Vernacular Music Center
Summer Dance Workshops
Summer dance workshops
These are long-weekend (3-5 day) participatory music and dance workshops, combining guest teachers, VMC staff, the resources of the TTU Vernacular Music Center and School of Music, in a program of classes, lecture-demonstrations, concerts, and participatory dances. Suitable for adult learners at all levels of aptitude. For more information, email VMC Director Christopher J Smith at email@example.com.
The VMC Summer Music and Dance Workshop is a participatory music & dance event for adults & students. Daytime classes of friendly, accessible instruction for learners age 17-up are balanced with vibrant, colorful, and engaging evening programs of participatory music and dance, suitable for all ages. Accessible to participants from a wide range of prior experience, including: experienced and novice dancers, from any style; college students including but not limited to dance and music majors; avocational singers, players, and dancers, adult learners; high school students, and many more.
Instrumentalists should have the ability to play a simple (monophonic) folk tune through at a regular tempo, either by ear or by sight-reading notation. Dancers should possess basic physical fitness sufficient to walk or skip, in 3-5 minute increments, with pauses, for 2 hours.
The taught music and the concert repertoire are both suitable for dancing, but dancing is not required—just welcomed!
Tutors selected depending upon repertoire. VMC ensemble members are experienced teachers and leaders and the specific dances are carefully selected for accessibility to a wide range of aptitude and prior experience. All workshop attendees encouraged to participate. Experienced folk-dancers will find lots of new steps and tunes to acquire and enjoy. Includes pieces to be danced at the evening concerts.
Learning by ear, playing with playing with dance-appropriate rhythm, identifying repertoire and models, how (and what) to play together. Suitable for strings (bowed and plucked), winds, keyboards, and percussion (depending on genre and style--please check individual event pages for specifics). Ensemble considerations, style considerations. Includes acquisition of several simple dance tunes to be played with the VMC musicians at the evening concerts.
Simple, accessible repertoire of songs for listening, sharing, and dancing. Singing solo and with accompaniment, singing together, finding ideas for harmony, choosing keys, sources for repertoire, ideas for working with instrumentalists. Introduction to simple dance songs in several languages, and English-language choruses to be played with the VMC musicians at the evening concerts.
FOR ENSEMBLE DIRECTORS
Engaging, accessible, informative, and actionable strategies suitable for incorporating diverse world repertoires into ensemble experiences. Information on sources, ear-training and memorization exercises, improvisational practices…plus free scores, including some to be played at the evening concerts.
ESPECIALLY USEFUL FOR EDUCATORS
The VMC Summer Music & Dance Workshops are very suitable for music educators seeking professional development and learning opportunities. The School of Music at Texas Tech is an accredited institutional member of both the National Association of Schools of Music and the Texas Association of Music Schools. The School of Music also offers the highly innovative Summers-Only Masters in Music Education program; more information is available from MUED chair Dr. Jacqueline Henninger (firstname.lastname@example.org). The VMC Summer Workshops are also very effective environments for music educators interested in developing vernacular ensembles in their own home institutions.
Vernacular Music Center Staff