Music Workshops
Music is
a big part of what makes Mendocino English Week so special. We have a
tremendous line-up of musicians to play for daytime workshops and evening
dances (see the staff page for the full list
with bios). But it’s much more than the inspiring dance music. There are
several workshops tailored to musicians, plus many chances for playing
together including camper band for the evening dance Wednesday evening.
We’ll also have several opportunities to gather together and share songs and rounds.
This year’s
music workshops include:
|
Camper Band
with Rebecca King |
Join with your fellow campers to provide glorious music for the Wednesday night Camper-led dance. From the professional to the novice, all abilities, levels, and instruments are welcome and encouraged. This class will form into bands and rehearse the tunes, with coaching on playing for dances by Rebecca King.
|
Ensemble Playing
with Mary Lea |
Learn how to take a bunch of individuals and turn them into a band. Beginnings and endings, tempos, solo swapping, arrangements on the fly, harmonic variety, cheap tricks… May digress into alternative styling concepts for ECD. |
Melody/Harmony
with Peter Barnes |
We'll work on shaping melody lines and using ornamentation and improvisation to develop ideas. We will also work on technical issues in challenging tunes. Learn what to play when someone else takes the melody line, how to get to the "insides" of a tune, and how to join the melody and the backup rhythm. And we'll have fun playing beautiful music together!
|
Singing
with Tina Fields |
EnChantMent! Everyone is welcome. You do not need to be a “good singer.” The majority of our time will be spent on simple but profound (or quite silly) chants, rounds, and part-songs in harmony from the British Isles, America, and Africa. We will also learn one complex multi-part harmony song per session. EnChantMent! sessions are both soul-uplifting and a lot of fun.
|
Chording
with Jacqueline Schwab |
Backing up ECD in a flowing, elegant, (non-contra) style, while providing a strong rhythmic underpinning for the dancers. Chord substitutions, solos, rhythmic and harmonic variations. Choosing chords on new tunes with no indicated chords.
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