Planning singing workshop for festivals

Subject: Singing workshop for festivals
From: GUEST,Claire
Date: 03 Feb 04 - 01:32 PM

Hey,

Is anyone interested in giving me input about a singing workshop I am putting together for folk music festivals around my state? The workshop will be limited 1 to 1 1/2 hours long, the normal festival workshop slot. This type of workshop is not being offered by anyone in my region, nor have I ever seen one at any festival I have been to? I would have found this really useful when I was starting out, so what the heck, I thought I would teach one myself.

Any suggestion from people who have given or taken similar workshops are welcome. I am also interested in finding out if others would find this useful.. if there is a need for this type of workshop out there. The workshop is intended to give people an overview of techniques, and to give them skills they can use themselves to analyse and improve their own singing. It is also intended to give them an organized way to think about the different factors involved in singing. It is not intended to cover everything - no time for that.

Thanks in advance for your feedback,

Claire


Here is my outline.

Purpose: to provide folk and traditional singers (festival goers) with basic vocal techniques to help them sing better within their own genre. To do this as interactively as possible, drawing on my own experiences applying voice lesson techniques to singing Irish traditional material.

Title: Skills for Folk Singing
(I have struggled to come up with a decent title, suggestions?)

Introductions, stretching, short warm up (to get everyone moving a bit and involved. Briefly state the purpose and also that listening to yourself recorded is your best way to improve your singing. Use a mini-disk if possible, since tape recorders distort.

Briefly describe the 4 focusses of the workshop:
1) Breath support (how to breath deeply, quick breaths, measured exhales)
2) Resonance (focusing the voice on your palatte, head and chest resonance)
3) Alphabet: vowels and consonants, singing on the vowels, placing consonants at the end of words, enunciation, sung consanants and how closing your mouth slows air flow down and may interfere with hitting notes.
4) Phrasing: stretching the rhythm of the phrasing for emphasis while staying on the beat.

Check in and ask if anyone has a particular interest in one of these areas, so that we can allocate more time to it.

Go through the above mentioned topics providing information and demonstrating. Given time, the following excersizes will be done by the group, so that the class is interactive and so they get some "body memory" of doing these things. I probably won't have time for all of these, but its good to have them in mind and planned out. I am sure I will have to make adjustments as I teach it.

Breath control
Practice breathing from diaphram, expanding back, deep quick breaths.
Using a song every one knows (words provided)... sing it through... then place the breaths. Sing the song slowly and fast and solicit input about how or if they had to breath differently to sing the song at the different paces.

Resonance
Talk about focusing in your face versus back of your mouth and how this is a mind game. Sing a group song, have everyone think differently and comment if the sound is different depending on what your thinking. May split into groups or ask for a volunteer to sing alone, to augment this part of the lesson. Talk about changing focus as you reach for high notes, demonstrate.

Alphabet
Various options to demonstrate this one. Split into 2 groups or get a volunteer. Have them sing a song and the other listen for dropped words, consanants or unsung vowels.   Have them try it again to fix those problem areas. Have another volunteer sing a song with sung consanants (l, n, r, do the same excercise) Won't spend a lot of time on this one, but it is worth mentioning.

Phrazing
Working with Mary had a little lamb or easy folk song, practice phrasing in as many different ways as possible. Will discuss the endless possibilities and that the singer has to decide what they really want the listener to get when they choose phrasing. Also, that it needs to be varied to keep the listener interested. This is key to the listener understanding your song.

For longer workshops, will ask a volunteer to sing a song, so that they can apply some of these techniques to their own song. I would work with them to identify how they might improve certain things starting with their own feedback and then asking others if they have suggestions. (If no one volunteers, I have one that I find continually challenging)

Could also extend the workshop by singing a song as a group, and go through techniques to improve the song.

Could discuss working with a band and the added complications of arranging and staying on someone elses rhythm, if there is time or interest.

Subject: RE: Planning singing workshop for festivals
From: Folkiedave
Date: 03 Feb 04 - 01:45 PM

I went to one by Artisan at Brampton live last year. It covers everything you have mentioned (more or less) and was brilliant.
They are often in the States (I assume that is where you are.......) so may fit it in. They are pretty good (English understatement)too.

Dave
www.collectorsfolk.co.uk

http://www.artifact.demon.co.uk/.

Subject: RE: Planning singing workshop for festivals
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 03 Feb 04 - 07:50 PM

Hi, Claire!

"Vocal skills for folk singers"?
or "Vocal technique for folk singers"?

Something to make it obvious it's about voice...

Sounds great to me!

~ Becky in Tucson

Subject: RE: Planning singing workshop for festivals
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 03 Feb 04 - 09:18 PM

I led one once, with a completely different approach. It wasn't about singing techniques in any sort of a trained way, as I am not a trained singer. I encouraged every one in the workshop (which included Sandy and Caroline Paton and Gordon Bok) to talk about their influences and give an example of a singer or style that they feel has become a part of their style. I talked about the reason why some songs seem to work better unaccompanied (apparently most songs in the British Aisles.) I talked about how rhythm can change a song... always asking for examples. I thought it was a lot of fun, and everyone enjoyed it except for a woman who gives singing lessons who was very vociferous in criticizing our singing styles. Her voice projected marvelously.

Maybe next time I'll do a listening workshop..

Jerry
Jerry

Subject: RE: Planning singing workshop for festivals
From: open mike
Date: 04 Feb 04 - 02:46 AM

how about practicing harmonies? different effects you get from different intervals when sung together...this gives a whole new level to voices when they complement each other in this way. major thirds, minor thirds, etc.

Subject: RE: Planning singing workshop for festivals
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 04 Feb 04 - 02:52 AM

Actually, Jerry is not too far from the truth. The biggest hurdle anyone ever has to get over is listening - to themselves and to others in the group. Teach them to listen to what is going on and you've got half the battle fought!

LTS

Subject: RE: Planning singing workshop for festivals
From: s&r
Date: 04 Feb 04 - 03:46 AM

We have used Chris Coe to conduct singing workshops for Folkus in the NW UK. She spent time on technique and harmony - great. We have run occasional workshops on microphone technique for singers: well received, and essential for anyone using PA

Stu

Subject: RE: Planning singing workshop for festivals
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 04 Feb 04 - 05:43 AM

Sounds like a great workshop, Claire- let us know where you'll be doing it!
Allison

Subject: RE: Planning singing workshop for festivals
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 04 Feb 04 - 07:50 AM

Hey, OM:

Yeah, that's a different workshop all together... singing with other people, and harmonies. The most basic rule of singing in a group or chorus is if you can't hear the person next to you, you're singing too loud. Some people never learn how to blend with other voices.

But, that's another story...

Jerry

Subject: RE: Planning singing workshop for festivals
From: GUEST, Hamish, no cookie
Date: 04 Feb 04 - 07:58 AM

Jerry: I love spell check... "British Aisles", indeed! (Unless you were referring to church music. Many tunes used in today's hymn book are nicked from the folk tradition by Vaughan Williams).

p.s. Claire: sounds great! I was going to mention my web site which has a recent addition about breathing as well as other performance hints and tips, but I reckon you've got it covered. (The breathing page has a large chunk from the aforementioned Artisan workshop, with Jacey's kind permission). Aw, what the... it's at this blue clicky here

Subject: RE: Planning singing workshop for festivals
From: Folkiedave
Date: 04 Feb 04 - 11:13 AM

I found out later that Artisan will do a two-day workshop as well.

That has to be good!!

Dave
www.collectorsfolk.co.uk

Subject: RE: Planning singing workshop for festivals
From: GUEST,Claire
Date: 04 Feb 04 - 12:10 PM

Thanks everyone,

I appreciate the votes of support (breath support???)

Listening. Yes,I really think that you can't improve without listening to yourself critically. I intend to emphasize that and listening to others and more importantly to practice listening in the workshop. I want to emphasize tools you can use to change your sound. The first three parts (breath, resonance, vowels and consanants) are really about improving the sound. In the last part (phrazing), we will get into making yourself understood. Getting through to the listener.

I think that harmony and group singing are a bit beyond what I can tackle. For one thing, I don't do much of that, so am not the best person to teach it. I could cover mic technique. Good to keep that up my sleeve if I have a group of performers. I would love to do a second workshop on performance..... stage presence, using the mic, connecting with the audience, choosing material, setting up a set.... etc, but not this time.

Thanks very much for the breath control page,and anything else people can throw my way is much appreciated. I need to brush up on the actual physiology of singing, I haven't thought about that for a while.

All the best,

Claire

Subject: RE: Planning singing workshop for festivals
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 04 Feb 04 - 02:30 PM

The aisles were intentshunal.

Jerry

Subject: RE: Planning singing workshop for festivals
From: GUEST,Sooz(at work)
Date: 05 Feb 04 - 08:13 AM

All that about the Artisan workshop and more! At their workshop at last years Cleethorpes Festival about forty of us sang Amazing Grace. There was only one rule - no-one was allowed to sing the tune!
We had a pretty amazing workshop with Coope Boyes and Simpson at Gainsborough Festival but it didn't involve any formal techniques or exercises. Just singing! And what singing - the Elizabethan Manor House which was the venue was in danger of suffering structural damage!

Subject: RE: Planning singing workshop for festivals
From: Beer
Date: 05 Feb 04 - 11:20 PM

Thanks Claire and everyone else. Just finished a 2 hour meeting discussing this year's festival. Workshop's are a concern as we feel more are needed. I have extracted idea's from this thread which will help me put a workshop together. I hope I'm not infinging on any pattened idea.
Claire, you sound like a trained voice person. I'm afraid I couldn't come close in persuing that line in a workshop, but the idea is great. I will go in the direction of microhhone technique, style, influence and whatever other ideas may come up from this thread. An area that I want to have a discussion on, is as to why a lot of musicians sing the same songs over and over , year after year.
The very best of luck.
BEER

Subject: RE: Planning singing workshop for festivals
From: Peter Kasin
Date: 06 Feb 04 - 12:42 AM

Sounds like a wonderful workshop. Have a great festival!