We are organising our second folk festival and will be offering workshops in voice, fiddle
and whistle. As an organiser i wonder what would you the musician expect from a resonably run
say 2hr workshop in the way of resources and content. What has been your experience of
workshops.
Thanks Zina i put in a search but wasne there. Anyway a brief summery of the discussion would be
Provide sheet music and encourage learning by ear
Bring a tape recorder
15 limit
Ambient setting and seating
Attention to individuals
Try and cover ability levels
Q&A time
And my suggestion a feedback sheet
Any thing else???????
Bryan, I've been to workshops where we all listened to the instructor talk a lot and play a little, with none of us ever putting hand to our own instruments. And I actually learned a lot from this approach. But I still felt a bit deprived. In most cases, I think it's better if the instructor can deal with people actually playing, at least for part of the workshop. If possible, it also then helps to divvy people up into similar ability levels, rather than having well experienced players with rank beginners, etc.
Also, for more advanced workshops, it might help to focus on ornamentation, or developing variations, or some other single aspect of the music. Otherwise, it's starting to feel a bit like all workshops are the same.
By the way Bryan...Bunyips (which look nothing like greenwiggle with warts) are very good at leading workshops but it is very hard to entice them out of their billabongs..
Workshops
Workshops
We are organising our second folk festival and will be offering workshops in voice, fiddle
and whistle. As an organiser i wonder what would you the musician expect from a resonably run
say 2hr workshop in the way of resources and content. What has been your experience of
workshops.
# Posted on March 8th 2003 by Bryan
Re: Workshops
Try: http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display.php/854
# Posted on March 8th 2003 by Zina Lee
Re: Workshops
Thanks Zina i put in a search but wasne there. Anyway a brief summery of the discussion would be
Provide sheet music and encourage learning by ear
Bring a tape recorder
15 limit
Ambient setting and seating
Attention to individuals
Try and cover ability levels
Q&A time
And my suggestion a feedback sheet
Any thing else???????
# Posted on March 8th 2003 by Bryan
Re: Workshops
OK then an instructor with instrument
# Posted on March 8th 2003 by Bryan
Re: Workshops
Bryan, I've been to workshops where we all listened to the instructor talk a lot and play a little, with none of us ever putting hand to our own instruments. And I actually learned a lot from this approach. But I still felt a bit deprived. In most cases, I think it's better if the instructor can deal with people actually playing, at least for part of the workshop. If possible, it also then helps to divvy people up into similar ability levels, rather than having well experienced players with rank beginners, etc.
Also, for more advanced workshops, it might help to focus on ornamentation, or developing variations, or some other single aspect of the music. Otherwise, it's starting to feel a bit like all workshops are the same.
Good luck!
# Posted on March 8th 2003 by Will Harmon
Re: Workshops
By the way Bryan...Bunyips (which look nothing like greenwiggle with warts) are very good at leading workshops but it is very hard to entice them out of their billabongs..
# Posted on March 9th 2003 by Greenwiggle
Re: Workshops
WARTS is an acronym for, wot a remarkable traditional sessionist
That should get me out of the proverbial
# Posted on March 9th 2003 by Bryan
Re: Workshops
Though it doesn't necessarily apply to you, I think any stringed accompaniment (guitar, zouk, etc.) workshop needs a melody player.
Schy
# Posted on March 10th 2003 by Schy