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 group of people in your area and a big enough space, we can arrange it. Contact us for details.
Multi-session workshops (3 to 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, Jude Vadala, 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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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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Percussion for Singer/Songwriters (3 Weeks)
with Adam Bowman
Join drummer/percussionist Adam Bowman as he demonstrates and demystifies percussion for the singer-songwriter. Whether you are a lead or backing vocalist looking to fill out your performances with some auxiliary percussion, or a songwriter looking to add a little percussive flare to your recordings, Adam will show you how. Over the course of three weeks, Adam will cover names, techniques, tips and tricks of instruments such as shakers, tambourines, pandero, congas, djembe, triangles, cowbells—everything but the kitchen sink, and maybe that too! This will be a VERY hands-on workshop; participants will be encouraged to play ALL instruments in an ensemble setting. In the last session, we'll experiment with recording by overdubbing percussion on a bed track—your own if you have one. You've got the melody, you've got the chords, you've got the lyrics—now come get the groove!
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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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The Joy of Singing
with Jane Lewis
"If you can walk, you can dance. If you can talk, you can sing." (Zimbabwe proverb)
Do you love to sing, but feel that something holds you back? In this introductory workshop, we'll explore and reconnect with our voices through exercises, discussion, and most of all, singing! No musical experience necessary.
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Vocal Technique
with Teresa Doyle
Teresa delights in being able to pull the best from each person's voice, finding new avenues for unique expression. She shares a host of technical tools, expertise and insight, and she has an uncanny ability to identify and release vocal blocks. 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 quite physical, demanding a full commitment from the core of the body to give the singer maximum power and control over their instrument. The group is suited to performers and non-performers, and will include performance feedback for those who wish it. Most importantly, expect to laugh and have fun as we work together to find our authentic voices.
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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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Jazz Singing 101
with Joni NehRita
Maybe you have loved jazz music for years and would like to get a few standards under your belt. But how does one sing "jazzy" anyway? In this fun introduction to jazz singing, Joni NehRita will teach the basics of swinging, jazz phrasing, melodic variation as well as present a good start to repertoire development.
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Girl Jam
with Jane Lewis and Katherine Wheatley
Do you play an instrument (or sing) and want to gain some experience (and courage) making music in a group? This women's workshop is designed to help you learn and experiment with playing music together, in a fun and supportive environment. We'll work on arranging specific songs, and we'll also let loose in a jam setting—exploring the ins and outs (and some dos and don'ts) of how to find your way when playing with a group. All instruments are welcome—if you're a singer without an instrument, we'll work you into the vocal mix and maybe even get you doing some percussion. We'll be encouraging everyone to try different things! No matter what, you'll gain some insight and experience to take with you to your next jam session, rehearsal, kitchen party, or campfire.
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Unlock Your Voice
with Joni NehRita
This dynamic workshop will give singers of all levels a chance to learn more about the physicality of the voice and, in turn, how to unlock more of its potential. Through vocal "play" and more straight up vocal exercises, instructor Joni NehRita will help singers isolate what specific things may be preventing them from achieving the sound they wish to have. Special attention will be given to creating texture in the voice and bridging the gap between head and chest voice via the "mix or middle" voice. Part of Joni's work will also be to help get the mind out of the way--as it often tells us that singing (especially high notes) is hard! Joni studied voice with the late Bill Vincent at Voice and Company in Toronto for 6 years and at Humber College in the jazz program. She has been performing professionally for 15 years and teaching for 12.
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Singing Beatles Harmony
with Sam Turton
The Beatles are a one-stop shop for harmony! In their drive for experimentation and variation, The Beatles used every type of vocal harmony possible, including three and two part parallel, two-part contrary, two-part weaving with melody, melody and drone, unison weaving, call-and-response, and harmony as orchestration. By learning and singing Beatles songs, you'll open up this diverse harmonic palette for your own compositions, arrangements, and performances. Or, if you just love the Beatles, we'll have fun singing some of the best music ever written! We will be learning parts by ear; previous experience with harmony is beneficial, but not necessary.
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Singing Beatles Harmony In Depth
with Sam Turton
This workshop is the logical extension of "Intro to Singing Beatles Harmony," an introduction to the wide variety of harmony styles employed by The Beatles in their quest for innovation. In this workshop we will focus on a few of their classics, deconstruct the harmonies, assign parts, rehearse, and sing the songs together as complete compositions. This in-depth approach will allow us to deeply appreciate and thoroughly enjoy the brilliance and beauty of this timeless music. We will be learning parts by ear; previous experience with harmony is beneficial, but not necessary. You are welcome in the group even if you haven't taken the Intro workshop!
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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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Sound Systems De-Mystified
with Jason LaPrade
This "hands-on" workshop will look at the basics of getting good sound for performance, whether you're running the system or working with others who do. How do I set up a sound system for performance? What are all those knobs for? What is EQ and how do I adjust it? What should I listen for? How do I avoid feedback? We'll work with a couple of systems and test out the differences with highs, mids, lows, and other elements. We'll also walk through proper sound check procedure (doing it alone, or with a professional at the mixing board). What does a sound person want (and not want) from a performer? Best of all, we'll be guided through the maze by a fellow musician and one of Toronto's friendliest and most talented sound professionals, Jason LaPrade.
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Songwriting & Performance
with Stephen Fearing
Join us for an up-close and personal evening with Juno winner and Canadian folk icon Stephen Fearing! Stephen has agreed to take an evening from his busy touring schedule to play some tunes and share his insights on songwriting and performance. Bring your instrument and your song - or just your interest - Stephen will field questions and invite a few participants to perform an original song and receive constructive feedback. This will be a rare and special evening you won't want to miss.
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Soul Singing
with Joni NehRita
Have you ever wondered what soul singing or music is all about? Maybe you've admired and felt the passion of singers like Otis Redding, Etta James, Ray Charles, Mavis Staples or Joe Cocker and thought you'd love to incorporate some "soulfulness" into your own singing...if you only knew how. Joni NehRita's first love is classic soul & R&B, and during this workshop she will:
A) Help define what soul (singing) is as a genre
B) Isolate what it is that makes a singer/musician "sound soulful"
C) Go through specific examples and exercises to help the singers experiment with adding soul to their sound.
R&B music has a rich history, stemming from slave songs intertwined with gospel music. We will listen to and discuss some classic examples ranging from the early years to present day. We'll also listen to some singers who don't necessarily identify as an R&B or soul artist but who do use some elements to add "meat," flavour, emotion and/or grit to their sound. Lots to explore!
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Intro to The Ancient Art of Overtone Singing
with Dennis Gaumond
Overtone singing is an ancient practice embraced by many cultures, including Tibetan monks and shamanic Mongolians from the province of Thuva. It is a method by which we maximize the healing potential of the human voice. This workshop is a unique and rare opportunity to learn the basic method of overtone singing - creating a fundamental note while at the same time emitting beautiful flute-like overtones. It is also an opportunity to experience the healing vibrations of a group toning together with united intent and open hearts. The workshop will include some information about overtoning, a lesson in overtoning, and a 'sound massage' using singing crystal bowls, etc. Come and participate in this fascinating sound and healing activity.
Note from Jane: Here is a sample of what overtone singing sounds like: http://youtu.be/nPu9XMMY1Y8. The singer is producing both the drone note and the melody high notes (seriously). I've heard Dennis do it!
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FunkBucket
with Adam Bowman
Unlike any drum circle you've ever been to. We've got the sticks, we've got the buckets, all we need is YOU! Join drummer/percussionist Adam Bowman for this engaging, exciting and interactive groove experience. Adam will take participants on a pulse pounding journey in rhythm from Funk to Hip Hop, R&B to world beat and back again. All skill levels are welcome. Come to play, or to watch and dance. Always a blast when you don't fake the FUNK! For more about Adam, please visit www.adambowman.com
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FunkBucket 2.0
with Adam Bowman
If you took the FunkBucket workshop last fall, then you're ready to take it to the next level! For any intrepid new folks who can't wait for the next intro workshop, you'd be welcome to join this one.
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