SINGING FOR FUN is both a forum for individuals to learn more about their own voice, and a way to build community through group singing. Each session begins with a thorough warm up, using breathing and relaxation to explore the physical apparatus that is our singing instrument, and finding the most natural and efficient way to use that instrument. Exercises combining vocal and physical activities follow, as students begin to join their voices into a group sound. I combine my theater and dance backgrounds with my diverse musical experiences (from 20 years of choral singing with Robert Shaw to making my living as a "folk" singer, to studying vocal improvisation with Bobby McFerrin, Rhiannon, and David Darling) to create a synthesis that calls in elements of Tai Chi, Yoga, Alexander Technique, Skinner Releasing, and other body and voice systems. Each week we will learn one or more songs that explore the vast expression of harmony from around the world. Drawing from my love of diverse melodies and rhythms, we might sing a Brazilian samba, a Congolese storysong, an Italian round, or four-part harmonies from Zimbabwe. There are also lots of songs in English, including songs from the African American tradition, quirky rounds, food songs, and lots more! All of the songs are broken down into easily learnable parts and become thrilling to sing in a group. Even people who think they "can't carry a tune in a bucket" in no time find themselves part of a glorious choir. Music reading is not a prerequisite.
ELISE WITT
http://www.elisewitt.com
The producer of the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage says "Elise is a performer to remember with international savvy & personal charm." Elise Witt was born in Switzerland, raised in North Carolina, and since 1977 has made her home in Atlanta. She speaks five languages fluently and sings in at least a dozen more. Elise has sung everywhere from New York's Carnegie Hall and Nashville's Bluebird Café to the Jinotepe Harvest Festival in Nicaragua, the Popular Music Festival in Siena Italy, and the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change. Elise was chosen to represent the state of Georgia for the Kennedy Center's 25th Anniversary, and she recently returned from a cultural exchange in South Africa. Elise's music has been broadcast on radio and television around the world. Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors Festival described Elise's performance as "a really delightful concert from the honey voiced Atlanta songwriter who sings the world." In addition to performing and recording, Elise has created a reputation as a masterful singing teacher, encouraging even the shyest singers to revel in their voices and join with others to create joyful choruses. Her "Singing For Fun" classes in Atlanta have become legendary and her workshops and community residencies around the country and abroad draw and inspire everyone from professional singers to "singers for fun," to self-professed "non-singers." |
