Past & Present Workshops
Each spring and fall, we offer a selection of workshops, most of which are chosen from the list below. We also like to bring in new things, so feel free to email us with your ideas & requests.
Also, these workshops can be brought to you! If you have a sufficient group of people in your area and a space big enough to hold the group, we can arrange it. Contact us for details.
Multi-session workshops (6 or 8 weeks)
One-day workshops
Click here to view workshops that are currently being offered!
The Joy of Singing (6 Weeks)
with Jane Lewis
Singing can lift your spirits, reduce stress, build confidence, and strengthen your immune system. It's good medicine, and good fun. For six weeks, we will meet and join our voices in sound and song. Each night, a vocal tip or new exercise will be introduced. Over the course of the workshop, we'll work on a repertoire of songs, learning melodies and harmony parts. Most importantly, we'll share in the heart-warming experience of singing together.
No experience necessary.
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Rise Up Singing — Women's Choir (8 weeks)
with Jane Lewis and special guest
Experience the joy of making music together! This women's group will meet for eight weeks and sing a selection of folk & traditional songs, learning melodies and harmony parts. Past co-leaders have been Katherine Wheatley, Tannis Slimmon, and Gwen Swick.
"Choir" is in quotation marks because we are more fun than formal. Our main goal is to sing lots, and to enjoy ourselves. No auditions, no reading music — we'll be learning by ear, though we may provide basic notation for some songs for those who are interested.
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Rise Up Singing — Co-ed "Choir" (8 Weeks)
with Jane Lewis and Sam Turton
Experience the joy of making music together! This group will meet for eight weeks and sing a selection of folk, gospel & traditional songs. Original songs by group leaders Jane Lewis and Sam Turton will also be introduced, and we'll work on learning melodies and harmony parts.
"Choir" is in quotation marks because we are more fun than formal. Our main goal is to sing lots, and to enjoy ourselves. No auditions, no reading music — we'll be learning by ear.
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Rise Up Singing — Finding & Freeing Your Voice
(8 weeks)
Do you love to sing, but feel that something is holding you back?
In this eight-week program, we will free our voices through exercises, sharing & discussion—and most of all, singing!—in a safe, supportive environment. We'll look at inhibitions and explore vocal techniques. Whatever your level of singing experience, we will work through exercises and songs together, and you will have the chance to take your voice to the next level. No musical experience necessary.
• learn how to access your full voice
• gain awareness of what is blocking/inhibiting your expression
• develop confidence and learn to love your voice
• learn about the technical aspects of voice and singing
• have fun! sing out!
This has been run as a women's group, and as a co-ed group.
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Singing Harmony By Ear (6 Weeks)
with Jane Lewis
Have you ever wanted to sing harmony on the fly? In this group, you'll learn how to listen for harmonies and how to find parts on your own. We'll work through exercises and songs, and give you a road map to help you find your harmonic way. The group is designed for beginners: being able to sing the scale (do-re-mi-fa-sol-la-ti-do) is your only prerequisite. You should also be fairly comfortable singing in a group.
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Chord Progressions (6 Weeks)
with Katherine Wheatley
Shake up your songwriting with some new chords and progressions. You'll learn chord nomenclature, the Nashville number system, how to figure out chord substitutions and discover new chords and progressions. Some basic music theory is recommended, but not necessary. Please feel free to contact us in advance to discuss what you already know, in order to determine if the course is suitable. Players of all instruments welcome!
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Guitar Grooves (6 Weeks)
with Katherine Wheatley
This workshop is a little different than Katherine's chord workshop. It's more practical (less theoretical) and it's specific to guitar. We'll explore the five main guitar keys (C, G, D, A and E) and the grooves, finger picking and strumming patterns, hammer-ons and pull offs that work well in each key. Katherine will show you simple ways to add simple guitar countermelodies to your song. This course is designed for people who are comfortable accompanying themselves or others on guitar, and who are familiar with the first position chords (G, C, D, F, A, E, Dm, Em, and Am). Feel free to contact us in advance to discuss whether the workshop is suitable for you.
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Songwriting Boot Camp (8 Weeks)
with Katherine Wheatley
Need some inspiration and motivation to write? In this exclusive group (7 spots only), Katherine will provide a creative environment for writing songs and learning about the craft of songwriting. In addition to lyric and melody writing exercises, she'll give you songwriting assignments. And she'll pair you up and ask you to co-write songs. Each participant will get two short private sessions with Katherine. There'll be performance tips, too. On the final evening, everyone will perform the songs they've written during the workshop, and celebrate the new additions to their songwriting portfolio!
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Exploring Vocal Harmony
with Jane Lewis and Tannis Slimmon
What is harmony? How do you know what to sing? Join us for an afternoon of learning and experimenting with vocal harmonies.
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Vocal Workshop for Performers
with Teresa Doyle
Teresa has been performing and teaching for three decades. She has ten recordings and has given voice workshops across Canada, in Colorado, Mexico and Ireland. Her approach combines her life long search for the boundaries of the human voice. She's studied with many teachers, most notable, voice facilitation with England's Chloe Goodchild and is currently enrolled in a three year study of The Yoga of Sound with South Indian Russill Paul. www.teresadoyle.com
Teresa delights in being able to pull the best from each person's voice. She has a host of technical tools that she shares. A weekend of training will give the singer lots to work with to establish strong skills in breathing, pitch and resonance. Teresa's approach is very physical demanding a full commitment from the core of the body to give the singer maximum power and control over their instrument. This workshop will be geared toward more experienced singers who perform in public, and will involve some performance feedback. Please contact us if you have any questions about whether the workshop is suitable for you.
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Rise Up Singing — Introductory Workshop
with Jane Lewis and Sam Turton
"If you can walk, you can dance. If you can talk, you can sing." (Zimbabwe proverb)
In this introductory workshop, we will explore our voices through exercises, sharing & discussion in a safe, supportive environment. We'll examine what holds us back vocally, and we'll look at ways to connect with our true voices. Most importantly, we'll spend time singing together! * No musical experience necessary.
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A Gospel Afternoon
with Ken Whiteley
After a brief overview of gospel music and its forms, Ken will direct the group in the performance of various gospel classics and his own original compositions. In his warm, inclusive manner, Ken will proceed step-by-step, dividing us into soprano, alto, tenor, and bass sections, and leading us in each rousing, harmony-filled selection.
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Sing the Blues with Suz!
with Suzie Vinnick
We'll start the workshop off by doing a vocal warm-up and then Suzie
will take you on a little blues journey by teaching you some gospel
and blues tunes. We'll go over the blues form and introduce you to
basic blues vocal stylings and some bluesy vocal improvisation. We
will also do a little listening to some of the classic blues singers
and share some of their stories and the stories behind their songs.
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Three-Chord Wonder: Learn to Play the Guitar
with Eve Goldberg
If you have never played guitar before, or if you started and didn't get very far, this workshop is for you! In a few hours, you'll learn how to accompany hundreds of folk, pop, country, blues and rock songs. In addition to learning three chords, students will leave the workshop with a basic understanding of accompaniment and will be given resources for songbooks and other handy accessories every musician should have. No previous experience necessary, just a guitar.
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Beginning Fingerstyle Guitar
with Eve Goldberg
If you have ever wanted to fingerpick melodies on the guitar, this is the workshop for you! Starting with simple tunes, we'll work on the basic techniques that will allow you to explore the many possibilities of fingerstyle guitar. It's easier than you think! You will be introduced to the tablature system of notation, learn about thumb independence, and experiment with syncopating your rhythms to create dynamic melodies. Participants should be fairly comfortable with the basic chords in the first position (A, C, D, E, G).
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Basic Fingerpicking Guitar
with Eve Goldberg
This workshop is for guitar players who know some chords and strumming styles, but want to learn how to fingerpick. We'll unlock the secrets of alternating bass, learn some different fingerpicking patterns, and talk about the principles behind basic fingerpicking styles that will allow you to make up your own accompaniments. Bring your guitar.
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Fancy and Fun Guitar: Guitar Chord Voicings
with Norman Liota
Learn how to work your way up and down the neck of your guitar, and make even the simplest songs sound fancy and fun! This workshop is for people who know first position chords (G, C, D, F, A, E, Dm, Em, and Am) and want to learn how to play variations of these chords (and others) further up the neck. This practice is referred to as "chord voicings," and enables you to play complimentary parts to someone playing in first position. You will come out of this workshop feeling like you've reached a new level of playing.
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Slide Guitar for Beginners
with Sam Turton
Playing guitar with a slide (a glass or metal tube) creates a unique and mesmerizing sound that you'll hear from Robert Johnson to Jack White, delta blues to hard rock. Beginning with the basic use of the slide, we will explore right and left hand techniques, picking, muting, classic phrases, and basic tunings. Participants must be able to play basic chords comfortably. Some familiarity with playing single note phrases will also be helpful, but not required. Slide on!
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You Can Uke
with Eve Goldberg
Do you want to start playing ukulele? Do you want to brush up on your skills? Or are you just curious why this little four-stringed instrument is so popular? In this three-hour workshop we'll explore some of the many musical possibilities offered by this beguiling instrument. We'll explore chords and strumming as well as melody playing and put it all together in simple but effective group arrangements. Along the way we'll learn a scale or two, improve our singing and listening skills, and maybe even de-mystify some of the notes on the page.
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The Essentials of Jamming
with Sam Turton
Whether at open mics, festival workshops, or house parties, instrumental jamming is a big part of the musical scene. Understanding the essentials of jamming can make the difference between chaos and an inspiring musical experience!
The workshop will be divided into both instruction and playing, as we explore rhythm, dynamics, keys, structures, styles, scales, traditions, leading and trading off, in a friendly, non-judgmental environment.
All instruments and skill levels are welcome. Amps and drum kits will be limited for space and volume in order to accommodate acoustic performance.
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An Introduction to Songwriting
with Jude Vadala
Explore beat, rhythm, melody, and song structure. Learn how to develop your songwriting ideas, and how to connect lyrics to the music.
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An Introduction to the Blues
with Sam Turton
"The blues is a chair, not a design for a chair, or a better chair. It is the first chair."
(John Lennon)
Blues is the foundation of Western popular music, from Jazz and R&B to rock and roll and modern pop. It is a common language that brings musicians together and a powerful tool to unlock other musical doors. Understanding the blues can help your writing, your playing, your groove, your singing, your improvising, and your skills in other genres—and it's a lot of fun!
The afternoon will be divided into both instruction and playing, as we explore origins, fundamental forms, rhythms, accompaniment, improvisation, vocals, and the classic songs that define the blues—all in a friendly, non-judgmental environment.
Vocalists and instrumentalists of all skill levels are welcome, though some knowledge of your instrument will be helpful. If you intend to bring amplification or drums, please inquire first so we can accommodate everyone's needs.
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Playalong Singalong
with Sam Turton
The All Together Now Singalongs get people singing along, and this workshop will get you playing along with some of the classics in our songbook. We'll stick to the basic 3 and 4 chord songs, so you can learn new tunes to bring to your next get-together, campfire, or kitchen music party! An enjoyable afternoon of playing songs together. For guitar, keyboard, or other chordal instruments. Guitar players, bring your instrument plus a capo and a tuner! We have two keyboards available.
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Shake, Rattle, and Drum!
Learn to Jam with Percussion
with Vince Maccarone
Rhythm is the heartbeat of music. Learn how to find the groove and play along—using shakers, tambourines, hand drums, spoons, hand clapping, and more! Using a variety of techniques, your instructor will have you drumming, singing, and moving to the beat.
Instruments will be provided, but feel free to bring your favourite percussion tools.
Excellent for campfire singers, beginner percussionists, vocalists, or anyone who has wondered how the heck to properly play a tambourine or one of those egg shaker things!
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