SAN JOSE, Calif. — When Corinthia Peoples seated herself in the front row for Bobby McFerrin’s weekly Circlesongs performance at Berkeley’s Freight & Salvage, she didn’t look like someone who lacked confidence.

The San Francisco resident came to the communal sing-along elegantly dressed in flowing white and wearing silver and stone jewelry of her own design. She also wore a radiant smile — even after a prompt by McFerrin encouraged her to reveal to the rest of the audience that she harbored a deep fear about singing in front of people, due to an offhand comment made by a relative when she was a young girl. After sharing her story, Peoples got the chance to work through her fear with help from the 10-time Grammy Award-winning virtuoso himself.

“We can sing together,” the 74-year-old McFerrin told Peoples, gently coaxing her into performing a gorgeous, improvised duet with him, based on the “Sister” lyrics in the “Miss Celie’s Blues” song from the 1985 film, “The Color Purple.”

Such moments of healing, community and celebrating life through music are commonplace at McFerrin’s Circlesongs. Every Monday at noon at the downtown Berkeley venue, the jazz artist and his a cappella group Motion — made up of Destani Wolf, Tammi Brown, Bryan Dyer and Dave Worm — present vocal jam sessions. They use their voices like instruments to riff off well-known lyrics and create spontaneous, scatlike harmonies and vocal percussions. Most importantly, they invite everyone in the audience to join in, regardless of musical experience.

“Every voice has a place in the circle,” McFerrin has said.

Peoples attended her first Circlesongs on Feb. 26. During a pause in the music that day, McFerrin, who became globally famous for his four-octave range and 1988 hit, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy,” told the 200 people in the audience, “I wanna know what you’re feeling. Tell me what’s on your mind!”

That’s when Peoples spoke up, explaining that she once dreamed of being an entertainer before being told she’d never be good enough.

“What is music?” she asked.

As the slender McFerrin stepped off stage to engage directly with Peoples, he almost seemed to be playing the role of wise man, offering healing words. Indeed, some audience members referred to him as a shaman or said that attending Circlesongs is like going to church. With Peoples, McFerrin offered what sounded like a sermon on the nature of music, explaining how it has many dimensions and modes of expression, with an unlimited reach into the soul and imagination.

“Music is playful! Music is dangerous! Music is spiritual,” McFerrin said, with some of that playfulness. When Peoples and others in the crowd also suggested music is “power,” “community” and “vibration,” McFerrin nodded and added, “It’s B-flat! It’s a language that everyone can understand.”

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