Daily Schedule and Class Descriptions 2023

All but two classes have no size limit.

Daily schedule – draft, subject to change.

June 27:
check-in starts at 4pm. First actual “event” is dinner. At 7:30 is the all-important welcoming session, where you will meet the folks who will be teaching during the gathering.

On June 28 – July 1:
9:30: warmups, yoga for singers

10:15 – 12:00: class session #1.
Eleven discrete classes, each led by a faculty member.

12:00: lunch

1:00 – 2:00: free time, or practice, or visiting, or siesta.

Afternoon sessions will be shorter; six faculty-led classes from 2:00 – 3:00, and six faculty-led classes from 3:30 – 4:30.

5:00 – 5:45: varies each day; either a wildcard session, an open mic, or an all-camp sing.

9:30

Morning Warmup – Yoga for Singers – Reeb Willms
Through gentle movement and breath work, practice somatic awareness in the body with attention toward the areas in our bodies that are integral to singing: pelvic floor diaphragm, thoracic diaphragm, heart, head, and throat.

10:15 – 12:00 – your choice of the following 11 classes:

Listening, Learning and Singing – Eli West
Starting with a deep listening session, we will choose a song and listen to every version we can find. We will discuss the context of each recording, what influenced the outcome, and analyze the evolution of the song. We will then arrange and sing in duos and trios, identifying what influences inform our versions. No instruments necessary, but welcome. Sources will be Lomax recordings, Carter Family, etc.

Vocal Technique: The Deeva Method – Nikki Dee
The Deeva Method of vocal technique is rooted in a unique combination of Bel Canto (classical), musical theater & pop technique, and Eastern/Taoist energy work. We will work in four distinct areas: mindset, vocal anatomy, breath & body work, and implementation, with the eventual goal of self-diagnosis and self-correction. Let’s de-mystify the inner workings of your vocal instrument so that you can sing with more confidence and power than you ever thought possible!

Introduction to Sacred Harp music – Bridge Hill Kennedy
Sacred Harp for all. In this interactive class, we will cover the rudiments of Sacred Harp music: Solfege (scales), time signature, keeping time, accent, and leading. All class members will be encouraged to learn the tenor line and then branch out into parts. We will learn class/plain tunes as well as fugues.

Your Own Wild Voice – Moira Smiley
Singing has bubbled up to serve so many moments across human history. We learn some wilder ways of singing from traditional songs and explore our own vocal freedom in the process.

Duet Singing – Caleb Klauder and Reeb Willms
Two voices. choosing harmonies, crossing harmonies, unisons, slipping from one part to another. What makes duet singing sound and feel so good? We’ll do some listening, and lots of singing. Building harmonies from the ground up, and discussing duet singing techniques, blending voices, combining voices with different vocal ranges, matching pitch, energy, emotion and volume.

A Singer’s Guide to Storytelling – Mara Kaye, with Tim McNalley
Through the brave and transformative act of singing, we will learn how to connect to the stories of the songs we love and free our voices in the process. We will be using the blues as our guide to explore the richness and depth of storytelling through song, phrasing, and lyric coloring. These classes and coaching sessions will help you to dig deep, find your own voice, love your own voice, and sing the stories of your soul. (Participants should come prepared with a memorized song of their choosing that they feel a strong connection with, preferably of the blues/jazz repertoire.)

Early Vocal Stylings and Inspirations from Blind Willie Johnson to Percy Mayfield – Johnny Nicholas
Traditional blues from Lonnie Johnson to Howlin’ Wolf. Primitive Gospel roots from Blind Willie Johnson to the Soul Stirrers and Swan Silvertones including ensemble singing, harmonies, and call and response. The Memphis Jug Band, Mississippi Sheiks and Jimmie Rodgers, Rhythm and Blues of the 50’s and 60’s including Allen Toussaint, Ray Charles, Chuck Berry, Fats Domino and Percy Mayfield. Have fun singing songs by some of these artists and get everyone in that groove of enjoying the act of singing and interpreting a song their own way. Let go and have fun. This class will be offered twice a day.

Notes from a Singers Lips – Grace Love
Exploring stage presence, song choice, and finding your voice.

Vocal Jazz / Jazz Standards / the Jazz Vocalist 101 – Karin Plato
More info coming

Bluegrass Lead Singing – Yosef Tucker
Phrasing, Vowels, Pitch, Ornaments, Emoting.

Song as Community – Khari Wendell McClelland
We will look toward black American traditional forms as a way to explore the purpose and function of song in community, all the while, having a good ole time.

2:00 – 3:00pm – choice of 6 classes:

Singing for solo/duo performance – Eli West
Let’s explore how to deliver a song powerfully without a full band. How do we find the right key for our voice? What can we do mentally to deliver the goods? Singing to the person in the back of the room, visualizing tossing a ball, and other soft skills to send it out. Harmonies (2 part) will also be introduced, with analysis on how to be small and mighty. Primary instruments encouraged.

Elevating the Voices – Bridge Hill Kennedy
Sacred Harp for Trans and Gender-expansive Individuals: Each day, in this space, we will take time to SAVE (Share, Acknowledge, Validate, and Elevate) the voices of trans singers. This class will cover the rudiments of Sacred Harp music, and we will “queer” our voices; allowing room to switch parts and learn how Sacred Harp music is ideal for the voices of the gender expansive.

Classic Honky Tonk Country Songs for the Dance Hall – Caleb Klauder
What makes it honky tonk and not just any old song? Community gathering around dance is an age-old tradition. How to move a dance floor, what makes a good dance song. different rhythm feels create different dynamics. Country shuffle, waltz, fast and slow two beats, blues, etc. We’ll do some listening and a whole lot of singing!

Around the World with Nikki Dee
Learn to sing and understand classic standard tunes in their original languages! We’ll explore the worlds of gypsy swing and Bossa Nova in two non-phonetic languages — French & Brazilian Portuguese — with exercises and warm-ups using sounds that don’t exist in English. We will also touch on techniques to use with phonetic languages like Spanish, Italian, German, Japanese, and Hawaiian, working on listening skills and accent precision.

Improvising & Song Making Together – Moira Smiley
Games, Exercises, Group & (a little) Solo improvisation to build ease, joy, and creativity into your singing

3:30 – 4:30pm – choice of 6 classes

Old Time Ballads – Reeb Willms
Long ballads, holding attention by telling a tale, learning history as we work through traditional material. English and Irish ballads, American ballads, on forward.

Listen, Chat, Sing – Mara Kaye, with Tim McNalley
Oh, the joys of listening to our favorite singers and figuring out what makes them sound so damn good! We will be listening, dissecting, and learning select tunes of some of the greatest blues and jazz singers of our time. Studying their legendary work paves the way for conversation and allows us a deeper understanding of why telling the story through song is imperative for expression and connection.

An alternative Choir experience – Grace Love
This class has a maximum of 30.

Masterclass with Karin Plato
Come to Masterclass and sing your song and discover some additional ideas to shape and shift your performance. We each sing from within a familiar “comfort box” and sometimes that can be improved upon or added to with a mentor/teacher’s observations and guidance. Not “right and wrong” merely different ideas to kick around as we identify all the song’s possibilities. We try to “Serve the Song.” Limited size class.

Quick and Dirty: Singing, songwriting and performing the iterative way – Khari Wendell McClelland
We don’t aim to create the perfect offering every time, we aim to learn as we go, finding grace as we stumble in the direction of better. We will learn how to meet challenge and discomfort as singers, songwriters and performers.

Bluegrass Harmony Singing – Yosef Tucker
How to blend with others (tone, vowels, phrasing), and learning the traditional stack, high stack, and low stack of the greats like Flatt & Scruggs, the Stanley Brothers, and the Osborne Brothers.