
I recently attended a workshop on improvisation*, and one of the interesting topics was practicing. Not just figuring out how to improvise over a jazz standard, although we did some of that as well. Finding new ways into the music, ways to make it more creative and a lot more productive. I was fascinated, because I had already been invited to offer an evening workshop at the New England Conservatory about the very subject. I had a lot of ideas before and now I have even more. The free event, for adults of all persuasions (beginners are encouraged), is coming up soon. Here’s the scoop:
Wednesday January 31, 8-9:30pm, Pierce Hall, New England Conservatory of Music, 241 St Botolph Street, Boston. Free to all, no NEC affiliation necessary. Appropriate for all styles. Bring your questions or even a bit of a song you’d like to ask about…there will be handouts, so if you’re coming, shoot me an email so I know how many to prepare. No one is required to sing, but there will be opportunities for the group to try exercises together.
*it was a weeklong workshop with two master performers/teachers, Rhiannon and Laurence Hobgood. In Hawaii. Poor me. I did, however, suffer through Boston’s Big Chill before earning the right to get warm. There was also an exciting false alert sent to my phone about incoming missiles. Some people have all the fun.