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Spring/Summer 2008
As part of our Heritage Arts Studio initiative, Blackstone River Theatre pursues arts education outreach into the local community by offering classes and workshops at the theatre with respected performers and teachers. This school for the traditional arts allows the community to discover or reconnect with traditional art forms (music, song, dance, storytelling, drama and literary arts, as well as new art representing Blackstone Valley themes) and become PARTICIPANTS in our regional arts heritage.
Heritage Arts Studio offerings for Spring/Summer 2008 include non competitive Irish step dance classes for both children and adult advanced beginners and intermediate students with instructor Terry Songini in April-June. We'll also be offering advanced beginner hard shoe classes for qualified students! Because Irish dance classes will break for the summer, we will not offer a beginner level for children or adults until September. We are again offer beginning, continuing beginner, advanced beginner and intermediate fiddle classes with instructor Cathy Clasper Torch in April-May and will have a 4-week session for existing students only in May-June before breaking for summer. Laura Travis will be on hand again to teach a beginners stonecarving class June 21-22. And, as our schedules allow, we will offer small group lessons and a blues guitar seminar with Duke Robillard this summer.
We are considering offering some yoga, watercolor and creative writing classes over the next year...please let us know of your interest in this or any other type of class! Watch this space for specific class offerings to be announced for Fall 2008.
HOW TO REGISTER FOR BRT CLASSES
So we can be assured of meeting the minimum needed to hold any of our class offerings, BRT NEEDS PRE-PAYMENT AT LEAST 3 DAYS BEFORE THE START OF ANY CLASS (and hopefully sooner!) or we'll need to cancel at that time. If you are interested in any class, please:
1. E-mail russell@riverfolk.org or call (401) 725-9272 to pre-register and then,
2. Put a check payable to Blackstone River Theatre in the mail ASAP to: Blackstone River Theatre, 549 Broad Street, Cumberland, Rhode Island 02864
CELTIC STONECARVING IN LIMESTONE FOR BEGINNERS
A Two-Day Class in Celtic Relief Stonecarving
Blackstone River Theatre will offer a two-day class in Celtic Relief Stonecarving in Limestone for beginners with instructor Laura Travis outside, behind the Blackstone River Theatre, 549 Broad St., Cumberland, RI. The class will be held on Saturday and Sunday, June 21 and 22, from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. each day (with a half-hour lunch break.) Teenagers (age 16 and up), college students and adults are all welcome and no experience is required. A maximum of 14 students will be allowed; a minimum of six is needed to run the class. The course fee is $125 plus a separate $25 materials fee which is payable directly to instructor Laura Travis (includes a Milani flat chisel and several pieces of stone, sandpapers, and access to finishing tools.) Prepayment is necessary. For class reservation or more information, call (401) 725-9272 or visit www.riverfolk.org or the instructor's site, campus.digication.com/lauratravis.
Relief carving is a satisfying and useful skill which has numerous applications for gardens, landscaping, and creative expression. The saga of The Celt and The Stone is as old as time. If you have seen a photo of the High Crosses in Ireland and Scotland, or British well-shrine covers, you've seen Celtic relief carving in stone. In this 12-hour introductory-level course, students will use manageable scraps of limestone and carve them with an initial, a knot, or an animal motif - bring your own idea or utilize teacher references - and in the process learn something of one of the signature arts of the Celts. Included will be plenty of stone lore, tips for scrounging up materials and tools for practically nothing, and information about techniques including polishing and finishing.
Laura Travis has been carving for over 15 years, bringing her knowledge and love of Irish and Celtic traditions firmly into her work in stone. As an artist, Laura walks between the worlds of fine and folk art, utilizing traditional iconography in some very contemporary contexts. Travis has shown her work in Providence, Maryland, Toronto, Worcester and New Bedford. She holds an MFA in sculpture from the Maryland Institute College of Art, and maintains her studio at the Providence alternative arts center, AS220. She's also known for originating and hosting the Irish traditional music radio program, The Celtic Realm, for the past 27 years on WRIU-FM.
IRISH STEP DANCE CLASSES
This will be the last session before summer break. We will not offer a complete beginner level for children or adults until September.
8-week Irish step dance class for Beginner Children Ages 6 to 10 (non competitive)
With instructor Terry Songini. 8-week class for beginner children ages 6-10 offered on Saturdays from 9-9:45 AM. THIS CLASS WILL BE OFFERED AGAIN IN SEPTEMBER, 2008! Class limited to 15; minimum 9 students needed to hold class. No experience is expected for beginner level and no special shoes are required. (We do ask children to wear sneakers or soft-soled shoes or just socks and wear loose, comfortable clothing.) Fee: $80.00 for 8-week session per student. Note: Very often, students at this age level will take the beginner class two, three or more times before being placed in an advanced beginner class as it is VERY important to really learn and be able to execute the basic steps of Irish dance before moving on and adding to them.
8-week Irish step dance class for CONTINUING Adult Beginners and children age 11-and-up (non competitive)
With instructor Terry Songini. 8-week class for CONTINUING beginner adults and children age 11-and-up offered on Saturdays, April 19 through June 14 (skipping May 31) from 10-11:00 AM. Classes limited to 18; minimum 9 students needed to hold each class. No experience is expected for this beginner level and no special shoes are required. (We do ask you to wear sneakers or soft-soled shoes or just socks and wear loose, comfortable clothing.) Fee: $100.00 for 8-week session per student. Note: Very often, students in the beginner level will take this beginner class two or more times before being placed in an advanced beginner level class as it is VERY important to really learn and be able to execute the basic steps of Irish dance before moving on and adding to them.
8-week Irish step dance class for Advanced Beginners, adults and children age 11-and-up (non competitive)
With instructor Terry Songini. 8-week class for advanced beginner adults (or qualified children age 11 and up) offered on Saturdays, April 19 through June 14 (skipping May 31) from 11:00 AM to noon. Class limited to 15; minimum 9 students needed to hold class. Approval of instructor needed for placement in this class. (We ask you to wear sneakers or soft-soled shoes and wear loose, comfortable clothing.) Fee: $100.00 for 8-week session per student. Saturday's advanced beginner class concentrates on soft-shoe dance only, as well as some ceili and set dancing.
8-week Irish step dance class for Advanced Beginners, soft AND hard shoe (non competitive)
With instructor Terry Songini. 8-week class for advanced beginner adults (or qualified children age 11 and up) offered on Tuesdays, April 29 through June 15 from 6:30-7:30 PM. THIS CLASS WILL BE HALF ADVANCED BEGINNER SOFT SHOE DANCING AND HALF BEGINNER HARD SHOE DANCING. (Hard shoes are NOT required for this class however... students can dance in sneakers.) Class limited to 16; minimum 9 students needed to hold class. Approval of instructor needed for placement in this class. (We ask you to wear sneakers or soft-soled shoes and wear loose, comfortable clothing.) Fee: $100.00 for 8-week session per student.
8-week Irish step dance class for INTERMEDIATE LEVEL (non competitive)
With instructor Terry Houlihan. 8-week class for intermediate level adults offered on Tuesdays, April 29 through June 15 from 7:30-9:00 PM. Class limited to 14; minimum 8 students needed to hold class. Approval of instructor needed for placement in this class. Fee: $100.00 for 8-week session per student. Note: Students in this class WILL need to purchase special hard shoes; let us know if you need help in finding where to purchase them. Students in this class level will be preparing for the BRT Celtic Festival and other future performance opportunities so a strong level of commitment is needed. The class will be split between advanced beginner hard shoe lessons and ongoing advanced beginner soft-shoe and ceili instruction.
Terry Songini is formerley from Cork City, Ireland and is a former Irish Dancing Champion. She was a pupil of Dr. John Cullinane, the renowned Irish Dancing Teacher and author of many books on the History and Culture of Irish Step Dancing. Terry was an Oireachtas winner in the Munster Province of Ireland and also won medals in both the All Ireland and The World Irish Step Dancing Championships. For the past nine years Terry has been teaching Non Competitive Solo and Figure Dancing in both soft and hard shoe from beginner to advanced levels ranging in age from 4 yrs to adults. She began teaching at BRT in Fall 2005.
FIDDLE CLASSES
Note: There is a 6-week class for all levels of fiddle students that began April 2 and April 8 and runs through May 7 and May 13. We will continue with a 4-week session for existing fiddle students on May 27 and May 28. There will be no COMPLETE BEGINNER classes offered until September after the summer break.
4-Week Complete Beginner Fiddle Class
4-Week Continuing Beginner Fiddle Class
4-Week Advanced Beginner Fiddle Class
4-Week Intermediate Level Fiddle Class
With instructor Cathy Clasper Torch. Classes for Continuing Beginners will be offered on Tuesdays, 6:30-7:30 PM and 7:30-8:30 PM from May 27 through June 17. Classes limited to 10; minimum 5 needed to hold each class. All level students must bring own instrument and tape recorder. Fee: $54.00 for each student per 4-week session. Playing by ear will be stressed but sight reading will also be included. Prepayment necessary! NOTE: BRT has coordinated with Rick's Musical Instruments, Inc. in Cumberland to offer fiddle rental for these 6-week classes for only $25.00. Please call Rick at 401-658-3404.
Advanced Beginner and Intermediate classes will be offered on Wednesdays, May 28 through June 18. Class for advanced beginners runs from 6:30-7:30 PM. Class for intermediate level runs from 7:45-8:45 PM. Classes limited to 10; minimum 5 needed to hold each class. All level students must bring own instrument and tape recorder. Fee: $54.00 for each student per 4-week session. Playing by ear will be stressed but sight reading will also be included.
Complete Beginner (offered again in September, 2008)
This course is for those just starting to fiddle around or for those who always wanted to! It's also great for people who want to start over again after some time away from playing. We will focus on the music, the instrument, and the musician. While covering these fundamentals, students will have the opportunity to start to explore Celtic and American tunes. The tunes and bits to practice will be learned by ear as well as by some notation, so a tape recorder is required for each class. Students must also bring a fiddle and bow for the first class. Topics will include: Fundamental instrument care, tuning the strings with confidence, wise ways to hold the instrument, using the bow, learning how to learn and to practice well, familiar finger patterns found in fiddling, and how tunes are put together.
Continuing Beginner
This course is for those who have successfully completed one or two 6-week session at BRT or have started playing in the near past but stopped practicing or... basically, you are not a COMPLETE beginner but you are in the very early stages of learning to play the fiddle.
Advanced Beginner Fiddle Class
This course is for those who already have played six months to a year, know how to care for their instrument, and can play a few fiddle tunes from memory (or have finished at least three 6-week sessions at BRT); placement in this class will be at the discretion of the instructor. New tunes will be learned by ear as well as by reading, so a tape recorder is required for each class. Topics will include: Extra equipment for the fiddle player, more fiddle tune types in the Celtic and American traditions, more finger patterns/keys in traditional music, using music notation to remember tunes, training your ears, beginning ornamentation of tunes, session and jam etiquette.
Intermediate Level Fiddle Class
For those who have completed at least four 6-week sessions at BRT or have comparable experience.
Cathy Clasper Torch is a multi-instrumentalist whose primary focus is fiddle/violin and piano. She combines her early classical training with love of improvisation and music of all genres and cultures. Cathy records and performs in the area with numerous bands and musicians including the Atwater-Donnelly Trio and The Gnomes. Cathy appears on over a dozen recordings and currently teaches piano and violin at The Wheeler Conservatory in Providence.
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