- Info for organisers
- Campaigns we support
- Links to external songbanks
- Other political/community choirs and singing groups
- Musicians, singers and songwriters
- Other useful organisations
Do please let us know if you have suggestions for other websites we should link to!
Info for organisers
Documents helpful for organisers of events
Event coordinators checklist
- Visual information and display – like the lanterns, also posters / other decorations / placards
- Vigils – in public or private, with or without fasting
- Private or public performances – of poetry / readings / songs
- Virtual talks and workshops – in particular those held locally e.g. see the links above to Edinburgh Peace and Justice Centre and Scottish CND
- Craft work – make peace cranes / lanterns / badges / banners
Whatever you choose to do, take a picture and amplify the impact by sharing on social media and send it to Chris Pearson for the website.
Other issues
This website has a huge bank of information about nonviolent struggles from all over the world. They are categorised in various helpful ways and evaluated according to success criteria. Plenty of inspiration here!
Campaigns we support
Black Lives Matter
Campaign Against Arms Trade
Climate crisis
Conscientious Objectors’ Day
International Workers’ Memorial Day and May Day
Justice4Grenfell
Nuclear disarmament
Palestine solidarity and support for Gaza
Support for refugees and asylum seekers
Support for the victims of the 1984 Bhopal disaster
Links to external songbanks
- Antiwar songs
A collection of over 3000 pacifist and antimilitarist songs from all over the world and of any time, based on free contributions by readers and collaborators (commentary largely in Italian). - Quakersong
Website of Annie Patterson and Peter Blood, creators of Rise Up Singing, North America’s favorite group singing songbook. - Reclaiming Chants @ Weave and Spin
Lyrics to chants from the Reclaiming pagan activist community, co-founded by Starhawk. - Sing Out!
Magazine and resource centre devoted to (mainly north American) folk song. - Songs for Environmental Education
Environmental songs! Environmental music! Nature songs! Earth songs! - Songs for the Great Turning
Songs which can be used in the interactive group processes developed by Joanna Macy known as the Work That Reconnects, which facilitates, a shift toward a life-enhancing human presence on planet Earth. - Union Songs
Rebel songs, slave songs, songs of freedom, work songs, songs of dissent, songs of struggle, protest songs. They are the work of famous poets as well as men and women whose names have been forgotten.
Other political/community choirs and singing groups
- Big Big Sing
- Calder Valley Voices
World music songs, with social sensibilities. Gospel, African, East European. - Chechele World Music Choir
York-based acapella choir specialising in singing traditional music from around the world. - Côr Cochion Caerdydd
(Cardiff Reds’ Choir) came together in 1983, when events in Chile, South Africa, and at home in Wales demanded that they use their voices in protest. - Côr Gobaith
Aberystwyth street choir, singing and campaigning for peace and social and environmental justice near and far since 2006. - Harmonise
Edinburgh-based choir. - Joyous Choir
- London Gay Men’s Chorus
“Well worth Coming Out for.” - Loud and Proud
Edinburgh’s LGBT Choir. It provides a wonderful opportunity for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their friends to sing and socialise together. - National Street Choir Festival
(formerly the Street Music Festival) - Nottingham Clarion Choir
Formed in 1988 as a result of a project of local musicians to make the vinyl album English Rebels, celebrating the radical traditions in British politics. - Open Community Singing Group
Edinburgh-based singing group led by Penny Stone. Meets weekly on Thursdays from 18.30–20.30 at Eric Liddell Centre on Morningside Road. - Out Aloud, Sheffield’s Gay Choir
Out Aloud is Sheffield’s Gay Choir. It was formed in 2006 and enables lesbians, gay men, bisexual and transgendered people in Sheffield to enjoy singing as a community. There are no auditions and you don’t need to be an experienced singer or read music. - PiH Glasgow
- Pink Singers
London’s Lesbian and Gay Community Chorus. - https://www.portobellocommunitychoir.org/
- Raised Voices
London-based political choir of women and men. - San Ghanny
- Sangschule
Traditional song group based in Linlithgow, West Lothian. They welcome anybody who enjoys singing with others and who is interested in learning more about the Scottish musical tradition. - Sea Green Singers
an Oxford-based singing group of freedom and green songs. (The group is named after the colour of the ribbons worn by the Levellers, a radical movement within Cromwell’s Model Army.) - Sheffield Socialist Choir
With 60–80 members, they learn and sing songs which reflect the fight for freedom, human rights and justice around the world. - Songtribe
- Songworks
A community of singers who meet weekly to sing for the sheer joy of it. They meet at the Columcille Centre, Morningside, Edinburgh - Strawberry Thieves
Political choir based in South-east London. Their site has words, sheet music and midi files for many of their songs. - Tadhamon
- Wildfire
Edinburgh-based group, open to women of all ages and backgrounds who like or want to learn to sing in a collective group. They sing political songs, songs of struggle, peace and freedom as well as Scottish traditional material. Democratic decision making.
Musicians, singers and songwriters
- Billy Bragg
- Dick Gaughan
Information about Dick Gaughan, a song library, a full discography with historical and biographical information, reviews, tour schedules, etc. - Emma’s Revolution
Duo with Pat Humphries and Sandy Opatow). Writer of Peace, Salaam Shalom and Never Turning Back. - Holly Near
- Judy Small
Australian singer-songwriter, now a judge - Leon Rosselson
- Jane Lewis
- Littleweed Music
Website of Camilla Cancantata, composer and improviser, who wrote the oratorio “Trident: A British War Crime”, and “Carbon Chronicles”. - Melanie DeMore
- Peggy Seeger
- Penny Stone
- Sweet Honey in the Rock
- Woody Guthrie
Other useful organisations
- Natural Voice Network
We believe that singing is everyone’s birthright and we are committed to teaching styles that are accepting and inclusive of all, regardless of musical experience and ability. - Political Song Collection
Based at the University of Glasgow: “a major collection of materials relating to political song and songs of social justice. The collection comprises print, manuscript, and audiovisual media, dating from the 18th century to the present day.” - WRPM (Women’s Revolutions Per Minute)
Has supplied music performed, composed and produced by women since 1977. WRPM supports Independent Women Musicians and their catalogue includes recordings by many hard-to-find artists, including Holly Near, Judy Small and Sweet Honey in The Rock. - Campaign Choirs Network
A loose affiliation of like-minded choirs across the UK sharing a belief in a better world for all and dedicated to taking action by singing about it!