Welcome, November…a time for gratitude.
Greetings, friends and fellow music lovers!
Autumn is here in central Oregon and it is glorious. Crisp air and vibrant colors abound as the aspens let go of their last golden leaves. I hope you are finding peace wherever you are. This challenging and eye-opening year has brought into clear focus the necessity of art, the hope in every single effort to create beauty and connection. May we continue to be lights for each other in the coming days, weeks, and months!
Even though the circumstances of this crazy year have forced me to reimagine my work, I am grateful for all that is unfolding. I am grateful for this beautiful place I live in. I am grateful for the support of all of you who help keep me going. I am grateful for all the meaningful relathionships this work has brought into my life! For me, teaching has taken on new significance as I learn to embrace technology and get creative with what we can do together. I’m very excited to partner with Sisters Folk Festival for new virtual teaching offerings in November and December! I’m also looking forward to a livestream concert on Nov 2 with my buddy David Stoddard! And I have a new video to share! Details on all that, newsy news, and November happenings below. But first…
GRATITUDE. I am so grateful to all of you for cheering me on, for tuning in to virtual concerts, for generously putting donations in the tip jar, for sharing my videos with your friends on Facebook and Instagram, for becoming patrons, for reading my musings. And big thank you to Sisters Folk Festival, Tom Kimmel and Anna Tivel and all who joined us for an amazing Songworks virtual songwriting retreat! Thank you to Joel Tepp and the wonderful folks of Folk Alliance Region West (Far-West) for inviting me to be part of their virtual variety show. Thanks to JT and Lori, Chuck Pickeral, Melissa and Colin and everyone at Devil Mountain Coffeehouse for hosting our show virtually, and to Laurel and the Deschutes Library for inviting me to be part of their concert series.
I’m so excited to report that my Patreon community is going strong and growing! Last month I was thrilled to welcome our 101st patron and I hope you’ll consider being our 102nd! It is a super easy, direct way to support me and my art AND have exclusive access to my new songs and poems. Just think of is as a CSA for my songs and poems. 🙂 Win/win! Check it out here. I’m so excited to partner with the Sisters Folk Festival for virtual classes in Nov and Dec! I will be offering a 4 week class on Dynamics in Performance, as well as a 6 week songwriting class. These classes are a wonderful way to create community, learn from each other, and spend time focusing on our passions. Let’s come together on these cold dark nights and raise our voices in song! I hope you’ll consider joining us. Here are details below. For the full picture, please visit the Sisters Folk Fesival website. Let’s do this! DYNAMICS IN PERFORMANCE is a 4-week course taking place on Tuesday evenings from 7:00-8:30 PM (Pacific Time), November 10 through December 1. This course — taught virtually by Beth Wood — is geared for musicians who are interested in improving their performance skills, whether their intentions are playing open mics, improving their professional stagecraft, or simply improving the delivery of their songs. Participants will learn tips and tricks that will help them improve their confidence and delivery in front of an audience. Cost is $100 for all 4 weeks. Click here for info and registration!
WRITING THE SONGS ONLY YOU CAN WRITE will delve into elements of songwriting, and the limited class size will allow for personalized learning, interaction between participants, and a variety of exercises to inspire maximum songwriting creativity. This course will be taught virtually by Beth Wood, a gifted singer-songwriter and winner of the Oregon Book Award People’s Choice Award for Poetry. The 6-week program takes place from 7:00- 8:30 PM (Pacific Time) on Monday evenings from November 9 through December 14. Cost is $150 for all 6 weeks. Click here for info and registration!
And I cannot WAIT for my livestream concert and song swap with the great David Stoddard on Monday, Nov 2! I don’t know about you, but I could use a little escape from the news and the world for a little while. I can’t think of a more fun way to spend an hour than making music and conversation and giggles with my friend Dave. We first met at the Kerrville Folk Festival in 2005, and we have done many tours across the frozen midwest haha and the more temporate northwest. 🙂 Dave is the funniest person I know, and he is a brilliant writer and musician. I am a Super Fan. He also makes a mean salsa. Dave has even agreed to come to our patron-only after party on Zoom! I hope you’ll join us. Here are the details:
Monday, Nov 2 – Joyful Measures, a Livestream Concert and Song Swap with Beth Wood and David Stoddard. Desperate times call for Joyful Measures! In fact, all times call for joyful measures. The intent of this offering is to create a space for beauty, solace, connection, and celebration through word and song while also getting to hear my friend David Stoddard! We’ll swap songs, tell stories, I’ll try to prevent Dave from telling bad jokes, and we’ll talk about what is bringing us joy right now. Tune in on my Facebook music page. (You do not have to have a Facebook account to watch.) Donations are not required but will be joyfully accepted at my Paypal or at Venmo: bethwoodmusic. 5:30 pm Pacific/6:30 pm Mountain/7:30 pm Central/8:30 pm Eastern.
Here is my trusty assistant getting ready for our Devil Mountain Coffeehouse virtual concert!
This is what sharing live music looks like these days!
I’m having a blast exploring my new area with the best tour guide Dennis 🙂 Here we found ourselves walking alongside the mighty Metolius river. I still can’t get over the jewel tones in the water.
And here is Miss Bailey exploring new territory with gorgeous fall colors. This is the look that says, “um, did you forget the frisbee?”
And finally, I have a new video to share! I wrote this song “Loving An Old Dog” for my sweet dog Bailey whom I adopted when she was 10. Y’all probably know her because her pictures are all over my newsletters! I treasure every single minute with this sweet old gal. This song is for her, and for everyone who has loved an old dog. I asked folks to share pics of their beloved old dogs so I could make a video montage, and I got 85 of the cutest pics I’ve ever seen. Thank you to all of you who shared pics of your beloved old dogs! Here it is…
Thank you so much for reading this and for all of your encouragement. My hope is that what I do resonates with you and brings you joy. If that is true and you’d like to be involved in supporting my work in the world, there are lots of ways, and many of them are free!
–Follow me on Facebook and Instagram –Subscribe to my YouTube channel –Keep reading this newsletter (thank you!) and share things with your friends when you are so moved. –Join my Patreon community!
Thank you so much for being a part of my creative journey! I hope you are doing alright and finding sources of joy. Let’s keep on bringing joy to each other in these winter months when we need it most! 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!
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
Find my dog on Instagram @bailey.pants
For the love of Pete, somebody please help me with Youtube
