workshops

Nightingale offers both teaching workshops and performance workshops. Performance workshops may be appropriate for either concert or dance settings.

Teaching workshops may either be ensemble workshops presented by the band as a whole or workshops led by individual band members. These latter workshops are primarily instrument based.

Ensemble workshops. teaching.

Arranging traditional songs and instrumentals. Nightingale talks about the various kinds of musical elements that go into our arrangements; how we choose them, how we combine them and how we create a sense of coherence and shape in our pieces. The band will show the progression of an arrangment by playing the core of a piece in its most basic form, then gradually adding the elements that form the completed piece. This is a workshop designed for participants to listen and ask questions.

Arranging medleys for contra dancing. Nightingale talks about creating distinctive dance medleys that have a specific theme or shape. The band demonstrates rhythmic and textural techniques that produce a distinctive mood. This session also includes a discussion of programming these kinds of arrangements in an evening of dancing.

• Ensemble workshops. Performance.
• Songs and dance tunes from French Canada.
• Original compositions inspired by traditional dance music.
• Music from across France.
• Traditional music of Ireland.
• New England Chestnuts.
• Ensemble workshops for dancing
• Waltz workshop
• Scandinavian couple dances - hambo, schottische, polska, Norwegian polka
• Totally groovy contras
• New England chestnuts
• Squares (New England, Southern or singing squares)
  

Individual Workshops

Jeremiah

• Introduction to Improvisation
  Playing by ear, we’ll focus on enjoying ourselves while taking risks. We’ll cover three types of improvisation: melodic, harmonic, and modal. All levels and instruments.
• French Dance Music
  We’ll learn tunes by ear from Brittany (Gavotte, Plinn and An Dro) and Central France (Bourree, Schottish, Waltz, Mazurka and Polka). All levels and instruments.
• Piano Accordion Technique
  We’ll cover left hand fingering and chord voicing, bellows control, and right hand ornamentation. Level: intermediate to advanced.
• New Orleans Piano
  An introduction to the music of Jelly Roll Morton, Professor
  Longhair, Dr. John and others. We’ll cover early jazz, the blues, calypso, and the secret to the second line. Level: intermediate to advanced.
• Introduction to Jazz Theory
  We’ll look at different types of chord progressions, why they sound the way they do, and how to use them. All levels and instruments.
• Contra Dance Piano
  We’ll cover the basics (solid rhythm, chords that support the melody) as well as more advanced ideas (syncopation and chord substitution). All levels.
• French-Canadian Dance Tunes
  Repertoire class of traditional and newly composed tunes from Quebec. All levels and instruments.

Becky

• Contra Dance Fiddle
  A workshop for any level that explores techniques of playing for dancing through learning a tune by ear. Bowing is always emphasized.
• Irish tunes to play for dancing
  This workshop explores tunes and techniques for playing Irish tunes for dancing. For intermediate - advanced players, we'll learn tunes by ear, and work on bowing to give them a danceable feel.
• French Canadian fiddle tunes
  In this workshop we will learn great, fun (sometimes crooked) Quebecois tunes on the fiddle. We will learn them by ear and learn the bowings and ornamentation that make them so fun to play. For intermediate to advanced players.
• Fiddle technique
  For beginning to intermediate players, we spend time learning tunes by ear, paying attention to how we use our left and right hand technique to make them sound like we want them to.

Keith

• DADGAD guitar
  Overview of chord voicings in this popular tuning for Irish Music. This can be for beginner to intermediate players.
• Essential elements of good back up guitar playing
  This session examines different rhythmic effects and how to use them to create a strong and coherent sound. Similarly, selection of chord voicings is discussed with the goal of producing a cohesive sound. Level : intermediate to advanced.
• Back up on the mandolin for Irish music
  Learning open chords to create a drone based sound that works well in Irish music. Level: beginner to intermediate
• French Canadian tunes on the mandolin
  Repertoire class that can include crooked and/or square tunes from Quebec. Tunes are taught by ear. Level: intermediate to advanced.
• Irish tunes on the mandolin
  Repertoire class. Includes primarily jigs, reels, hornpipes and polkas.  Tunes are taught by ear. Level: intermediate to advanced.
• Learning tunes by ear
  Developing a method to learn tunes by ear. This is a class that can help students who have had difficulty learning by ear and more experienced players who would like to improve their speed and ability to learn by ear. All levels.
• Chord Theory
  The class will help students come up with chords for a tune they haven't heard before. It will also help students find alternate chords for pieces they already play. All levels and all instruments.