New Year, Newsy News!
Welcome, 2021…we’ve been waiting for you!
(thank you Brent McGregor for this awesome photo.)
Hello, friends and fellow music lovers, and Happy New Year!
May this new year bring magic and wonder and unlimited creativity. This has been an unforgettable time as we have all reimagined our way of doing things. Never have connection, music, and community felt so important. Here’s to finding creative ways to share all of those things! Here’s to facing forward and walking toward the world we want to live in, taking one step at at time.
Firstly in this new year, I’d like to shout out to all of the adventurous folks who have joined me on Patreon! Patreon is a monthly subscription to my work, a back-stage hang-out, and a vibrant and caring inner-circle community…all rolled into one. These 110 folks who have joined are providing crucial direct support to my work, and also gaining access to all of my new songs and poems! This model is the future of the arts in our changing world. If my music or my poetry have resonated with you, I hope you’ll consider trying something new. For as little as $1 a month (or whatever amount you choose), you can become a member and get access to a new song and poem in your inbox each month! January is the time for trying new things. Click here to learn more! And here’s the little video I made about it…
Here is what’s coming up this month, y’all…scroll down for more details.
Wed, Jan 13 – Virtual Song Circle
Tue, Jan 26 – Begin 6-Week Songwriting Class : Writing The Songs Only You Can Write
Thu, Jan 28 – Begin 4-Week Dynamics in Performance Class
I’m excited to share that I am starting a monthly virtual song circle, open to anyone! Part of my mission is to create community through music, and I have dreamed of hosting a monthly song circle here in my new home town. We can’t meet in person right now, so let’s meet on Zoom to gather by the virtual campfire and share some songs! Attendance will be capped at 12 people, and the circle will go for two hours maximum. Songwriters of all levels are welcome. You are also free to play a cover song or share a poem/lyrics. Please email me at bethwoodmusic@hotmail.com to reserve your spot. There is no cost to attend. Free-will donations of $5-10 will be joyfully accepted (Venmo: @bethwoodmusic or Paypal). Wednesday, Jan 13 at 7 pm Pacific time (and 2nd Wednesdays of the month after).
And guess what, I’m pairing up with Sisters Folk Festival again to offer my six-week Songwriting class and my four-week Dynamics in Performance class! I was so amazed and sparked and comforted by our virtual classes at the end of last year. Those precious things that music-lovers and songwriters and artists lost in 2020: connection, community, learning from and inspiring each other… we found through our virtual offerings. Songs may sometimes be born in solitude, but they can’t live and thrive there. They need to be heard, to be shared with others in order to grow into their full power and purpose. It’s amazing how effectively we can do that virtually. I hope you’ll consider joining us! Registration is open now – click here to learn more. Holler at me at bethwoodmusic@hotmail.com if you have any questions.
I’ll be dreaming up more Joyful Measures Livestream concerts to share songs and stories and get to see my friends whom I miss so much not being on the road! If you missed the last one with the great Chris Rosser, here it is below. And all of these livestream concerts currently live on my Facebook music page, which you can access here even if you don’t have a Facebook account.
And finally, I am SO EXCITED to be directing three more Sisters Songworks virtual songwriting retreats on behalf of Sisters Folk Festival! This past October, we hosted the first “Sisters Songworks”, a 3-day virtual retreat with Anna Tivel, Tom Kimmel and myself teaching. We had 18 participants, and it was a wonderful experience of connection, community, and inspiration. It was so amazing that we want to do more! There will be three separate weekend retreats in February, March, and April. I will be the host and director, and we have AMAZING instructors lined up such as Susan Gibson, Jonathan Byrd, Martyn Joseph, Ellis, Tom Prasada-Rao, and Beth Nielsen-Chapman, just to name a few! Look for the announcement and more info soon!
I’m so grateful to you for reading this and for cheering me on! Let us continue being lights for each other as our days begin to grow longer. Hope to see you out there in the virtual world soon! With much gratitude from your fan,
Beth Wood
PO Box 551
Sisters, OR 97759
Holler at me: bethwoodmusic [AT] hotmail.com
Come join me on Patreon, a subcription to my music and poetry!
Here I am with my face on Facebook.
I barely know how to use it but I’m tryin’ on Twitter
Find me on Instagram @bethwoodmusic
For the love of Pete, somebody please help me with Youtube
And here’s a little poem for the new year…cheers!
