Instrumentalists with a wide range of interested, levels and goals have participated in many of the workshops you can read about here. They are designed to be personalized in a way that will best serve your community. Just let us know what you are interested in! We will be happy to work with you!
Master classes provide students of all ages and levels of ability the opportunity to gain new insights. Whether performing a solo work or in a chamber group—or sitting in as an audience member—getting a different point of view can breathe new life into any musician’s process. Eight Strings & a Whistle offers master classes for both individuals and chamber groups. Working with a chamber group, we can explore becoming more unified as an ensemble through refined communication skills or problem solving that addresses phrasing, rhythm and intonation and strengthens the group sound. Individual master classes can also focus on musicality, or on specific technical issues, such as awareness of posture, playing with less tension and/or breathing with greater ease. Our goal is to give participants more tools to bring their playing to its highest level. Most importantly, both the performers and audience members can learn something that they can apply to any piece of music they work on. Master classes range from an hour to two hours long, with each player performing for 20-30 minutes. All levels and ages are welcome.
Collaborating with Composers: A master class for composers and performers: Eight Strings & a Whistle workshops and gives composers feedback on works they have composed for the trio, exploring them both from the performer’s as well as the composer’s perspective.
Career Development in the Music Industry – What do YOU Want? As globalization continues and our cultures become more intertwined, we have an opportunity to examine, redefine and determine for ourselves what it means to have a career in music. All three of us have had different approaches to building our careers with unique experiences along the way. This is a discussion workshop in which we share those experiences and explore creative ways to develop a satisfying career in music in the 21st century. You can get started by reading “Being a Professional Musician,” presented by Suzanne at Sigma Alpha Iota’s Province Day, January, 2008.
Expanding Boundaries: the Craft of Programming explores approaches to programming in our time that can engage and challenge audiences and performers alike. This is an interactive workshop. Participants will discuss and create different possible programs for a variety of different real world situations.
I Hate Practicing! So you love to play but you hate to practice. Join the club! This workshop gives you methods to overcome those dull days of practice and remember why we call it “playing” in the first place. This is NOT a master class. It’s a group seminar in problem solving!
An Introduction to the Suzuki Approach: Incorporating backwards design into your practice and your teaching – the Suzuki Method as a model.
The Suzuki Approach, also known as Talent Education, is founded on the concept that any skill can be mastered the same way that children learn to speak their native language. When Dr. Sinichi Suzuki created the books that support the method and that children all over the world use, he employed backwards design – a tool where you, or your students know what the goals are and work backwards to create a timeline and preparation list to that success. These tools and other aspects of the Suzuki Philosophy can open your mind to new possibilities and enhance your own musical life as well as that of your students.