East Bay Community Music Project

Our community includes professional musicians and teachers, as well as many who are simply life-long music lovers. And we pride ourselves on giving participants, no matter what their experience level, the chance to learn and to lead, as in this week’s story.

Meet Jennie

Jennie Dorman and her family have attended EBCMP events for the last 7 years. She has served as Librarian, Board Member, Instructor of our U.C. Village Singalong program, and now as Associate Director and member of the Creative Team. Recently, we sat down with Jennie to learn what drew her to the organization, and what keeps her coming back!

Before EBCMP, what was your musical community like?
 
When I was a kid, we did a ton of singing in my family and in our synagogue. Some of the singing was casual, and some required lots of precision and practice. Singing with my sister and brothers, I experienced the closeness that develops when you harmonize with others – and the intimacy of taking breaths at the same moment to synchronize your phrasing and blend your voices.
 
After I left home I constantly sought ways to sing and make music with other people– in gospel choir, at Jazz Camp West, and playing the surdo drum for several Brazilian batucadas. On weekend mornings I would bike through Golden Gate Park and jam with people down at Ocean Beach and in this underground tunnel near the Conservatory that had amazing acoustics. So I had all kinds of disparate musical experiences, but nothing bound it together. I didn’t feel like I had music plus community again until I found EBCMP.
 
What was your experience of walking into an EBCMP event the first time?

I brought my family to the very first Sunday gathering that East Bay Community Music Project ever held; the acoustics of the room were “pandemonious” (we soon found another space), but I trusted Ryk, who had been our Music Together teacher, and it was good fun, so that made me want to come back.

The other thing that made me want to come back was that one of the founding community members, Erin Riley, welcomed me warmly every time I showed up. She learned my name and always lit up when I walked in. I thought “Oh! Someone knows me here!” Being recognized by Erin had a surprisingly big effect on me.
 
How has your experience at EBCMP impacted you?
 
I don’t have formal musical training, but music has been a constant love and presence in my life. Participating in EBCMP allowed me to practice leading songs, and gave me the confidence to apply for a job leading community singalongs at the University Village in Albany. So EBCMP has totally transformed my career because I decided I wanted to devote myself to doing more community music and bringing this experience to other people.

Over the past 2.5 years at the University Village I’ve led 100+ singalongs, each one designed to build community through playful musical exchange. A typical singalong might bring together families from Japan, Korea, India, Iran, Russia, China, Europe, Pakistan, and the U.S. We learn lullabies, play musical games, and sing rounds/ canons, all in many languages. 
 
One of the things that I find really compelling about EBCMP’s approach is its emphasis on multigenerational music making. I love involving grandparents and parents in the singalongs I lead, because it allows the generations to connect in a meaningful and very playful way.
 
How has EBCMP impacted your family? Your children?

My daughter (now 11) was four when we started coming, and my 6-year-old son has been coming ever since he was in the womb. When our son turned one, Ryk and our EBCMP community helped us create a welcome-to-the-community ceremony, complete with our favorite music. I loved working with EBCMP to create a musical ritual marking this important life cycle moment for our family.

Participating in EBCMP has infused hundreds of songs into our family vocabulary! Pragmatically speaking, I use the songs all the time in my parenting: When I am stressed or annoyed, I will sing something. When we’re in a traffic jam, I sing. Singing shifts my physiology, lifts my mood, and calms my children too.

Over the years we’ve made music with EBCMP,  I’ve seen my kids develop musical fundamentals and musical confidence. They are confident to sing their own part in a round or canon, for example. To pull that off, they have to trust their pitch, memory, and sense of musical timing…Of course it doesn’t always work, but last night we were singing a round and I was thinking – this is amazing!

For me, a round is the poetic embodiment of belonging:  singing the same notes that others are singing, only shifted in time, and hearing it all blend and connect and cross to make something complex, beautiful and whole. That’s community!

We hope you will join Jennie in supporting us financially and we hope to see you at one of our upcoming programs. Learn how you can get involved.

Faye has a busy life as a small business owner and a mom, so we wanted to know what motivates her to invest time in the East Bay Community Music Project. For the past several years, Faye has regularly attended our Sunday Gatherings, Seasonal Festivals, House Parties, and Family Campouts, and also serves as a Board Member.

Recently we sat down with Faye to learn a bit of her story…

What role did Music play in your life before EBCMP?

“My most memorable and influential music experience was being in high school choir for four years. When I graduated from high school I didn’t really continue with music because I wasn’t on a performance track, and I wasn’t part of any organized religion. There was a real absence of music in my life for over 20 years, basically until I came to EBCMP. I definitely felt the lack and I missed it. But I didn’t know how I could do music without being a pro in some way.”

What about your Dance background?

“After high school, I switched over to dance and in college became interested in vernacular dance. I studied the ways that dance could be used as a vehicle for social change – and for building awareness around issues of social justice. I was fascinated by African dance forms as well as the English Folk dance tradition. I aspired to be a dancer for a while but I had too many varied interests and I was really more interested in healing. I realized that I had to earn money so I became a Pilates instructor.”

What was the turning point in your life that brought you back to Music?

“When I had my son Liam, my body suffered during the childbearing process. My core was a mess and here I was, a core instructor. I was really struggling in my life! I had kept in touch with my high school choir teacher and she said, “Faye, you have to have music in your life.” I thought: she’s right– it’s just been way too long! A friend told me about EBCMP. I came to my first gathering and I was in it from day one! In the beginning it was kind of intense– I hadn’t looked at a piece of sheet music for 20 years, and my son felt overstimulated, but eventually we found our groove. We both have a sense of belonging, contentment and joy in going.”

How do you experience the community aspect of EBCMP?

“Oh, We love our EBCMP friends! I really appreciate having these friendships with these people. We have playdates with folks outside of the gatherings and it’s really nice for both Liam and me to feel like our EBCMP friends are friends for friends sake. They’re friends because we have a common interest and passion. We do have a few family members in the area, but we don’t interact with them much and we’re not part of any organized religion, so it’s very nice for us to have and feel that sense of community.”

How has EBCMP impacted your musical life?

“I would say that the East Bay Community Music Project has overall just brought me back into the fold of music. After EBCMP helped me reconnect with my musicality, I joined the Revels Solstice Ensemble, so now I am singing in another context too, which has been really great for me! Then, In 2018, I took Doug Goodkin’s Orff workshop series for song leaders. That was great because I learned some other participatory music activities that now I’ve been able to share with people – at Liam’s school and at Cazadero Performing Arts Family Camp.

In a way, attending Cazadero for the first time this past summer was a test of what it was like to dive into a new musical community with the skills and experience I’ve acquired from EBCMP. I actually felt really comfortable! I ended up taking three different singing classes. In addition, last year I was able to organize a four week drumming class for my son and some other children. The classes were taught by Yari Mander, who I met at EBCMP. It was really neat that through the East Bay Community Music Project I had the connections to make it happen. It was great for my son and it was great for all of us. I now feel like I have more agency over music in my life. I feel like I can participate and create community music experiences.“

We hope you will join Faye in supporting us financially and we hope to see you at one of our upcoming programs. Learn how you can get involved.