Music on the Water
Wednesday July 29 - Saturday August 1, 2026
Immerse in a week of rowing and singing while camping together on Greens Island, Maine. This will be a joyous time of learning rowing songs and harmony singing both on land and against the rhythm of the oars while on the water. We will build a tight community while learning new skills in a fun, supportive atmosphere. Singing while hauling sails or pulling oars is an age-old boating tradition, which has supported both the timing of the work, and has made it a lot more fun, too. Our oars create a wonderfully percussive sound while rowing which will strengthen our sense of rhythm. Singing together greatly supports the timing of our rowing strokes. Rowing while singing helps us to breathe more fully, and create a fuller sound with our voices (we will find our inner foghorn). No prior musical or boating experience necessary! Our song leaders, all featured in the videos on this page, Bennett Konesni, Edith Gawler, and Elsie Gawler, our boating instructor/program leader Arista Holden, and our cook and menu planner, Coral Breuer, will all invite you into a joyful, nourishing and welcoming musical experience.
With guidance from our song leaders and additional AC USA leaders, participants will be invited to rotate through a range roles throughout the week to keep our crew healthy and our boats well tended. For example, you may refill the group's water jugs, stow the sails and oars at the end of the day, or assist a leader with preparing a group meal. Under sail, your leadership role may rotate from coxing, to being the mast captain, to doing a specific task such as raising and lowering the sail. While rowing, you may cox, navigate, lead the other rowers by keeping the stroke, actively follow the stroke oar, or perhaps be inspired to lead a call-and-response song to help keep the rowers in sync.
Instruction, all meals, and safety equipment will be provided. There are always a handful of open spaces in the boat for those who need a break from rowing and would prefer to ride-along.
Typical Daily Schedule:
Activities will be adjusted in accordance to the weather and needs of the community.
6:30am Gather to stretch
7-7:30am Light Morning Row (and sing)
7:45-8am Morning Dip (required for all participants on the first day, then will be optional for the following days)
8:30am Breakfast and coffee/tea (all are expected to be present at all meal times to check in/stay updated with the plans)
9:30am Clean up, group chores, and personal time.
10:30am Gather to row, sail, and sing
12:30pm lunch onshore
1:30pm Clean up/personal time
2:30pm Gather to row, sail, and sing
5pm Put the boats to bed for the night (pump out any water, tie them securely to the dock, stow equipment).
6pm Dinner
7pm Clean up
7:30pm Evening meeting/group check in, and songs and tunes.
9-10pm Folks typically head to their tents.
No prior experience necessary. Instruction, and meals provided. This program is on Greens Island and starts and ends in Rockland, Maine. We will take the ferry to Vinalhaven, and a short power boat ride to Greens.
We will take the ferry from Rockland, Maine to Vinalhaven at 8:45am Wednesday July 29, and then a short power boat ride to Greens Island. We will return to Rockland via the 2:45pm Vinalhaven ferry on Saturday August 1st. The ferry is 1 hr and 15 min long. More detailed logistics and packing information to follow.
Have any questions? Please get in touch.
Maximum group size 24 people. Ages 15 - 70+ and all experience levels.
Wednesday July 29 - Saturday August 1, 2026
Immerse in a week of rowing and singing while camping together on Greens Island, Maine. This will be a joyous time of learning rowing songs and harmony singing both on land and against the rhythm of the oars while on the water. We will build a tight community while learning new skills in a fun, supportive atmosphere. Singing while hauling sails or pulling oars is an age-old boating tradition, which has supported both the timing of the work, and has made it a lot more fun, too. Our oars create a wonderfully percussive sound while rowing which will strengthen our sense of rhythm. Singing together greatly supports the timing of our rowing strokes. Rowing while singing helps us to breathe more fully, and create a fuller sound with our voices (we will find our inner foghorn). No prior musical or boating experience necessary! Our song leaders, all featured in the videos on this page, Bennett Konesni, Edith Gawler, and Elsie Gawler, our boating instructor/program leader Arista Holden, and our cook and menu planner, Coral Breuer, will all invite you into a joyful, nourishing and welcoming musical experience.
With guidance from our song leaders and additional AC USA leaders, participants will be invited to rotate through a range roles throughout the week to keep our crew healthy and our boats well tended. For example, you may refill the group's water jugs, stow the sails and oars at the end of the day, or assist a leader with preparing a group meal. Under sail, your leadership role may rotate from coxing, to being the mast captain, to doing a specific task such as raising and lowering the sail. While rowing, you may cox, navigate, lead the other rowers by keeping the stroke, actively follow the stroke oar, or perhaps be inspired to lead a call-and-response song to help keep the rowers in sync.
Instruction, all meals, and safety equipment will be provided. There are always a handful of open spaces in the boat for those who need a break from rowing and would prefer to ride-along.
Typical Daily Schedule:
Activities will be adjusted in accordance to the weather and needs of the community.
6:30am Gather to stretch
7-7:30am Light Morning Row (and sing)
7:45-8am Morning Dip (required for all participants on the first day, then will be optional for the following days)
8:30am Breakfast and coffee/tea (all are expected to be present at all meal times to check in/stay updated with the plans)
9:30am Clean up, group chores, and personal time.
10:30am Gather to row, sail, and sing
12:30pm lunch onshore
1:30pm Clean up/personal time
2:30pm Gather to row, sail, and sing
5pm Put the boats to bed for the night (pump out any water, tie them securely to the dock, stow equipment).
6pm Dinner
7pm Clean up
7:30pm Evening meeting/group check in, and songs and tunes.
9-10pm Folks typically head to their tents.
No prior experience necessary. Instruction, and meals provided. This program is on Greens Island and starts and ends in Rockland, Maine. We will take the ferry to Vinalhaven, and a short power boat ride to Greens.
We will take the ferry from Rockland, Maine to Vinalhaven at 8:45am Wednesday July 29, and then a short power boat ride to Greens Island. We will return to Rockland via the 2:45pm Vinalhaven ferry on Saturday August 1st. The ferry is 1 hr and 15 min long. More detailed logistics and packing information to follow.
Have any questions? Please get in touch.
Maximum group size 24 people. Ages 15 - 70+ and all experience levels.
Sign Up and Payment Information:
Sliding Scale Tuition:
Our sliding scale reflects the belief that financial resources, including income, should not be the sole determining factor in accessing our program. Participants with greater financial means who are able to contribute at a higher level help make the program more accessible to others.We offer three sliding-scale tuition rates based on household annual income. Please select the rate that best reflects your current financial capacity. Choosing a higher rate, when possible, directly supports participants who require additional assistance. If the number of reduced-rate requests exceeds available funds, we will work together to fundraise to ensure the program can move forward.
Baseline rate: $600
Supportive rate: $720
Reduced rate: $480
Limited work trade opportunities, and financial aid are available.
Please email us and please fill out this financial aid form.
Sliding Scale Tuition:
Our sliding scale reflects the belief that financial resources, including income, should not be the sole determining factor in accessing our program. Participants with greater financial means who are able to contribute at a higher level help make the program more accessible to others.We offer three sliding-scale tuition rates based on household annual income. Please select the rate that best reflects your current financial capacity. Choosing a higher rate, when possible, directly supports participants who require additional assistance. If the number of reduced-rate requests exceeds available funds, we will work together to fundraise to ensure the program can move forward.
Baseline rate: $600
Supportive rate: $720
Reduced rate: $480
Limited work trade opportunities, and financial aid are available.
Please email us and please fill out this financial aid form.
Here are some music inspiration videos which include many of the songs we'll likely encounter and taught by many of our wonderful song leaders. Here is Bennett Konesni's website (Moving Music) which also catalogs many great songs for rowing. Enjoy!