The Singing Soul
A Swingin’ Swayin’
Funk Bump Afro Gospel Sacred Soulful Blues Chant Jam
Feelin' Hi Mash-up!!
A few things that we know…our world and universe are in constant change and evolution. Human impact speeds up the process. We undertake actions with little consideration for the ripples of consequence, bound by a restricted worldview, belittled by our own shortcomings, egoic cravings, either-or thinking, and general disconnection from the beautiful complexities of nature, wisdom traditions and spiritual practices. What do these view points have to do with improvisational singing? Quite a bit.
Conscious improvisation is at once something we already do and can also benefit from doing a lot more of. Our daily conversations are not practiced and honed, they are conducted spontaneously in the timeless ritual of call and response exchanges. In fact in all areas, we take stock of our energy, ideas, wants, needs, limits, impulses, available resources, we weigh options, risks, possibilities, emerging information, and bring it all into creative swirls that we, in fact. live by. However, we tend to not see this for what it is: improvisation. Improvisation guides our lives, powered by a core principle expressed full in just two words: “Yes, and…”
And so, adding up the above:
Our world is in unpredictable flux + we are already lifelong improvisors = Honing our improv abilities makes sense!
The Singing Soul is spontaneous, in-the-moment singing; the unveiling of our very uniqueness in melody, harmony, and rhythm… our stories, in words, and beyond them. By turns edgy, hilarious, challenging, and deeply moving, each moment is an original composition that is unrehearsed, precious, and irreplaceable. We learn to craft melodies, harmonies, rhythms, genres, beginnings, middles and endings. Vocal improvisation is also a deeply relational exchange, bringing awareness to our communication and relationship dynamics through the roles we play in music making. Those with improvisational abilities bring significant leadership value to add to creative problem solving, working with change, addressing issues of scarcity, difficult conversations, community building, and the transformation of conflict. It’s also profoundly fun, mysterious and magical!
What Happens at The Singing Soul
Sessions begin with physical and vocal warming, improv style! A wide variety of clearly outlined structures are offered, for the full group, small groups, duets and soloing; each of which generates different experiences and outcomes. Sessions are punctuated with pauses to process our learnings together. Ready...?
David is a shining example of finding his unique path and living in service to that path. He has a long career facilitating workshops that guide people to their source including gatherings around the planet on the subject of vocal improvisation. David studied with me a bundle of years ago and then took that information into his heart and fuelled it with his own life wisdom. I love that. It is the core truth of improvisation that each person must find their own path, remembering the essence of presence—every moment. Bless you David for traveling and singing, for teaching and giving so generously your gifts of honest, skilled, heartfelt, personal truth.
~ Rhiannon, Master Vocal Improvisation Teacher, Inimitable Vocalist, Song-Conjurer, Peerless Performer, Irrepressible Creative Life Force Energy Beam (David wrote these titles for her. They still aren’t enough.)
What Happens at The Singing Soul
Sessions begin with physical and vocal warming, improv style!
A wide variety of clearly outlined structures are offered, for the full group, small groups, duets and soloing; each of which generates different experiences and outcomes.
Sessions are punctuated with pauses to process our learnings together. Ready...?
Welcome to the world of singing with no net. A cappella improvisation with David Hatfield takes you to unforeseen destinations of hilarity, weirdness, extraordinary harmony and transcendence. Lead with your voice, lead with your heart, as David guides you on those first scary steps of a musical journey to who-knows-where. This gifted facilitator can coax music out of your very pores. A cappella improv is a metaphor for life, creating harmony and rhythm out of whatever comes your way. Trust the process, this the real thing.
~ J. Tissandier - In the Pink a cappella group
The Singing Soul was the first time I was ever invited to participate in a miracle.
~ Dr. Vaughan Marshall, University of British Columbia
It's important to understand that The Singing Soul with David Hatfield is not just about music. It's about discovery. There is, of course, the joy and the excitement and the deep satisfaction that come out of personal vocal exploration. But it's not just vocal. You think that it's your voice that's exploring, but you discover that in fact it's your heart that's improvising. And you're on this uncharted voyage with every other person in the group. So their discoveries become part of yours. And all of a sudden you're all in a place that never existed before: an ephemeral community in sound. And in body. In heart and in soul. A Soul Singing workshop with David Hatfield is spontaneous musical combustion.
~ Julie Kehler, Former Founding Director of Choral Studies, Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris, and former city councillor, Canmore, Alberta