Our values.
This is a living document that will keep evolving with us over time. These values are not rules or requirements, they are shared intentions and aspirational practices here to guide how we sing, relate, and grow together.
Living into these values is an ongoing process. May we meet ourselves and one another with patience, humility, and grace as we practice over time.
Song is Our Birthright
May we know song as an ancient technology and a natural human birthright.
All singers are welcome here inside our group voice, free from judgment or performative evaluation.
Excellence Without Perfectionism
We practice pursuing excellence while resisting the oppression of perfectionism.
Our practice is to be devoted to the songs themselves, in service of a more beautiful world.
Kindness and Mutual Respect
We take a stand for kindness, acting and speaking with care, rooted in mutual respect.
May we look for the best in one another, so we bring out the best.
Self-Responsibility as Community Care
We take responsibility for ourselves, knowing that our own healing and alignment are acts of community care.
May we ask for help when we need it, and give generously when there’s overflow.
Meeting Shadows With Love
Conflict, flaws, and shadows are the places asking us to grow more love.
We look for hidden treasures in the shadows, and turn to the songs we sing for the resource we need.
People Over Ideology
May the essential identities of our members take precedence over any ideology.
Every person is welcome here as their whole self, even if that challenges others’ preferences or worldviews.
Belonging Through Relationship
May we keep expanding our capacity to hold difference with respect and care.
Our community is as safe as we can nurture the sense of belonging in every member.
We build relationships over time, slowing down when wounds are touched, and calling on the songs and resources that help us find each another again.
Repair and Learning
The fullness of our shared humanity is welcome here. None of us perfect, and each of us deserving of love and respect.
Mistakes are how we learn.
When we stray from our values, may we reflect, repair, and deepen trust together.
Boundaries With Love
May we recognize the limits of what our community, and each of us, can hold.
We affirm every person’s inherent worth without condoning behavior that is out of alignment with our values.
May our boundaries be loving and considered. We are not for everyone.
Lineage and Acknowledgement
We acknowledge that all we stand on and benefit from was made possible by those who came before us.
Thank you to the ancestors, the land, the instruments, the rhythms and mysteries within the songs.
We recognize the harms many cultures and ancestors have endured from colonialism, systemic inequities, and intolerance.
May our living, loving songs today contribute to collective healing and liberation.
Nonpartisan Sanctuary
May we proudly live these values through our songs and choices while remaining free from ideological dogma.
May our restraint from political advocacy allow us to remain a safe harbor and healing sanctuary for all who choose to sing with us.
Joy, Grief and Gratitude
May we grieve and celebrate in equal measure–our sincerity matched by laughter.
Our joy is a contribution to all wellbeing, and the full spectrum of this wild human experience is miraculous and worthy of gratitude.