We are so excited to invite you to a weekend-long community singing retreat from April 25-57 at Camp Courage in Maple Lake, MN!! We’ll gather together to sing our hearts out, deepen community and relationships, and spend some time in the woods as the Minnesota winter thaws into spring. Organized by Sarah Abbott and Sarina Partridge, and featuring Sarina and other local songleaders, this will be a welcoming weekend of simple, satisfying community singing – all voices are welcome! No prior musical experience is necessary, just a desire to sing with others.
Arrivals at the retreat will begin at 4:30pm on Friday April 25, followed by dinner. We will end after lunch on Sunday April 27.
We welcome teens and adults of all races, religions, genders, sexualities, abilities, and identities. As organizers of the retreat we are committed to anti-oppression practices in how we treat each other, strive to meet people’s needs, and we are committed to being open to feedback about how to make the space as welcoming and accessible as possible.
Registration includes lodging for Friday and Saturday night, and 6 meals (Friday dinner - Sunday lunch).
PROGRAM
Much of our time will be spent in sessions in which we’ll sing simple songs together in harmony. We will have breaks to walk in the woods or hang out, we’ll eat meals together, and we’ll have fun evening activities.
ATTENDEES
We welcome teens and adults of all races, religions, genders, sexualities, abilities, and identities.
We plan to have 40-60 people in attendance, and programming will be for adults and teens. There won’t be separate teen programming, but teens who want to sing in community with adults are warmly welcome. Anyone under 18 needs to be accompanied by an adult. Check in with us if you have questions.
LOCATION
We will be at Camp Courage, about an hour drive from the Twin Cities, which lies on 305-acres of lakeshore, woods and fields with walking paths and some indoor and outdoor facilities. We will have our own area of the camp, and there will be other guests on other parts of the campus who we will overlap with in the dining hall. The entire campus is wheelchair accessible.
COST
Registration includes lodging for Friday and Saturday night and 6 meals (Friday dinner - Sunday lunch).
The sliding scale cost of the retreat is $250 - $425, and the break-even cost per person is $320. We want the retreat to be as accessible as possible, so please choose an amount on the sliding scale that reflects what is affordable and generous for you. Any money you contribute over $320 will make it possible for other people to pay lower on the sliding scale. Your generosity will help enable others to attend and helps us compensate our song leaders and lead organizers. Let us know if you have questions!
We have a few lower-cost registrations available, starting at $155 and going up to $245, for folks who need a lower-cost slot. If this is you, don’t hesitate to request one! You can mark on the registration form if you’d like to request one of these spots and after you register we'll follow up to confirm if we have a lower-cost slot available.
Given our networks and the specific lineages of community singing that we come from, we anticipate that this retreat will be majority white people, though people of any racial identity are warmly invited. As one small way to redistribute wealth, we are committed to redistributing 5% of the retreat costs to Minnesota-based BIPOC-led arts, culture, or music organizations.
Payment can be made by check or venmo to Sarina
Venmo or PayPal: @sarinapartridge
Checks can be written to Sarina Partridge and mailed to 2725 18th Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55407
REGISTRATION
Fill out the registration form to sign up for the retreat, and then send payment to secure your place. Payment is due in full at the time of registering, unless you need to pay in installments. If you are paying in installments, please pay a $50 deposit at the time of registering to save your spot.
ANTI-OPPRESSION COMMITMENT
We acknowledge that many forms of oppression exist in our society and culture, including racism, classism, ableism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, christian supremacy, and others. As people who live in this society, we all internalize oppressive attitudes and behaviors. These behaviors limit the participation of people whose identities are on the margins of the community singing community. Specifically, we want to name that Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) experience racism within the often white-dominant singing subculture that we refer to as “community singing.” As organizers of this retreat, we are committed to being in the continual process of unlearning oppressive behaviors, being curious and open to feedback, and working to make the retreat as accessible as possible, and we hold an expectation that all attendees will join us in those commitments.
COVID POLICY
All participants must show a negative rapid test taken the day of arrival
If you’ve had a COVID exposure in the 5 days prior to the retreat, please reach out to the retreat organizers. We may request that you test each day of the retreat, mask, or take additional precautions.
Masks will be optional at the retreat
Sleeping will be in rooms that sleep 3-4 people each. There are not single rooms available. If you’d like to book your own room at a nearby hotel or airbnb, you can do so and pay a day rate for the retreat. Let us know if you would like more information about this option, or if you have further questions.
Eating arrangements:
All meals will be in the dining hall.
The dining hall will be shared with other groups who are also using the campus. Mealtimes are staggered with 30 minutes between arrival times for different groups. If you prefer to eat away from other groups, the dining hall is a 5 minute walk from our cabins, and you can pick up food and bring it back to the cabins to eat, which have comfortable common spaces. Depending on temperatures in April, there may also be outdoor seating.
Please reach out with questions or concerns about COVID or about other access needs
CANCELLATION POLICY
Payment is due when you register. You are welcome to pay in installments if needed, which you can indicate in the registration form.
Cancellations before March 21 will result in loss of a $50 deposit, and a refund of any payments made over $50.
Cancellations between March 28 and April 18: 50% refund of payment
Cancellations after April 18: 100% of funds will be withheld
In case of last minute illness or emergency, reach out to us and based on the finances of the retreat, we can discuss what kind of refund is possible.
CONTACT
With questions, contact Sarah Abbott and Sarina Partridge - sarahtabbott@gmail.com, sarina.partridge@gmail.com
