~ Singing, Songwriting: Week 3 ~
|
|
|
|
Schedules-at-a-Glance | Evening Events | Faculty | General Info | FAQ | Registration
QUICK LINKS TO OVERVIEW PAGES
Special Gatherings | Distinctive Lectures | Literary/Performance Arts, Film | Music
Dance | Movement | Human Arts | Youth Program | Visual Arts
View the Common Ground on the Hill Catalog as a PDF HERE.
QUICK LINKS TO OVERVIEW PAGES
Special Gatherings | Distinctive Lectures | Literary/Performance Arts, Film | Music
Dance | Movement | Human Arts | Youth Program | Visual Arts
View the Common Ground on the Hill Catalog as a PDF HERE.
Big Song Swap
Faculty and students come together in a feast of good songs: traditional, original, old, and new. In an era of musical hype and performance overload, this is a rare opportunity to sing, play and even just listen. Teachable songs with good choruses are highly encouraged! Faculty will facilitate the class, making sure that all those who care to do so will share or lead a song. Period 5 ~ Rod MacDonald, Susan Boyer Haley, Bob Lucas, Elizabeth Melvin, Michael G. Ronstadt, Peter D. Ronstadt, Livia Vanaver
Cajun, Honky Tonk, Old-Time, Country & More +
Join Nadine Landry and Sammy Lind in this fun and freewheeling participatory class. Alternating between fiddle, banjo, guitar and accordion, they play songs true to the roots of American music with energy and respect. You will sing and play some wonderful songs with these members of the Foghorn Stringband. Singers, instrumentalists and listeners welcome! Period 1 ~ Sammy Lind, Nadine Landry
Duet Singing with Caleb Klauder and Reeb Willms +
Enjoy this heartfelt and rollicking singing and playing class led by Caleb Klauder and Reeb Willms of the Foghorn Stringband, reflecting the songs from their critically acclaimed duo albums “Innocent Road” and “Oh Do you Remember.” Singers, instrumentalists and listeners welcome! Period 4 ~ Caleb Klauder, Reeb Willms
Exploring Cuban Clave Through Song
There are keys to navigating syncopation in musical styles from all over the world. In West Africa, and that diaspora, clave patterns contain the play of tension and release throughout the music and dance. This class will balance explanations with listening, and mainly practicing various clave patterns, using mnemonics, stepping, clave sticks and cowbells (bring them if you have some, but don't buy before the class.) We will learn some Cuban songs and choruses in which the melody falls exactly on the "bones of the beat." Period 4 ~ Steve Bloom
Favorite Folk Songs of Bohemia, Moravia and Slovakia +
Learn to sing a selection of beloved folk songs from the heart of Europe. Each region has distinctive melodies and harmonies that are fun to sing. Bring along a guitar or ukulele (the instructor will help with chords) or just come to sing. Discover the depth of the Slavic soul in joy and in sorrow. Period 5 ~ Bob Rychlik
How Can I Keep from Singing?
This is a class for all students who love to sing! It is not necessary to be an experienced singer. The music is based on the American folk song tradition. The song material covered will be meaningful, soulful, loving, humorous, and fun. These songs can then be shared with your families and communities in the year ahead or simply enjoyed by YOU! Period 3 ~ Susan Boyer Haley
Look & Listen: The Beauty of the Blues
Blues is the underpinning of much of our best popular music: folk, jazz, rock, soul, and R & B. Using classic and rare recordings and film, this multi-media course, now being offered for its 23nd year, is guaranteed to open your ears and eyes to the blues and its mammoth impact on American culture. Count on a good time when Cary, producer of the syndicated radio show, Blues from the Red Rooster Lounge, and former editor and publisher of Blues Access magazine, shares his lifetime of experiences as a fan, radio host, and magazine publisher, along with a bevy of examples from his vast audio and video collection. If you thought the blues was a bummer, think again! Period 5 ~ Cary Wolfson
Music Reading/Sight Singing
When Pete Seeger was asked if he could read music, he replied “Not enough to hurt my playing!” This is your chance to learn how to read music, a course designed for people who have never read music before and folks who just want to brush up on their skills. We will learn the basics of deciphering the music manuscript “code” and applying it to the human voice. Though we’ll be singing, the information in this course will be immensely helpful for instrumentalists as well. Handouts will be available. Classes 1-5 will introduce progressively more challenging tunes to sight read. Class 1 will introduce the staff, pitches (using the fixed-do system), simple note values, clef signs, and time signatures. We’ll talk about intervals and how to identify them by sight as well as by ear. Class 2 will introduce key signatures, sharps and flats, and more complicated rhythmic values such as dotted rhythms and triplets. Class 3 will add dynamics to the mix. Class 4 will include information on tempo markings and how to use a metronome effectively. Class 5 will (hopefully) introduce a harmony line so participants will be sight-reading 2 parts together. Period 1 ~ Brenda Anna
Pete Seeger in Song and Film
Come sing in harmony and celebrate Pete Seeger’s 100th birthday! This class will encompass many of the well-known songs by Pete, including “Wimoweh,” “How Can I Keep from Singing,” “Where Have All the Flowers Gone,” and “Turn, Turn, Turn,” as well as some lesser known songs such as “He Lies in the American Land” and “Old Brown Earth.” Pete also collected and recorded hundreds of songs including children's songs. We will select songs based on participants’ interest, working with Pete’s book Where Have All the Flowers Gone, and watch video of some of Pete’s performances. Period 2 ~ Bill & Livia Vanaver
Rise Up Singing
Come sing great songs with memorable and moving choruses. Each day, time will be spent on learning new songs, singing familiar songs and discussing vocal technique. The class will range through many different types of English-language songs: ballads, work songs, sea chanteys, songs of protest, songs of humor, and others. Rise Up Singing is a full-on participatory class for singers of all abilities. Come to sing and enjoy the company of other singers in a non-judgmental environment. Learn some technique, expand your repertoire, and have a great bit of fun. Period 1 ~ A.J. Bodnar, Liza DiSavino
Singing with Your Instrument +
Join venerable folk-roots musician Andy Cohen in a singing and playing class that will bring to life great songs from a wide variety of American traditions. Lyric and chord sheets will be provided and you will have the opportunity to bring songs to the class that you have discovered and want to share with others. Bring your instruments and/or voices to help accompany this rollicking singing class. Guaranteed to be fun, you will emerge with an American Songbag repertoire. Period 3 ~ Andy Cohen
Singing Your Favorite Songs
Explore the art of singing in individual and group settings, choosing favorite material and presenting it with confidence, by learning to sing it in your natural voice. This interactive workshop will aim to bring out the best in your voice. Period 2 ~ Rod MacDonald
Songs of Our Father +
The Ronstadt brothers are the result of a rich musical family tradition from the Sonoran Desert. The Arizona borderland is a musical melting pot, where traditions meet, mingle and affect one another, creating unique music. Michael J. Ronstadt, was a highly valued instructor at Common Ground on the Hill for a number of years. He carved out a musical life that included performing and recording with his sister Linda, singing with the Ronstadt Cousins throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, and playing for several years with lifelong friend Ted Ramirez in the powerful Santa Cruz River Band beginning in 2004. His final musical tour de force was to join with his sons Michael and Petie in creating the Ronstadt Generations. In this class, Michael’s sons will celebrate his life by exploring and sharing their father’s music, as well as the music of their earlier ancestors. Enjoy this class as a participatory singing and instrumental class, or attend merely to listen and soak up this wonderful music. Period 2 ~ Michael G. Ronstadt, Peter D. Ronstadt
Songwriting – Old Forms, New Words +
Instructor Bob Lucas's songwriting is informed by a deep knowledge of "old songs" and bluegrass and old-time song forms, as well as a thorough understanding of how the voice carries lyrics to our ears. His songs have been recorded by the likes of Alison Krauss and the New Grass Revival. Join Bob in this workshop that will both inspire you and teach you to find the songwriter within yourself. Bring your instrument, paper and pencil, perhaps a recording device, and most of all, your interest in writing a song. Students are encouraged to bring songs they have written, unfinished songs and even fragments of a song idea. Period 3 ~ Bob Lucas
Songwriting with Rod MacDonald
From the beginner to the experienced writer, making real songs means respecting your inspiration and learning some technique. This course aims to get you started and give you the tools to express yourself in music and words. Speak your mind in an artistic and convincing way, with humor, anger, poetic and musical artistry, storytelling, character, and facts, and be understood clearly. Sing Out! calls Rod “A modern day troubadour of the people and for the people.” Period 1 ~ Rod MacDonald
The Story of Appalachia Through Its Women of Music
The powerful and moving story of Appalachia is experienced through the eyes, ears and voices of its musical queens: early songcatchers Olive Dame Campbell, Emma Bell Miles, and Katherine Jackson French; early recording artists Samantha Bumgarner and Nonnie Smith Presson; Barn Dance radio stars Lullabelle and Lily Mae Ledford & the Coon Creek Girls; Sarah and Maybelle Carter of the Carter Family ; activist musicians Aunt Molly Jackson and Florence Reece; early country icon Patsy Cline; the mother of folk music Jean Ritchie; and the divine Dolly Parton. We’ll see how gender roles both aided and restricted these women, and how their experiences resonate in today’s music world. Lecture, videos, and listening will be interspersed with singing songs from the repertoire of these important women, whose music and actions helped shape American history. Period 3 ~ Liza DiSavino
World in Harmony
Explore the world’s rich and diverse musical heritage, and experience the thrill of joining other voices to create a World in Harmony. Whether you have always loved to sing, or always wished you could, come and add your voice. Songs are taught in the oral tradition, through call and response. If you want to have a joyous time singing, moving, laughing and learning, come experience a World in Harmony. Period 4 ~ Elizabeth Melvin
Faculty and students come together in a feast of good songs: traditional, original, old, and new. In an era of musical hype and performance overload, this is a rare opportunity to sing, play and even just listen. Teachable songs with good choruses are highly encouraged! Faculty will facilitate the class, making sure that all those who care to do so will share or lead a song. Period 5 ~ Rod MacDonald, Susan Boyer Haley, Bob Lucas, Elizabeth Melvin, Michael G. Ronstadt, Peter D. Ronstadt, Livia Vanaver
Cajun, Honky Tonk, Old-Time, Country & More +
Join Nadine Landry and Sammy Lind in this fun and freewheeling participatory class. Alternating between fiddle, banjo, guitar and accordion, they play songs true to the roots of American music with energy and respect. You will sing and play some wonderful songs with these members of the Foghorn Stringband. Singers, instrumentalists and listeners welcome! Period 1 ~ Sammy Lind, Nadine Landry
Duet Singing with Caleb Klauder and Reeb Willms +
Enjoy this heartfelt and rollicking singing and playing class led by Caleb Klauder and Reeb Willms of the Foghorn Stringband, reflecting the songs from their critically acclaimed duo albums “Innocent Road” and “Oh Do you Remember.” Singers, instrumentalists and listeners welcome! Period 4 ~ Caleb Klauder, Reeb Willms
Exploring Cuban Clave Through Song
There are keys to navigating syncopation in musical styles from all over the world. In West Africa, and that diaspora, clave patterns contain the play of tension and release throughout the music and dance. This class will balance explanations with listening, and mainly practicing various clave patterns, using mnemonics, stepping, clave sticks and cowbells (bring them if you have some, but don't buy before the class.) We will learn some Cuban songs and choruses in which the melody falls exactly on the "bones of the beat." Period 4 ~ Steve Bloom
Favorite Folk Songs of Bohemia, Moravia and Slovakia +
Learn to sing a selection of beloved folk songs from the heart of Europe. Each region has distinctive melodies and harmonies that are fun to sing. Bring along a guitar or ukulele (the instructor will help with chords) or just come to sing. Discover the depth of the Slavic soul in joy and in sorrow. Period 5 ~ Bob Rychlik
How Can I Keep from Singing?
This is a class for all students who love to sing! It is not necessary to be an experienced singer. The music is based on the American folk song tradition. The song material covered will be meaningful, soulful, loving, humorous, and fun. These songs can then be shared with your families and communities in the year ahead or simply enjoyed by YOU! Period 3 ~ Susan Boyer Haley
Look & Listen: The Beauty of the Blues
Blues is the underpinning of much of our best popular music: folk, jazz, rock, soul, and R & B. Using classic and rare recordings and film, this multi-media course, now being offered for its 23nd year, is guaranteed to open your ears and eyes to the blues and its mammoth impact on American culture. Count on a good time when Cary, producer of the syndicated radio show, Blues from the Red Rooster Lounge, and former editor and publisher of Blues Access magazine, shares his lifetime of experiences as a fan, radio host, and magazine publisher, along with a bevy of examples from his vast audio and video collection. If you thought the blues was a bummer, think again! Period 5 ~ Cary Wolfson
Music Reading/Sight Singing
When Pete Seeger was asked if he could read music, he replied “Not enough to hurt my playing!” This is your chance to learn how to read music, a course designed for people who have never read music before and folks who just want to brush up on their skills. We will learn the basics of deciphering the music manuscript “code” and applying it to the human voice. Though we’ll be singing, the information in this course will be immensely helpful for instrumentalists as well. Handouts will be available. Classes 1-5 will introduce progressively more challenging tunes to sight read. Class 1 will introduce the staff, pitches (using the fixed-do system), simple note values, clef signs, and time signatures. We’ll talk about intervals and how to identify them by sight as well as by ear. Class 2 will introduce key signatures, sharps and flats, and more complicated rhythmic values such as dotted rhythms and triplets. Class 3 will add dynamics to the mix. Class 4 will include information on tempo markings and how to use a metronome effectively. Class 5 will (hopefully) introduce a harmony line so participants will be sight-reading 2 parts together. Period 1 ~ Brenda Anna
Pete Seeger in Song and Film
Come sing in harmony and celebrate Pete Seeger’s 100th birthday! This class will encompass many of the well-known songs by Pete, including “Wimoweh,” “How Can I Keep from Singing,” “Where Have All the Flowers Gone,” and “Turn, Turn, Turn,” as well as some lesser known songs such as “He Lies in the American Land” and “Old Brown Earth.” Pete also collected and recorded hundreds of songs including children's songs. We will select songs based on participants’ interest, working with Pete’s book Where Have All the Flowers Gone, and watch video of some of Pete’s performances. Period 2 ~ Bill & Livia Vanaver
Rise Up Singing
Come sing great songs with memorable and moving choruses. Each day, time will be spent on learning new songs, singing familiar songs and discussing vocal technique. The class will range through many different types of English-language songs: ballads, work songs, sea chanteys, songs of protest, songs of humor, and others. Rise Up Singing is a full-on participatory class for singers of all abilities. Come to sing and enjoy the company of other singers in a non-judgmental environment. Learn some technique, expand your repertoire, and have a great bit of fun. Period 1 ~ A.J. Bodnar, Liza DiSavino
Singing with Your Instrument +
Join venerable folk-roots musician Andy Cohen in a singing and playing class that will bring to life great songs from a wide variety of American traditions. Lyric and chord sheets will be provided and you will have the opportunity to bring songs to the class that you have discovered and want to share with others. Bring your instruments and/or voices to help accompany this rollicking singing class. Guaranteed to be fun, you will emerge with an American Songbag repertoire. Period 3 ~ Andy Cohen
Singing Your Favorite Songs
Explore the art of singing in individual and group settings, choosing favorite material and presenting it with confidence, by learning to sing it in your natural voice. This interactive workshop will aim to bring out the best in your voice. Period 2 ~ Rod MacDonald
Songs of Our Father +
The Ronstadt brothers are the result of a rich musical family tradition from the Sonoran Desert. The Arizona borderland is a musical melting pot, where traditions meet, mingle and affect one another, creating unique music. Michael J. Ronstadt, was a highly valued instructor at Common Ground on the Hill for a number of years. He carved out a musical life that included performing and recording with his sister Linda, singing with the Ronstadt Cousins throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, and playing for several years with lifelong friend Ted Ramirez in the powerful Santa Cruz River Band beginning in 2004. His final musical tour de force was to join with his sons Michael and Petie in creating the Ronstadt Generations. In this class, Michael’s sons will celebrate his life by exploring and sharing their father’s music, as well as the music of their earlier ancestors. Enjoy this class as a participatory singing and instrumental class, or attend merely to listen and soak up this wonderful music. Period 2 ~ Michael G. Ronstadt, Peter D. Ronstadt
Songwriting – Old Forms, New Words +
Instructor Bob Lucas's songwriting is informed by a deep knowledge of "old songs" and bluegrass and old-time song forms, as well as a thorough understanding of how the voice carries lyrics to our ears. His songs have been recorded by the likes of Alison Krauss and the New Grass Revival. Join Bob in this workshop that will both inspire you and teach you to find the songwriter within yourself. Bring your instrument, paper and pencil, perhaps a recording device, and most of all, your interest in writing a song. Students are encouraged to bring songs they have written, unfinished songs and even fragments of a song idea. Period 3 ~ Bob Lucas
Songwriting with Rod MacDonald
From the beginner to the experienced writer, making real songs means respecting your inspiration and learning some technique. This course aims to get you started and give you the tools to express yourself in music and words. Speak your mind in an artistic and convincing way, with humor, anger, poetic and musical artistry, storytelling, character, and facts, and be understood clearly. Sing Out! calls Rod “A modern day troubadour of the people and for the people.” Period 1 ~ Rod MacDonald
The Story of Appalachia Through Its Women of Music
The powerful and moving story of Appalachia is experienced through the eyes, ears and voices of its musical queens: early songcatchers Olive Dame Campbell, Emma Bell Miles, and Katherine Jackson French; early recording artists Samantha Bumgarner and Nonnie Smith Presson; Barn Dance radio stars Lullabelle and Lily Mae Ledford & the Coon Creek Girls; Sarah and Maybelle Carter of the Carter Family ; activist musicians Aunt Molly Jackson and Florence Reece; early country icon Patsy Cline; the mother of folk music Jean Ritchie; and the divine Dolly Parton. We’ll see how gender roles both aided and restricted these women, and how their experiences resonate in today’s music world. Lecture, videos, and listening will be interspersed with singing songs from the repertoire of these important women, whose music and actions helped shape American history. Period 3 ~ Liza DiSavino
World in Harmony
Explore the world’s rich and diverse musical heritage, and experience the thrill of joining other voices to create a World in Harmony. Whether you have always loved to sing, or always wished you could, come and add your voice. Songs are taught in the oral tradition, through call and response. If you want to have a joyous time singing, moving, laughing and learning, come experience a World in Harmony. Period 4 ~ Elizabeth Melvin
+ Indicates that the class is open to other instruments