2024 Workshops
T = teaching/practicing skills
S = singing session
P = presentation
D = discussion
Judy Cook's Workshops
Ballad Variations - the Life of a Single Song (P/S)
Every traditional ballad exists on a branching tree of versions, some very similar and some wildly different. This session will be a comparison of several variants of well-known (or not so well known) ballads. Judy will sing 2 or more versions of each ballad and talk a little about collectors and informants. If attendees know more versions of the same ballads, they are invited to share them as well.
Finding and Learning Songs (P/S)
Judy Cook is beloved for her far-reaching and deep repertoire. In this workshop, she and Dennis Cook will look at why they choose a new song to learn, where they find songs, and how they go about learning and polishing them. Dennis and Judy will give their experiences and campers will share insights from their own experience.
Chorus Songs (S)
Judy Cook has a song for any occasion, whether it’s humorous songs about specific states or ballads about supernatural creatures. In this loosely-structured session, rather than focusing on one subject, we will look at different types of chorus songs: songs of hope and encouragement, humor and parodies, songs of community, and parting songs. Come learn some new songs from Judy’s legendary repertoire and share some chorus songs of your own.
The Vox Hunters' Workshops
Songs from the Flanders Collection (T)
Many folksongs persisted in New England into the 20th century purely in the oral tradition. The robust record we have of this material is owed to the work of a few devoted women and men, the foremost being Helen Hartness Flanders. Her life’s work (including nearly 5,000 field recordings!) affords us a trove of ballad variants, local songs, traditional tunes, stories, and beyond. We’ll learn songs she included in her writings, and listen to some of the very folks she recorded between 1930 and 1960.
Bug Songs (T)
Whether they make you swoon or swat, insects are all around us, and we’ve been singing in praise and protest since time immemorial. Benedict has been collecting insectophilic folk songs for years and is excited to share a bounty of fine specimens with short, but pertinent, diversions into their natural history and folklore. If all goes according to plan, we’ll be charming some doodlebugs out of their holes, questioning the accusatory call of the katydid, and generally renewing an appreciation of the industrious, six-legged “smaller majority” of earth.
No Such Thing As a Cover of a Traditional Song (T/D)
Have you ever sung something that just felt like mediocre method acting and afterward you ask yourself, “Who even am I?” It can seem like every song comes with a big pair of shoes to fill, but who’s to say you can’t wear your own to the party? Let’s talk about how to work around, and with, these boundary lines (if they’re even there!) by embracing your own rhythm, accent, and vocabulary. Things are more malleable than you think.
Evie Ladin's Workshops
Body Music (T/S)
Traditional styles of Body Music exist all over the world. Beyond percussion, we use the term Body Music to include all the sounds made by your human instrument. Clap, step and sing, to literally incorporate the music into more than just your voice. Find syncopations that underlie traditional songs, and learn to include and blend clapping and stepping with the sound of your singing for a total body and mind experience.
Old Time Harmony Singing (T/S)
The mix of Black, Brown and White cultures in the Southeast US that created the first syncretic American music has a particular sound and power. We’ll learn songs by ear that illustrate some aspects of this tradition, while covering skills for finding harmonies, holding dissonant harmonies, blending and supporting.
Songs from the Carter Family (S)
The first recordings of traditional American songs from the south are a treasure trove of music collected by the Carter Family. Traditions of old time harmony singing were both captured and perpetuated by AP, Sarah & Maybelle - the way they harmonized, the poetic language they demonstrate. There are always new Carter Family songs to discover!
S = singing session
P = presentation
D = discussion
Judy Cook's Workshops
Ballad Variations - the Life of a Single Song (P/S)
Every traditional ballad exists on a branching tree of versions, some very similar and some wildly different. This session will be a comparison of several variants of well-known (or not so well known) ballads. Judy will sing 2 or more versions of each ballad and talk a little about collectors and informants. If attendees know more versions of the same ballads, they are invited to share them as well.
Finding and Learning Songs (P/S)
Judy Cook is beloved for her far-reaching and deep repertoire. In this workshop, she and Dennis Cook will look at why they choose a new song to learn, where they find songs, and how they go about learning and polishing them. Dennis and Judy will give their experiences and campers will share insights from their own experience.
Chorus Songs (S)
Judy Cook has a song for any occasion, whether it’s humorous songs about specific states or ballads about supernatural creatures. In this loosely-structured session, rather than focusing on one subject, we will look at different types of chorus songs: songs of hope and encouragement, humor and parodies, songs of community, and parting songs. Come learn some new songs from Judy’s legendary repertoire and share some chorus songs of your own.
The Vox Hunters' Workshops
Songs from the Flanders Collection (T)
Many folksongs persisted in New England into the 20th century purely in the oral tradition. The robust record we have of this material is owed to the work of a few devoted women and men, the foremost being Helen Hartness Flanders. Her life’s work (including nearly 5,000 field recordings!) affords us a trove of ballad variants, local songs, traditional tunes, stories, and beyond. We’ll learn songs she included in her writings, and listen to some of the very folks she recorded between 1930 and 1960.
Bug Songs (T)
Whether they make you swoon or swat, insects are all around us, and we’ve been singing in praise and protest since time immemorial. Benedict has been collecting insectophilic folk songs for years and is excited to share a bounty of fine specimens with short, but pertinent, diversions into their natural history and folklore. If all goes according to plan, we’ll be charming some doodlebugs out of their holes, questioning the accusatory call of the katydid, and generally renewing an appreciation of the industrious, six-legged “smaller majority” of earth.
No Such Thing As a Cover of a Traditional Song (T/D)
Have you ever sung something that just felt like mediocre method acting and afterward you ask yourself, “Who even am I?” It can seem like every song comes with a big pair of shoes to fill, but who’s to say you can’t wear your own to the party? Let’s talk about how to work around, and with, these boundary lines (if they’re even there!) by embracing your own rhythm, accent, and vocabulary. Things are more malleable than you think.
Evie Ladin's Workshops
Body Music (T/S)
Traditional styles of Body Music exist all over the world. Beyond percussion, we use the term Body Music to include all the sounds made by your human instrument. Clap, step and sing, to literally incorporate the music into more than just your voice. Find syncopations that underlie traditional songs, and learn to include and blend clapping and stepping with the sound of your singing for a total body and mind experience.
Old Time Harmony Singing (T/S)
The mix of Black, Brown and White cultures in the Southeast US that created the first syncretic American music has a particular sound and power. We’ll learn songs by ear that illustrate some aspects of this tradition, while covering skills for finding harmonies, holding dissonant harmonies, blending and supporting.
Songs from the Carter Family (S)
The first recordings of traditional American songs from the south are a treasure trove of music collected by the Carter Family. Traditions of old time harmony singing were both captured and perpetuated by AP, Sarah & Maybelle - the way they harmonized, the poetic language they demonstrate. There are always new Carter Family songs to discover!