Via Community News Service, a University of Vermont journalism internship, in partnership with Vermont Public
GLOVER — On a recent Tuesday evening, despite a snowstorm, a small group of people made their way to the Bread and Puppet farm in Glover for an evening of song.
The gathering was part of the Bread and Puppet Spring Sing, a weekly community sing hosted by the renowned political theater company.
Maria Schumann leads the Spring Sing. Her parents, Peter and Elka Schumann, founded Bread and Puppet back in 1963. She said she grew up surrounded by music.
“My mom taught me the power of song,” Schumann said. “She was always singing. We were always singing when our family was together. So I got that from her.”
On this night, Schumann led the singers in Eastern European folk tunes and 1930s political resistance songs, including:
Tomu Kosa, a traditional Ukrainian song about love, happiness and a good harvest.
Ladutėla Laduto, a Lithuanian folk tune about fertility and welcoming a new season.
And Josh White’s Beloved Comrade, a 1944 anti-fascist folk-blues song about sacrifice, justice and freedom that, according to White, was a favorite of President Franklin Roosevelt.
Schumann said she started the Spring Sing as a way for people to come together and experience joy.
“I was staring at the internet and just getting so depressed and overwhelmed by the terrible news everywhere in the world,” she said. “And I was like, ‘I just need some hope and some beauty in my life.’”
Maria encourages people to attend the weekly sings regularly to get to know the songs — and even some dances.
“The first time you do it, you’re like, ‘This is crazy. It’s never gonna work, it’s never gonna sound good,’” she said. “And then you come back that next time, and you’re like, ‘Oh, I get it!’ And that’s such a great moment when that happens.”
The Bread and Puppet Spring Sing is scheduled every Tuesday now through the end of April. It’s free and open to all.