Reclaim Your Voice:
A Women's Workshop
Next Date: To-De-Determined
Runnymede United Church, Toronto
432 Runnymede Road
“If women remember that once upon a time we sang with the tongues of seals and flew with the wings of swans, that we forged our own paths through the dark forest while creating a community of its many inhabitants, then we will rise up rooted, like trees. And if we rise up rooted, like trees … well then, women might indeed save not only ourselves, but the world.”
In this workshop, Mila creates a soulful, playful, and enlivening space to explore the unclaimed territories of your Voice. Using the Five Elements framework designed by Barbara McAfee, we will journey into the full spectrum of the Voice using the elements of Earth, Fire, Water, Metal, and Air. We’ll use singing as a tool, and we’ll play with a series of embodied practices that help to unleash a broader range, spectrum, and aliveness in your speaking and singing voice.
In this workshop, you will…
Discover a broader range, spectrum, and aliveness in your speaking and singing voice
Explore themes of identity, power, visibility, vulnerability, grief, and joy through the lens of voice
Build confidence in your voice in a supportive and empowering space
Learn joyful, diverse, easy-to-memorize songs that you can take home and weave into your daily life
Exercise your body and mind through the practice of oral-tradition group singing
Release the stress of your busy life and work week
Connect with a community of women who support and celebrate your gifts
Nourish yourself, and fill up the reservoir that feeds you
While we use singing as a tool, this workshop will encompass all of the ways you express through your voice – singing, speaking, sound. It’s not about honing a technical skill or even about sounding ‘good’. It’s about discovering more of your full self through your voice, and opening pathways to greater expression in life. The voice is the muscle of the soul. We were born to sing, it is our birthright.
This workshop is open to all those with lived experience as a woman, including non-binary folks who feel comfortable in a woman-centred space. No singing experience is required, and no one will be asked to sing on their own. Please know that you are welcome however you are – tired and weary, fully ablaze in your brilliance, or anywhere in between.
Host & Facilitator
Mila Redwood is a Community Songleader, Mother, certified Full Voice practitioner, 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 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 the world. To read more about Mila, including her personal voice story, Click Here.
Location
Our workshop will be held at Runnymede United Church, in the warm and welcoming Kingsbury Room. The Kingsbury Room is a lovely, spacious meeting room for singing, with fabulous acoustics. For ventilation, there is an air circulation system and windows that open to an outdoor courtyard garden. Please let me know if you have any accessibility needs for our day together.
Tuition
Tuition: $145. Tea, coffee, and snacks provided. Please bring your own lunch.
It is my goal that this workshop be accessible for all those who feel drawn to attend. If you would like to learn more about our scholarship spots, please contact Mila at mila@singforjoy.ca.
Cancellation & Refund Policy:
A refund, less a 50% cancellation fee, will be issued if notice is received by October 5th, 2023. No refund will be issued for cancellations after October 5th. For cancellations up to October 14th due to testing positive for Covid, or for a known exposure to Covid, we will offer you a full refund minus a $10 admin fee. If the retreat is cancelled by the host, you will receive a full refund.
Testimonials
“This workshop was incredible. It was fun, playful, and deeply healing. Connecting with other women through song has helped me to feel more alive and empowered. Mila is a gifted facilitator, and gently guided us all in reclaiming our power and our voices. I left feeling joyous and renewed”. – Chloe Oliver
“This was a day full of acceptance, community, enjoyment, and growth. We learned how to build deeper connections with ourselves and explore the elements of our voices in a supportive and comfortable environment. There was no competition and no performance. Just the gift of finally reclaiming a vital and intensely personal part of ourselves. It was deeply moving and transformative. Thank you, Mila!” – Aja Dykes
“I have taken this workshop three times now, and every time is a tremendous gift to myself. It has given me the confidence to speak up in my daily life, to stand for what I believe in, and to share my voice with others. As a teacher myself, I’ve been able to take the techniques learned in this workshop into my classroom, with great success. Thank you for this wonderful gift.” – Angela Ouroumov
“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
“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
“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 the Reclaim Your Voice workshop, being held by and with community, weaving harmonies, playing, laughing, and crying together – it was like protein to my soul!” – Michaela Bekenn
“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 singing is everyone’s birthright.” – Sarah Vandenberg
“Thank you Mila for the wonderful voice workshop yesterday. The work was empowering, the women were rejuvenating, and the food was outrageously good. I feel blessed to be in connection with community dedicated to standing for each other.” – Alina Kouvchinova