The Experience

Discover what you’ll experience during a Sound in the Woods event, a day of creativity, reflection, and connection.

Scroll down for more details or use the buttons to jump to a specific section.

What is Sound in the Woods?
Who is it for?
What actually happens
Practical details

  • Music-making in nature: Engage with instruments and sound in a serene woodland setting

  • Human connection: Build bonds through communication, collaboration, and shared achievement.

  • Joy and laughter: Experience a safe, welcoming environment that nurtures fun and creativity.

  • Lasting impact: Reset and recharge in a beautiful natural setting by creating and connecting with others.

What is Sound in the Woods?

What you get

Sound in the Woods is a day-long series of creative, music-based activities, workshops, and games designed to bring groups of people together and promote feelings of safety, connection, collaboration, creativity, and celebration with others.

A wooden gazebo in a park surrounded by trees and yellow flowers, with people gathered inside.

Music-making in nature: Engage with instruments and sound in a serene woodland setting.

Two musicians playing melodicas outdoors, one with long dark hair and glasses and the other with a headscarf, sitting on chairs near trees.

Human connection: Build bonds through communication and shared achievement.

Women sitting on chairs in a forest, one woman playing the flute, others chatting and laughing, surrounded by trees and nature.

Joy and laughter: Experience a safe, welcoming environment that nurtures fun and creativity.

Two people sitting on chairs outdoors, talking and smiling, with musical instruments and percussion instruments on a table behind them, surrounded by trees.

Lasting impact: Reset and recharge in a beautiful natural setting by connecting and creating with others.

Group of people gathered outdoors in a park-like setting, watching two women play musical instruments, a hammered dulcimer and a violin, while others stand and observe.

A full-day (9:45am - 5:00pm) immersive experience in a woodland setting, with time for chatting by the fire, music-making, reflection, and shared meals.

The day

Small groups of 12-16 people that allow space for individual contribution and support, while building a strong sense of creative connection.

The group

Three women sitting outdoors with musical instruments, smiling and engaging in a music activity, with chalkboards and educational materials on the ground and a wooden structure surrounding them.

Group music-making using acoustic instruments, natural materials, and processes that support creativity, listening, and shared rhythm.

The music

A xylophone with metal and wooden bars, some painted in different colors, placed on a wooden surface, with various items in the background.
Back to top

Who is it for?

Nature offers a powerful sense of safety and perspective. Sound and music offer ways to connect that don’t rely on words. Together, they create conditions for calm, curiosity and genuine connection.

Sound in the Woods is for people who want to slow down, reconnect with what’s real, and be creative with others, in a way that feels safe, supported, and fun. It’s ideal for adults of all backgrounds and levels of experience. You don’t need any musical training, and you don’t need to consider yourself ‘creative’ to take part.

  • No musical experience required

  • No pressure to ‘perform’ or ‘get it right’

  • No expectation to be anyone other than yourself

Just a readiness to spend the day in a beautiful natural space, exploring sound, creativity, and connection together.

The experience is carefully designed and professionally held, so the experience feels freeing rather than exposing, and playful rather than pressured.

Click to learn more about why this works

Click to hear about our team and ethos

“Sound in the Woods was a life-affirming and deeply nourishing experience touching into the essential parts of being a creative human in this beautiful world. Thank you!”

Group of four adults smiling outdoors in warm clothing, with trees and a wooden shelter in the background.
Back to top

What actually happens?

Arriving & settling

You’ll arrive to a warm welcome, and have time to settle in, tune in to the beautiful surroundings, and leave everyday distractions behind. A sensory walk helps shift attention from your head to your body, focusing the senses towards the sounds, textures, and rhythms of the woods. This opening helps creates a foundation of safety and calm, preparing you for the music-making.

“Nourishing. This was a delightful day that opened my heart and mind and reached all my senses.”

Group of five people outdoors in a forest, preparing coffee and snacks at a wooden table with coffee urns, tea bags, and snacks.

Listening & attuning

We begin with a series of short, simple communication and listening games, using basic rhythms to tune into each other and communicate through music. This helps everyone become familiar with each other within a group music context, and builds strong foundations of trust and connection for the rest of the day.

“I felt very at peace in the setting. Connecting with others through conversation and making music felt very heart-opening and grounding.”

Two men sitting in a wooded outdoor area are playing a game where they use small wooden sticks.

Creating & connecting

Using a blend of tuned and untuned instruments, alongside any instruments participants bring, we gradually build a collection of sounds and rhythms that can be developed and arranged into a piece of music. The process is deliberately designed to work across all levels of confidence, with each person’s contribution equally valued and integral to the group creation.

“The format of the day was perfect. Everything woven together creatively, artistically, and comfortably. Facilitators were engaging and open.”

Group of people sitting outdoors under a wooden shelter, engaged in a discussion or workshop, with trees and greenery in the background.

Sharing & celebrating

The group shapes their piece into a shared performance. This is a moment of collective expression rather than a polished concert. Participants choose how they take part, with the emphasis on celebration and appreciation. Sharing the music helps mark what has been created together, recognising the group’s creativity, effort, and sense of achievement.

“An opportunity to play with instruments and create music whilst being in nature and connect with people ticks every well-being box this is what being human is all about.”

Group of people outdoors in a wooded area, smiling, with chalkboards and boards displaying song lyrics, notes, and drawings around them.

Reflecting & closing

The day ends with time to pause and reflect on our shared experience and achievements, recognising the impact this has had on us as individuals and as a group. This helps ensure we get the most from the experience, carrying a sense of accomplishment and connection into the days ahead. Participants leave feeling more connected, more confident and more skilled than when they arrived.

“ A life affirming and deeply nourishing experience touching into the essential parts of being a creative human in this beautiful world. Thank you!”

Group of people sitting and listening to a woman speaking, outdoors in a shelter with wooden posts and greenery in the background.
Back to top

Practical Details

  • Through 2026, we are thrilled to be working in two amazing woodlands: Tortworth Arboretum & Forest Centre (near Thornbury) has a stunning collection of ‘champion’ trees and a wooden roundhouse with a fire platform. The White Ennox Woods, in Box, Wiltshire, is a unique hilltop beechwood and ex-forest school site with a parachute tarp and multiple fire pit areas and covered spaces.

  • We send out a kit list a few weeks before the event, but you don’t need any expensive or specialist equipment or clothing. Just sensible stuff to keep you comfortable. Basic things include:

    • Sturdy footwear suitable for woodland ground (wellies/walking boots, etc)

    • Maybe a notebook and pen

    • A reusable water bottle

    • Any personal instrument(s) you’d like to bring (optional - remember to consider how you’ll keep it clean and protected)

    • Any favourite drinks or snacks

    Everything else needed for the day is provided. Including a seat and a cushion (very important!)

  • Nourishing food is an important part of the day. Meals are home-cooked and prepared using seasonal ingredients, and shared together as part of the experience.

    Dietary requirements and allergies are always catered for. You’ll be asked about these in advance, and we’ll follow up if we need any clarification.

    By default, all the food is vegan, nut-and gluten-free: Granola cookies to snack on, and super-nutritious ‘Buddha Bowls’ for lunch, and plenty of fresh coffee (including decaf) and a range of teas. We also provide dairy, oat, and soy milk. You can, of course, bring any of your favourite snacks and drinks with you.

  • Whilst our activities happen in semi-wild natural spaces, we do as much as we can to make Sound in the Woods as inclusive and accessible as possible. Experiences are designed to be flexible and invitational, with no expectation to take part in anything that doesn’t feel right for you.

    If you have access needs, sensory considerations, mobility questions, or anything else you’d like us to be aware of, please get in touch in advance so we can discuss how we can support you.

  • Sound in the Woods takes place outdoors and goes ahead in most weather conditions. We will always have a shelter to use, should we need it, and adapt the experience to the environment on the day.

    If conditions are genuinely unsafe, we follow the guidance in place for the specific location. If this happens, we will be in touch in advance with clear information.

  • We encourage participants to keep phones off or on silent (or, better still, in the car) in order to be fully present throughout the experience.

    However, we recognise that sometimes you really need to take a call. We ask that you move away from the group if you need to use your phone, to minimise any disruption this might cause.

    Occasionally, a photographer may be present to capture the atmosphere of the day. We’ll always explain this clearly and ask for consent in advance.

Two men enjoying music in a wooden outdoor shelter, one playing guitar and the other playing a percussion instrument, with bunting hanging above.
Back to top

Each Sound in the Woods experience is unique, shaped by the group and the woodland. If you’d like to be part of an upcoming session, we warmly invite you to join us.

View Upcoming Events
Stay in Touch