In collaboration with Leeds Conservatoire (leedsconservatoire.ac.uk) and Cobalt Studios (cobaltstudios.co.uk), violinist John Garner (johngarner.co.uk) and bassist John Pope (johnpopebass.co.uk) present a day of workshops exploring group music-making, demystifying improvisation, and cultivating active listening. The sessions are free to join and are welcome to all ages, abilities, and levels of experience. Family-friendly! Everyone can play – come and discover something new in an atmosphere of curiosity, inclusivity, and positivity. You are welcome to join for one or both of the sessions.
Workshop 1 – 12:00 – 15:00
In the first session, the group will focus on developing confidence in improvisation through discussion, listening, and musical games. No previous experience is required: complete beginner or seasoned artist, all will be able to engage and contribute to the musical conversation. We will explore concepts including the importance of space, silence and breath; colour, emotion and narrative; how to give form and structure to improvisation. For those who may not have an instrument, there will be a limited number of instruments available to use, and people are also encouraged to use the oldest instrument known to humanity – the voice!
Workshop 2 – 16:00 – 19:00
The second session will focus more on approaches to group playing. Learning a few simple tunes together (easy to play / easy to sing), we’ll explore various ideas and tools for finding your own voice within a collective, much like a conversation (at which we’re all adept!). We will spend some time considering different rhythmic styles (including swing), harmonic language (‘what notes can I play?’ – just one will do!), and ensemble interaction. Some small instrumental/vocal experience may be useful for this session, but beginners are welcome nonetheless – improvisation and group music-making are about being present in the moment, so the best policy is to throw yourself in at any opportunity.
We look forward to seeing you there. If you have any concerns or queries, please do get in touch. We aim to foster a spirit of non-judgement and mutual respect, so we ask that others do the same to help make this a day of communal growth and discovery!