Vocal Painting & Circlesongs
You will learn Vocal Painting, circle singing and various forms of vocal improvisation in my workshops. We will create music out of the moment with vocal painting gestures, cultivating a playful use of the voice. We sing circle songs, create live-arrangements and live-compositions. I will share my knowledge of vocal improvisation forms, which I learned from international pioneers such as Rhiannon (USA), Joey Blake (USA), Jim Daus (DK), Peder Karlsson (SE), Merel Martens (BL) and Merzi Rajala (FI).
Upcoming Workshops (at the KLP in Germany):
- 14.05.24 from 15:00-16:30, Where: Ding der Möglichkeit, (Room Weitblick), Salderatzen 3, Waddeweitz, Germany.
- 16.05.24 from 15:00-16:30, Where: Ding der Möglichkeit, (Room Weitblick), Salderatzen 3, Waddeweitz, Germany.
- 29.05.24, from 15:00-18:00, Where: Nürtingen, Alte Seegrasspinnerei, Plochingerstr. 14, 72622 Nürtingen. Ticket: 35-45 Euro.
Any questions or booking requests? Please contact workshop@vocalharp.com
Vocal Painting (VOPA) is an innovative sign language from Jim Daus for directing spontaneous choral music. It consists of 75 gestures and is used as a supplement to conventional conducting techniques. The signs are easy to understand and the conductors can use them to adjust various musical parameters on the fly without interrupting the music. VOPA offers effective pedagogical tools and artistic possibilities to increase participation in the choir and to actively involve the singers in the composition. The gestures enable singers of all levels to create music on the fly, from audience participation, to live arrangements, to the creation of complex live compositions at a high artistic level.
A Circlesong is created by singing so-called loops together, i.e. musical phrases that are constantly repeated in cycles. By layering the loops, the circle song develops, which is then constantly transformed by new loops. Musically, the Circlesong is very open and can be sung in different styles, rhythms and scales. Non-verbal gestures, such as vocal painting, are typically used to guide a circle song. The musical material is either provided by the choir director or improvised by the singers themselves. The singers can invent melodies, rhythms, bass lines or body percussion, thus contributing to the creative process.
My background
As an impromptu coach, I teach groups various forms of vocal improvisation, circle songs and vocal painting. I focus in particular on using the voice in a creative way and enabling the participants to take an active role in the music. Already during my music studies I discovered my passion for improvised choral music. Over the course of 6 years I completed intensive further training courses in this area, e.g. as an impromptu coach in Basel (CH), Global Choir Leadership in Helsinki (FI) and Innovative Choir Leadership in Aalborg (DK). In addition, I was fortunate enough to be able to learn from great pioneers of the spontaneous choral scene, how e.g. Rhiannon (USA), Joey Blake (USA), Jim Daus (DK), Merja Rajala (FI), Merel Martens (NL) and Peder Karlsson (SE).