The Joy of Singing Rise Up Singing "Choir" Singing Beatles Harmony Rise Up Singing Intro Workshop Rise Up Singing Eight-Week Workshop You Can Uke! Three-Chord Wonder: Learn to Play Guitar Basic Fingerpicking Guitar Beginning Fingerstyle Guitar Fancy & Fun Guitar The Essentials of Jamming The Joy of Singing "This class has been crazy fun and really popular. Everyone leaves rosy cheeked, smiling and relaxed." —Meaghan Johnson, Queen Street Yoga "The best workshop of its kind in KW. Jane Lewis is a wonderful teacher! You'll be singing songs (and her praises) from the first lesson!" —Karine Bordes "I go home on Thursday night after our class and my whole spirit feels buoyant!" —Catherine McCall "After each session of the Joy of Singing workshop I walk home, singing all the way with not a care in the world!" —Reni ~ back to top ~ Choir Workshop "A joyous, affirming and incredibly fun experience!" —Amy Baskin "Thank you so much for the music. We sound good and we had a great time. What better way to spend a Monday evening..singing our hearts out!!" —Gerry Hanna "Truly a wonderful group and great music. Katherine and Jane are fantastic musicians and wonderful teachers." —Diane Smith "A great sense of community and oh, what a sound when we sang in harmony! A joy to sing with a bunch of great women!" —JP "Thank you Jane and Katherine for your guidance and gifts. I feel so privileged to be in the room. I find myself still smiling when I wake up Tuesday mornings...just from the sheer joy of singing with all of the Monday Night Girls." —Trudy "Thanks again for these sessions. I always have a good time and really enjoy the opportunity to sing in a safe environment. I appreciate the way you and Katherine lead the group...very encouraging and supportive!" —Cath Nelson "I have learned to love my voice! What a great experience!" —Kim Logue "Every Monday, those "very short" two hours were a lifeline—Jane and Katherine—thank you for that. Your true talent, patience, and kind encouragement were an inspiration, just what this "newbie" needed to find her voice!" —Jennifer Tinson "Thank you again for creating such a welcoming environment for us to get together and sing—it is truly a highlight of my week." —Robin Lee-Norris "It was both a challenge and an inspiration to a sing with women from a wide variety of musical backgrounds under the guidance of such wonderful local talent. The workshop leaders always encouraged us to explore the joy and the power of our voices and to create music for the broader community. —Gail McCormack "Thanks for the opportunity. I think this accomplished exactly what was intended - fun, comfort, willingness to try new things and the pure enjoyment of singing with a group of people. What Fun!" —Lisa Butler ~ back to top ~ Singing Beatles Harmony "Thank you Sam, for a totally inspiring, motivating and informative afternoon of wonderful harmonies and absolute joy...you made the complex harmonies of the Beatles very accessible and FUN! I can't wait to join in again at the next workshop, Beatles Harmony in Depth." —Susan "The Beatles workshop was the most fun I have had without alcohol or sex! [ed: she really wrote that!] Please thank Sam for an inspired afternoon. Hearing those songs come together was deeply satisfying. Just hard enough to be challenging but doable." —MK "Singing Beatles' harmony: Just when you thought you knew all there is to know about the Fab Four's intuitive approach to harmonies, Sam unveils some heretofore mysterious innovations that make all the difference to getting it right." —Marty Fairbairn "I enjoyed it very much and, although I'm a true Beatles fan and am familiar with their music, I came away with even more of an appreciation of their songwriting and their style. I was impressed with Sam's analysis in deconstructing the songs we worked on, with his guitar accompaniment, and his gentle guidance in leading the singing." —Carolyn Rothstein ~ back to top ~ Rise Up Singing Intro Workshop "The Rise Up Singing workshop was really so much fun. I learned, I sang, I laughed....The workshop has inspired me to sing more and to continue with my musical and singing education." —Jen J. "Sam and Jane are wonderful singing mentors. They allow you to be yourself, and in doing so, you automatically sing better! Their supportive and informative workshops definitely makes singing more fun." —Lea "The workshop was fun, informative and inspiring. I would highly recommend this workshop to anyone who wants to explore what is holding them back from expressing with voice." —LA "Thanks for the relaxing and safe environment to explore vocal challenges, learn and have fun. I look forward to more singing, more often, in the future." —R.B. "This was an excellent introductory workshop to singing that covered many of the basics - breathing, posture, care of the voice, learning to listen, sharing with others, etc. It was a great way to begin to sing or even renew singing abilities." —Gail McCormack "If you're at all shy about singing, but still would like to learn more about how to do it, then this is the workshop for you!" —anon "Little did I know that the key to feeling success while singing is to know your range. Finally—no more squawking for this chick!" —Sue Richards ~ back to top ~ Rise Up Singing Eight-Week Workshop "Much recommended. Rise up and do it!" —Patrick Whitney "This course has been a big deal in my life....I have learned so much about singing and myself. I'll never be the same!" —Lisa "Rise Up Singing provides an incredibly safe place to explore your voice. They offer emotional support as well as technical expertise. I highly recommend the workshop to anyone who wants to journey into the singing world!" —April "Just amazing, unforgettable! Finding out that I could sing and make music really made me feel wonderful!...Thank you many many times over!" —S.M. "This workshop opened doors - gave me strength to express my voice and feel comfortable and confident in this ability that was too long kept in a cage. I would do it again!" —MND "The Rise Up Singing workshops allow you to replace your old voice with that voice in your head that's always been more confident, louder, and in tune!" —Mike Driscoll "A wonderful start to coaxing out your inner songbird! Lots of fun and very fulfilling." —Tim Johnson "The 'Rise Up Singing' workshop was a wonderful way to get back into singing after neglecting this part of my life for way too long. Jane was a gentle, skillful, permission giving leader. She understood the anxieties of the group and did a great job of building safety and comfort over the eight weeks so all of us stretched our limits. Most important it was all done in a spirit of play and humour and was just plain FUN. —Mavis Kerr "This class really did make me feel so much better about singing, my voice, and being expressive with my voice. I had a lot of fun and I'm really looking forward to Rise Up Singing Level 2." —Scott Mooney "Dear Jane: Today I did the impossible. I managed to teach and lead (on microphone) 5 different songs/rounds/chants for a Sunday morning service....It was a wonderful experience to have just been courageous and bold enough to sing loud and proud. I want to THANK YOU for the classes and encouragement and example that you have provided for me in unlocking my long-neglected and forgotten singing voice. A year ago it was unfathomable for me to even consider singing in public, much less to teach and lead!" —Rev. Jess, First Unitarian Congregation of Waterloo "I didn't know how much I needed this until I did it. I would recommend this to anyone -- unless you already "rise up singing" every day!" —Jane Litchfield "The facilitators/teachers are very emotionally 'in tune.' The workshop was just so much more than singing." —Vicki "[The instructors] made it fun and safe for me to sing. With competent guidance in a welcoming and comfortable environment, they taught basic technical skills through exercises that helped me to learn how to maximize my breath to support my voice. I had no idea that singing was so involved. No wonder I was shy! Now I am even inspired to take voice lessons to sing, simply for my soul's sake." —Karin Cremasco, PhD. ThD. www.karincremasco.com ~ back to top ~ You Can Uke! "I thoroughly enjoyed Eve's uke workshop! Eve is a very talented, intuitive teacher who is able to deconstruct a task or concept to address a wide range of abilities. I felt very comfortable and am inspired to go further with the skills and info she presented." —Susan "It was a fun afternoon and Eve stayed at just the right pace for some of us! p.s. the cookies were popular too!" — Marlene ~ back to top ~ Three-Chord Wonder: Learn to Play Guitar "The workshop truly exceded my expectations, I was so pleased to be able to play my guitar with some idea of what fingers went where and to know that I would, with practice, be able to turn that information into real music!! I've always wanted to make music! Thanks so much, Eve." —Sharonne M. "Excellent workshop—professional and caring facilitation—great learning—a fantastic experience that made my heart sing. — Helen "I was given the tools to understand basic strumming techniques and chords opening a whole new world of music that I had only imagined before. —K.D. ~ back to top ~ Basic Fingerpicking Guitar "Eve really de-mystified the whole "finger picking" concept for me. As a new player I had always been intrigued by how other guitar players could pluck those strings and make such a beautiful sound. Now I know, and I can do it too!! Excellent workshop. I look forward to doing more of them! Thanks Eve!" —Alaina "Eve was informative, effective and encouraging while meeting each workshop participant exactly where we were in our musical ability, all at the same time. It was a very valuable experience! It was also an honour to hear such a talent perform a song or two in such an intimate environment. Inspirational!" —Kim Logue "Eve's workshop was a great introduction to fingerpicking. She covered a lot of ground in a short period of time and the workshop has started me on the road to learning more about the guitar." —Jack K. Beginning Fingerstyle Guitar "I really enjoyed the workshop...I was very impressed with Eve's confident, sequential, approach and her patience with each student. I am so happy to have met her and would take another one of her workshops in a minute!" —Susan ~ back to top ~ Fancy and Fun Guitar: Guitar Chord Voicings "Norm Liota is unique in that he is one of the most accomplished musicians around and yet he demonstrates a gentle ability to relate to all skill levels even the beginner musician. Don't miss a workshop with this man!" —LC "Norm is a very skilled guitarist, but also an excellent facilitator and teacher (which is pretty rare)...he was prepared, we had fun, and I picked up a few new insights that alone were worth the cost of admission!" —RJ ~ back to top ~ The Essentials of Jamming Workshop "Well worth it - a jammin' good time! Fun and informative." —P.W. "Sam's workshop put 'jamming' into perspective for me. The workshop helped me recognize my own musical ability. Providing a non-judgemental atmosphere for participants to explore musical communication. Each participant lends to the jam, even if they are just tapping along. No guitar riffs required. Thanks Sam." —Laura Laing "The course was exactly what I was looking for. I now feel like I have an idea how a jam works, and how to participate." —Greg "I thoroughly enjoyed The Essentials of Jamming. I really feel like I was given a clear understanding of what to do and why when in a jamming situation. I had a lot of fun too. I'm just a beginner learning guitar and it was really exciting to suddenly be able to play along. This is exactly why I want to learn to play... so I can jam with other musicians. To me that is the fun and exciting thing about music, and now I really feel like I can do it. Sam really created an environment where I felt safe to play along. Part of that is his very accepting and encouraging attitude, and part of that is the excellent practical instruction that gave me everything I needed to be able to play along... including simple charts to help me know what notes can be played with the song at hand, how rhythm works with the notes, jamming etiquette and principles of communication with the other musicians while playing. It's great. I'm really glad I took the class and I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to play with other musicians but feels shy or unsure of their ability to do so. This really gave me a lot more confidence and willingness to mess up and carry on with good humour. This class is a real treat. Thanks Sam!" —Scott Mooney ~ back to top ~