Song Leader Training:
Community Singing in the Oral Tradition
Thursday, March 27th - Sunday, March 30th, 2025
Dharma Centre of Canada
Kinmount, Ontario
(2.5 hours from Toronto)
This training is currently FULL with a waiting list. To be added to the waiting list, you can click here.
Join us for a 4-day immersive Song Leader Training at the stunning Dharma Centre of Canada. This training will support you to step into song-leading with confidence and purpose, no matter where you are starting from. All voices, genders, and backgrounds are welcome, and no singing experience is required. This cohort will be an intimate group of 14 participants.
This training is for you if…
You love Community Singing, and want to learn some tips, skills, and methods for leading groups in song
You already lead singing groups, and want some extra inspiration, skills, and a confidence boost
You would like to incorporate Community Singing into your current work and the spaces you hold
You have a desire to build community through the power of oral-tradition group singing
You want to improve the wellbeing of others, this world, and yourself
You have no formal musical or singing experience but you LOVE to sing
You have a dream to do work that is deeply fulfilling, creative, and brings you and others joy
You are ready to make a bigger commitment and investment in your song-leading future
What’s included in this training…
An overview of Community Singing and why it’s an essential ‘technology of belonging’ for these modern times
The basics of facilitation: how to create a warm, safe, and relaxed singing environment
How to teach songs by ear, in the oral tradition of call-and-response: rounds, ‘layer’ songs, and harmonies
How to build a singing community: methods and strategies for community engagement
Reading the group: How to choose songs for specific groups, situations, and moments
Courting the song: how to cultivate relationship with a song, in order to lead from a place of embodied presence
Honouring the origin of songs: Cultural honouring vs. cultural appropriation
The business of song-leading: marketing, admin, and having your back-end systems in place
Practice! Practice! Practice! Have the opportunity to lead a song with the group, and receive constructive feedback
A ‘basket’ of songs to get you started on your song-leading journey
A private Facebook or WhatsApp group for those who’ve completed the training
An opportunity to book 1:1 mentoring sessions with Mila, after the training (for an additional fee)
Private accommodation in a beautiful, natural setting
Delicious, home-cooked meals throughout the training
This training is open to all voices, genders, and backgrounds, who are 18 years of age and older. No singing experience is required.
Schedule of our training days
Thursday:
4:00 pm: Arrival, settle in, walk the land, and drink some tea
6:00 pm: Dinner
7:30 pm - 9:00 pm: Opening Circle & Evening Session
Friday & Saturday:
8:00 am - 9:00 am: Breakfast
9:30 am - 12:30 pm: Morning Session
12:30 - 2:30 pm: Lunch Break
2:30 pm - 5:00 pm: Afternoon Session
6:00 pm: Dinner
7:30 pm - 9:00 pm: Evening Session
Sunday:
8:00 am - 9:00 am: Breakfast
9:30 am - 12:30 pm: Morning Session
12:30 - 2:00 pm: Lunch & Pack Up
2:00 pm: Departure
Meet Your Trainer
Mila Redwood is a Community Songleader, Mother, certified Full Voice Coach, and the Founder of Sing for Joy in Toronto. Like so many others, Mila grew up believing that her voice wasn’t good enough. She carried this belief for most of her early life, casting seeds of self-doubt and insecurity. It was through Community Singing that she found the medicine needed to reclaim her voice and vibrancy. Today, Mila uses song as a tool for building community, for restoring our sense of belonging and connection in a fragmented world. She has been leading groups in song since 2014. To read more about Mila, including her personal voice story, click here.
Location
We are fortunate to hold this training at the stunning Dharma Centre of Canada in Kinmount, Ontario. Located on 400 acres of boreal forest, there is a myriad of wildlife in the woodland, meadows, beaver ponds, creeks and lake. During our training sessions, we’ll gather in the warm and welcoming sanctuary space for loads of singing together. For meals, we’ll gather in the charming Main House that boasts a rich history, lovely communal dining room, and a comfortable lounge. All training participants will have simple, private (single) room accommodations. To learn more about the Dharma Centre, visit their website by clicking here.
Booking & Registration
Price per person: $945 *Canadian dollars.
This price includes:
All training sessions during the 4-day training
Private (single) room accommodations at the Dharma Centre of Canada
3 meals/day, coffee, tea, and snacks
Online community via Facebook or WhatsApp
Song resources for getting started on your song-leading journey
Payment Options:
There are two payment options for this training:
Pay in full at time of booking
3 payments of $315, with the first payment at time of booking. The second and third payments are due on January 25th and February 25th
Payment can be made by e-transfer or credit card
Scholarships:
There are two partial scholarship spots for this training. To learn more and apply for one of these spots, you can click here.
Cancellation & Refund Policy:
A refund will be issued if notice is received by January 25th, minus a $50 admin fee. After January 25th, your registration is non-refundable, but it is transferable. This means that you can transfer your spot to another person, and be reimbursed for your investment. If we do not have a waiting list, it is the responsibility of the participant to find someone with whom you can transfer your spot.
For those who are travelling from out of town for this training, please note that we are not able to cover any costs incurred by participants for transportation or accommodations. As such, please organize your travel and travel insurance with this in mind.
If the training is cancelled by the host, you will receive a full refund.
*This training is currently FULL with a waiting list. To be added to the waiting list, you can click here.*
Health & Wellness Agreements
In an effort to keep everyone healthy, we ask that you stay home if you are sick, or have tested positive for covid in the five days before, or have had an exposure with someone who has tested positive in the past five days.
Masking is optional and welcome. For the purpose of creating an impactful training experience, Mila will not be wearing a mask.
As we continue to navigate these post-pandemic times, we warmly encourage everyone to check in with each other before hugging, hand shakes, and even close-talking. We all come with different comfort levels, and we trust that we can navigate this terrain together throughout our training.
Testimonials
“Mila holds some serious song magic, and has a beautiful ability of weaving song, playfulness, and deep meaning into her workshops. These moments of group singing are cherished, and feed my soul in ways that are palpable for days after. Singing in this way has helped me to feel ever-more confident in my own voice and ability to share songs.” – Sammy Tangir, Nature-Connection Mentor
“Mila's workshops have profoundly shifted my relationship with my voice. I highly, highly recommend Mila's work to anyone who wants to experience community singing that nourishes deeply while allowing space for grief, joy, and everything in between.” – Maya Nadeem, Trauma-Informed Counsellor
“Mila draws you in with authenticity and opens you up with her joy. Then, you remember parts of who you really are, and you come home to yourself. Connection and healing happen in the safe, thoughtful, exuberant song-scape that Mila creates. As she moves our group, I experience myself as an essential part of an essential whole, and I know that singing is everyone’s birthright.” – Sarah Vandenberg
“Singing with Mila has changed my life. It has helped me to overcome my fear of singing out loud. Her loving and warm approach is deeply healing for the spirit and I feel so free when I am singing in a circle with her. I always leave her workshops feeling lighter and full of confidence.” – Edane Tobias
“Thank you a thousand times for creating a space where I felt safe, seen, heard, honoured, respected and valued. I felt that I belonged in the most beautiful way in the circle of women that you invited on this journey. Every song resonated in its own unique way and felt like a balm to a different part of my soul, one I did not even realize needed soothing.” – Sacha Salenik
“I am so delighted to have discovered Mila's retreats. We sang all day and it wasn't enough. Mila has such a clear, positive and down-to-earth energy. Grounded and uplifting all at once. Her calm presence really rooted the experience. She made it all feel so simple - I'm still marvelling that we learned those beautiful harmonies together in a way that seemed so effortless.” – Kate Keenan
“Mila holds space with warmth, wonder, and wisdom. The songs she offers seem to be carried in her bones, and her leadership approach is embodied, welcoming, and playful – always uplifting the voices in the room, embracing the gifts that each individual brings to the circle. I felt so deeply nourished by my experience in her workshop, being held by and with community, weaving harmonies, playing, laughing, and crying together – it was like protein to my soul!” – Michaela Bekenn
“Singing with Mila changed my life. Learning to sing with her group was a waking-up kind of experience. It felt like breathing. I now know that I’m going to be singing for the rest of my days.” – Parker Glynn-Adey
I respectfully acknowledge that this training will take place on the traditional territory of the Michi Saagiig and Chippewa Nations, collectively known as the Williams Treaties First Nations. I strive to learn to recognize my part in the ongoing history of colonization, and to understand how our community can work towards reconciliation, repair, and uplifting indigenous values and traditions.