In this workshop we will go over the art of songwriting: the rhythms and beat, the rhyme schemes, finding a melody, commonly used scales, and chord patterns. Depending on class size, we can hear songs written by the participants and offer critiques, but we will write a song as a group - yes, a whole song in an hour!

Lyric writers: also check out Gary Green’s “Story Prompts” workshop at 1pm Saturday.

Melody composers: Carole Bestvater’s Tune Composition workshop, Sunday at 1pm, may be of interest.

Join Jean Hewson for a workshop exploring the art of harmony singing. Together, we’ll dig into the fundamentals of how harmony works—how voices fit together, how to listen for complementary lines, and how to build confidence singing something other than the melody. Participants will learn a song in the workshop and collaboratively create harmonies for it. No prior harmony experience required — just curiosity, a willingness to try, and a love of singing with others.

Do you love to sing? Do you love to play guitar or ukulele? Do you find it difficult to do both at the same time? Singing while playing can be a challenge, as the rhythm of the accompaniment often differs from the rhythm of the melody. Learn some easy techniques to create interesting accompaniments while you sing. Jean Hewson will supply some helpful hints and tricks to make the process a little easier. This workshop is not for beginners, but for people who are already familiar with basic chords and strumming and/or fingerpicking patterns. Feel free to bring along some songs that you’ve been working on.

Ukulelists: Eric West’s Ukulele workshop is on Saturday at 1pm.

Mandolinists: check out Dave Panting’s workshop, Saturday at 3pm.

This workshop will focus on playing Newfoundland and Labrador songs and tunes on the ukulele – both accompaniment and melody. Each piece in the workshop will be presented in two versions. The first will be suitable for beginner/intermediate players and will concentrate on accompaniment. The second version of the song will be intended for intermediate/advanced players and involve more complex chords and accompaniments techniques, and will involve playing the melody of the song.

Note: Although the workshop is open to all ukulele players, it’s not intended for absolute beginners. Participants should already have a basic knowledge of simple chords and strums. The low ‘g’ ukulele tuning is recommended for players attending this workshop who intend to play the melodies of the songs. For those who wish to play only the song accompaniments, either tuning (low or high ‘g’) is suitable. Please feel free to contact us if you have questions about the workshop.

With Belles on!  A workshop celebrating the dance music of Aquaforte, passed on to us by Mrs. Belle Fennelly.  Bring whatever instrument you play and all the Mrs. Belle tunes you know - we’ll learn a new one! Suitable for beginner/intermediate players. (If you bring an accordion, make sure it can play in the key of D. Ask if you’re not sure!)

Christina’s book, Like The Bird: The Legacy of Mrs. Belle Fennelly (while not necessary for the workshop) will be available for sale onsite for $47.00.

Dave says: In this workshop I will run through the basics of the mandolin and how I apply them to traditional Newfoundland music. I will cover picking and strumming patterns and demonstrate examples of each of the typical timings found in this music: Jigs, Reels / Stepdance tunes, Waltzes, Newfoundland Singles.

Participants should have some playing experience with the mandolin.

Come and dive into the process of writing tunes; from finding inspiration and improvising activities to stimulate creativity, to developing those musical ideas into something to call your own.  Carole will talk about her own processes, share stories about her own compositions, and walk you through conversations and activities to help you unlock your own musical melodies!

This is a jam session/workshop for those who are fans of the music of Turlough O’Carolan – the celebrated Irish harper/composer who lived from 1670-1738.

Carolan wrote many beautiful tunes which are played by musicians all over the world. Guitarist Eric West and Irish-flute/tin-whistle player Gerry Strong will be leading this session. Melody and accompaniment players are welcome to play along or just listen to the tunes.

The sheet music (melodies and chords) and recording links for over a dozen of Carolan’s tunes will be emailed to participants before the workshop upon registration. (A few printed booklets will be available for sale at the workshop as well, though it’s best to pre-order when you register, if you need a printed copy.)

We’ll be playing most of Carolan’s well-known tunes as well as a few rarely heard gems. Eric West will be discussing each piece and providing historical information about Carolan and his compositions.

Do you love to sing? Do you love to play guitar or ukulele? Do you find it difficult to do both at the same time? Singing while playing can be a challenge as the rhythm of the accompaniment often differs from the rhythm of the melody. Learn some easy techniques to create interesting accompaniments while you sing. Jean Hewson will supply some helpful hints and tricks to make the process a little easier. This workshop is not for beginners, but for people who are already familiar with basic chords and strumming and/or fingerpicking patterns. Feel free to bring along some songs that you’ve been working on.

Gerry says: This will be for intermediate to experienced players, people who can handle playing a tune. I will be teaching a tune (or more depending on capabilities) along with ornamentation and techniques used in playing our music. Since the wooden flute and tin whistle are pretty similar, it is open to both. I’ll even allow the silver Boehm system flute - maybe I could lure you over to the dark side!

A workshop exploring the dance music of mouth-organ player Gerald Quinton of Red Cliff, Bonavista Bay. A dynamic musician, he played for dances for decades only on mouth-organ, and was known for his percussive feet. This class is open to any instrumental player who can pick up a tune or two in an hour and can play in G or D.

Creative writers of all kinds, including storytellers, songwriters, and recitation writers, sometimes find themselves stuck for story ideas. This workshop will explore the use of some traditional and new methods of generating story ideas.

Storytelling is all about connecting – to your story, to your listeners, to the world around you, and even to yourself. This participatory workshop with Catherine Wright will engage you in exercises and approaches to strengthening these connections. Participants will share short memory stories. All are welcome, no preparation or experience required.