Musician’s Toolbox Workshop Series (SouthWEST)

Description

Do any of these thoughts sound familiar?

“I really enjoyed the songs we learned, but I just wish I sing and play them at the same time…”

“I love to play, but I wish I could get a handle on my strumming rhythm…”

“You keep on saying ‘Listen for the chord changes’ but I honestly don’t hear them!…”

You’re not alone! Over the past year, I’ve heard these kinds of reflections from many students. So this fall, I’m offering something a little different: a Musician’s Toolbox Workshop Series focused on the essential skills that support everything we do as musicians, but don’t always get center stage in a typical class.

What’s included in the Musician’s Toolbox Workshop Series?

Instead of learning a new repertoire of songs, we’ll revisit familiar songs from recent classes and use them as springboards to explore the building blocks of musicianship: ear training, rhythm, and music theory. Each 75-minute session will focus on a different “tool”—a skill that strengthens your overall musicianship and makes playing more intuitive, expressive, and fun:

• Week 1: Ear Training ~ Hearing Melody: Learn to recognize melodic movement by ear, follow a tune more confidently, and connect what you hear to what you play or sing.
• Week 2: Ear Training ~ Hearing Chord Progressions: Learn to recognize harmonic movement underneath a melody, catch common chord changes, and predict what chord might come next.
• Week 3: Music Theory ~ Beyond the I–IV–V: Many of you have learned the basics of song structure with me. Let’s take some more steps to learn about other chords in the Nashville Number System, and expand our repertoire of common chord patterns in different musical genres.
• Week 4: Rhythm ~ Feeling the Beat: Explore rhythm through your first instrument, your body! Deepen your sense of rhythm to help you feel better grounded in strumming patterns, time signatures, and the overall groove of a song.
• Workshop 5: TBD – Your Toolbox Questions, Explored
  We’ll design this final session based on the themes, questions, and challenges that come up in the first four workshops—so we can go deeper where it counts most.

Whether you’ve been playing for a little while or you’re deepening your practice, this series is designed to help you connect the dots and build confidence from the inside out.

You’ve already got the tools—now let’s learn how to use them! 😊 

Who Is the Musician’s Toolbox Workshop Series For?

These workshops are open to all ‘ukulele and strummable instrument players with different experience levels and learning styles, but they’re especially great for players who:

• Are comfortable playing three- and four-chord songs in the keys of C, D, G and A

• Are familiar with the idea of the Nashville Number System and can figure out the I, IV and V chords in the keys listed above (if you are feeling woozy about this, please reach out! I can get you oriented…)

• Know a basic strum pattern or two that you can play consistently

• Are open to taking musical risks and learning in a new way

If you have concerns or questions about your readiness for this workshop series, please reach out to me directly! Otherwise, come as you are, and get ready to take some risks, deepen your ears, and grow in community with other musicians.

I’m in! When and Where?

This Musician’s Toolbox Workshop Series is offered LIVE, in person in Southwest Portland:

• Bi-weekly on Wednesdays, 6:00-7:15pm
• 5 Weeks: October 1, 15, 29 | November 12 | December 3
• Valley Community Presbyterian Church: 8060 SW Brentwood St., Brentwood OR (Beaverton)

How Much and How Do I Pay?

Catch Up Package Available Now. Late to the game, but ready to learn on your own? The “Catch Up” Package includes registration for Workshops 4 and 5, plus recorded video of Workshops 1, 2 and 3, and corresponding follow up materials for you to work through at your own pace.

Save $5 on your Workshop Series Package by paying with cash or check! Third-party fees add up quickly for a one-person business like mine. If you’d prefer your entire payment apply to my time and effort preparing and teaching it, select “Pay with Cash / Check” and bring your payment for the full amount owed (drop-in/package) minus $5 to our first class. Please note this only applies to your purchase of the Workshop Series Package, not individual workshops.

This price point is too steep for me right now! If you need a more accessible price point, please use the coupon code ACCESS for an automatic 25% off your order, no questions asked. If you need further assistance, please reach out to me directly and we will make it happen!

About the Instructor

Learn more about me here. 🙂