Ali began Soulwind in her village in Argyll in 2012 after completing Song Leader training with Natural Voice founder Frankie Armstrong. Frankie was involved in the movement of the 1970’s away from formal singing to a more natural and freer way of singing in harmony, believing that it is our birthright to sing and that we should all be singing.
Prior to moving to Argyll, Ali sang for three years with Eurydice, the Women’s Socialist Choir in Glasgow. Here she developed an absolute love for singing in community and soon began the process of developing her own kind of singing group.
ali mills
photo by Lucy-Anne Bonete. Everything with Ali is taught by ear in a circle, in the Natural Voice method. The songs are often about the land, peace, love and hope - all taught in three part harmony. Over the years Ali has built up a vast repertoire of songs and at each event some will be new to you and some you will know. Over time the regular groups are also building a repertoire of songs that can be sung with little or no revision from Ali. You do not need any previous singing experience to sing with Soulwind.
photo by Daisy CastelloFor Ali it is all about the experience of singing in the moment with each part of the event being precious, the arriving, the learning, the singing, the silence, the belonging.
Ali often takes Soulwind to sing on beaches, hill tops and around fires - singing to the sun setting over the mountains. Indoors the lighting, setting of candles or flowers in the centre of the circle and the layout of the room, are all part of creating the moment and place in which to sing.
Previous events
Workshops in Kilcreggan
For a few years Ali ran residential singing workshops from a big house in Kilcreggan. These included the ‘Festival of song’ a fabulous four day event with over 50 singers, the ‘Long Song’ where singers learnt the parts of a bigger classical piece of music which was refined over the weekend and ‘Emerging Song’ where pieces were created by the group through improvisation.
For these workshops Ali brought a number of Songleaders in to work with her, including Kate Howard, Helen Chadwick and Mairi Campbell. Ali also collaborated with a felting artist on ‘Singing and felting the spiral’ with Lorraine Langston, combining singing and creativity.
photo by Daisy Castello
photo by Daisy CastelloSoulwind Songline
photos by Lulu GuinnessIn 2013 Ali created a Soulwind Songline coast to coast across Scotland as part of the opening of the John Muir Way. Over a week groups of singers came together to sing in six sites from Dunbar to Helensburgh singing the songs across the country thus creating a Songline.
Ali had chosen songs that reflected the philosophy of the famous environmentalist and author John Muir and taught them to local communities across the length of the walk and singers came across the country singing at each site.
Sings for peace
Ali has held many fundraising sings for peace, on the Isle of Bute, the Glasgow Gorbals, Kilcreggan and on the beach at Peaton Leyo.
Ali believes in the power of intention through song and that the positive messages for peace can travel to where it needs to go to.
Ali has held many fund-raising sings for peace on beaches, and in halls around Argyll and Glasgow. These events tend to be more impromptu, please email Ali if you would like to be added to a Sings for Peace - WhatsApp group, where these events will be posted.
photo by Ian GroutFlashmob at the Electric Garden Festival
In 2015 Ali created a flashmob in the Botanic Gardens at the Electric Garden Festival, bringing her two groups together from Rhu and Glasgow - singing in the gardens in the snow and the beautifully lit Kibble Palace glass house.
photos by Mike ForbesRegular groups
Over the past 15 years Ali has run regular weekly Soulwind groups in Rhu, Kilcreggan and Glasgow.
There are now two regular groups running - one weekly in Ali’s village in the Cove Sailing Club overlooking the Firth of Clyde and one monthly in the Arlington Baths in a beautiful light filled room above the baths in Glasgow’s West End.
Events and workshops
Ali creates beautiful singing experiences in a variety of places including a tiny unconsecrated chapel on the Cowal Peninsula, a weekend singing in a beautiful studio on the Isle of Lismore, evenings on beaches and solstice and equinox sings on hilltops overlooking Loch Lomond.
Ali is currently planning a residential singing weekend on the shores of Loch Long with Kate Howard for October 2026.
