Country Dance and Song Society English Dance Musicians Course at Pinewoods August 2 - 9, 2003

This program has passed

Schedule & Fees Registration Info Registration Form Scholarships Camplife Programs Homepage

Program Description Tentative Schedule Registration

English Dance Musicians Course at Pinewoods August 2 - 9, 2003 Program Director: Jacqueline Schwab
Tentative Schedule: [Back to Top]
9:00 - 10:00
English Dance Musicians Course
10:15 - 11:15
English Dance Musicians Course
11:30 - 12:00
Morning Gathering	John Roberts & Paul Eric Smith
1:50 - 2:50
English Dance Musicians Course
3:00 - 4:00
Open Mic/Open English Country Dance Band	Gene Murrow/Peter Barnes
Rapper Sword Dance For All	Rick Mohr
Singing	John Roberts
4:00 - 4:30 Tea
4:30 - 5:30
Advanced English Country Dance: American Playford	Gene Murrow
Open Ceilidh Dance Band/Ceilidh Dance for All	John Roberts & Paul Eric Smith
Miracle Plays/Mummers Plays	John Mayberry
8:00
Couple Dancing
8:15
Evening Dance Party
11:00
After-dance Activities

Program Description: [Back to Top]

Look up our Special Programs for some general information; here is more detail about this particular program and staff.

English country dance musicians, want to explore melodic flights of fancy? This week-long course is aimed towards experienced dance musicians, who are already playing for dancing and who want to further develop their melodic improvisation and their awareness of "what to do when not playing the melody." Some knowledge of harmonic progressions will be helpful, but not required.

Our focus will be on creating personally expressive lines, improvised on the fly. Working in a friendly, supportive group, we will begin with rhythmic variations on the basic pulse and then spotlight melodic construction. We will briefly journey through styles of selected landmark composers -- Purcell, Handel, Haydn, Vaughan Williams, the Beatles -- exploring what we might take from them without assuming an intention to play in period style. We will sometimes work in "lab mode," with a specific assignment; other times we will say, "anything goes." You will be encouraged to play without written music. We will create arrangements, looking at orchestration, form and mood, and we will divide up into small groups to experiment on your own. Other topics may arise.

The course will meet for three periods each day. You will also have the daily opportunity to do some English country dancing with the rest of camp, including the evening dance. Drawing on that, we will put movement, fluidity, breath and pulse into your harmonic lines. Outside of this course, there may be opportunities to work in small ensembles to play for dancing, but the English Dance Musicians Course will not be a "band class." Where possible, Jacqueline will invite other staff members to coach on their own instruments. If a number of pianists register, we'll have a few piano-oriented classes.

The course, held concurrently with English Dance Week, will be led by pianist Jacqueline Schwab, an English country dance musician for over 25 years and a founding member of Bare Necessities. Her music developed out of her classical and improvisational training, her many years as a country dancer and her experience playing for many styles of dance, including modern and ballet. She has taught English dance and music at workshops around the country. Jacqueline's music has been heard on the soundtracks of nine Ken Burns PBS documentaries, and she plays on over 30 recordings, including many English dance recordings and three solo ones.

The schedule includes participation in country dancing (as described above) as well as in the full range of camp activities, from singing to swimming to socializing. Please check the description of English Dance Week for details on the rich and varied program and staff. Playing at informal, camper-led dances and music sessions during free periods will be encouraged.

Registration: [Back to Top]
The registration deadline for this course is March 17. If it is oversubscribed on the 17th, there will be a lottery. Enrollment is limited to 15 to ensure ample opportunity for active participation. There will be an acoustic piano, but pianists are encouraged to bring a keyboard with headphones. We will aim to balance between single-line, melody players and chordal players. Your ability to play tunes at dance tempo is assumed. Scholarships are available. Feel free to contact Jacqueline with questions at jaspianist@aol.com.

Program Description Tentative Schedule Registration Top

413-268-7426 FAX: 413-268-7471

Country Dance and Song Society 132 Main St/PO Box 338 Haydenville, MA 01039-0338 Office Hours M-F 9:30am - 5:00pm EST

http://www.cdss.org/