites:

• Some experience with singing in groups and the ability to accurately hear and match pitches and melodies.
• A capacity for self-directed focus in an online learning environment.
• The ability or willingness to gather groups of people together and offer leadership and clear communication in that environment.
• A sincere interest in personal growth and in sharing songs with others.

If you register for an organized cohort, you will be with a group of other students taking the course at the same time, offering a unique opportunity to learn together and share resources.  To ensure the most beneficial experience for you and the other students, we will ask that you:

• Fully intend to participate for all 6 weeks and complete the course, including your commitments to peers for study support. If you miss a few days it is no problem to catch up on following days or weekends. If you will miss more than a week, it’s possible to catch up in intensive study sessions but perhaps not ideal. You may want to wait until the next offering.
• Budget an average of 1 hour each weekday during the course for study and singing, plus 2 hours a week for the peer and large group calls.
• Are willing to share your contact information with the other students. We will ask you to actively participate in these relationships during the class.
• Have regular, reliable access to a computer or tablet with moderate to high-speed internet.
• Have a basic technology skills, including: the ability to receive and send email attachments, navigate websites with video and audio files and download and install free Zoom web conferencing software on your PC or Mac.
• Have some experience singing in a group in the last year. You need not identify as a confident singer. This course is for anyone willing to develop more skills and confidence.

If you you’re still not sure it’s a fit, email specific questions to Lisa – lisa@thebirdsings.com. Your course fee is refundable until the course begins.

OPTIONAL, IN-PERSON RETREAT

An in-person retreat will be offered in Carmel Valley, CA during the summer cohort. Stay tuned here for more details.

PRICING

The price for this comprehensive course in the next structured cohort beginning in June 2020 is $499. If you choose to participate without scheduling a private one-on-one call with Lisa, the price is discounted to $449. Threshold Choir members also receive a $50 discount on registration.

Access to the course on a self-directed basis is also available. Access will be shared within 48 hours of your purchase. PLEASE NOTE: self-directed access does not include support from Lisa or other students, nor does it include invitations to participate in the in-person retreats.

Self-Directed Access $349 now $199
We are offering special price to support your goals while you are supporting all of our wellness by social distancing.

“Flight School was exquisite, divine, and nourishing! Lisa designed the lessons and prompts with thoughtful care, insightful reflection, and valuable tools. I feel woven into a web of song leaders who are led by love and dedicated to infusing joy, kindness and compassion into our world.”~ Francesca

Returning students wishing to participate in a structured and supported cohort again can join in for $99, or $49 without a one-on-one with Lisa.

If you would like to arrange a payment plan, please contact Lisa at lisa@thebirdsings.com.

As a part of this mission to spread community singing far and wide, I am eager to see more community singing in marginalized or under-represented populations and am supporting emerging songleaders with that intention. To apply for a partial scholarship, send a 3-5 minute video to Lisa sharing more about your background and your intentions to share community singing with marginalized populations. Scholarship recipients receive 50% off tuition.

A limited number of partial scholarships may be available to those in financial need as well. Contact lisa@thebirdsings.com with a description of your singing and songleading experience, why you wish to participate, and brief overview of your songleading goals, along with your financial capacity. There are no scholarships offered for self-directed course access.

Your purchase is fully refundable until you receive access to the course, after which no refunds are given for any reason.

GRADS ARE SAYING

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