Singing from the Soul

Singing is about much more than just opening one's mouth and making beautiful sounds. As any experienced performer knows, it takes courage and sacrifice to turn notes on a page into something convincing and moving to the audience.

Singing From the Soul is an experiential course designed by voice instructor Rebekkah Hilgraves and psychologist Marthaan Fenton, Ph.D., and taught by Rebekkah Hilgraves, with hands-on exercises and weekly "homework"; it includes some technical aspects of singing, such as maintaining physical equilibrium in the face of emotionally demanding roles. The bulk of the course revolves around courage, trust and the spiritual demands of vocal expression and how to "draw out" the best potential a singer has. Each week's session will begin with a guided meditation, will proceed into discussions and exercises, and will conclude with practical tools to bring into the next week's daily life.

SCHEDULE:

Unit 1: Building Trust
Unit 2: The History of Human Vocal Expression
Unit 3: All Experience Serves
Unit 4: Integration and Synthesis
Unit 5: Balance of Life and Art
Unit 6: The Master Classes
Final Performances

WEEKLY SESSIONS:

  1. Building Trust.
    This first unit addresses trust issues and leads students through taking the first steps toward trusting each other and making the six-week course a "Safe" environment to grow in their art and personal experience.
  2. The History of Human Vocal Expression.
    This unit offers a brief survey of vocal expression, beginning with primates and moving through historical and geographical styles into the present day; following the listening segment, students will be guided through a series of vocal exercises designed to reach into deeper archetypal emotions.
  3. All Experience Serves: a deeper examination of personal experience.
    This unit guides students through the process of tapping into deep personal resources, facing one's fears and becoming aware of how personal experience affects one's art.
  4. Integration and Synthesis: how to make your personal history work for you.
    In this unit, students will explore idiosyncrasies of personal character ("quirks" and "blind spots") and how to harness them in positive ways to make a complete and convincing performance. Participants will discuss and study technical aspects of tension vs. stress in performance.
  5. Balance of Life and Art.
    This unit delves deeply into the fine line between "genius" and "madness" and methods for renewing our personal resources - physical and spiritual - while studying, researching and performing taxing roles. Students will also discuss (and take to heart) the distinction between judgment and critical review.
  6. The Master Classes.
    In the final sessions, students present arias for performance in a master class setting, and are led through the areas of struggle and trouble, as well as possible courses of action for easing the struggle.
  7. Final Performances.
    Students have an opportunity to present their best work in a formal performance setting.

COURAGE, TRUST AND SACRIFICE

Singing From the Soul offers students a chance to explore the emotional and spiritual demands of singing, and the effects those demands have on technique. We'll present and reinforce tools throughout the course that aid the student in personal development, with the ultimate goal of making the singer a more "awake" and convincing performer.

COST OF THE COURSE

The six-week course costs $1200 per student. Each session lasts two hours (lodging is not provided at this time). Provided course materials include an exercise book and a personal journal. Space is extremely limited, so call now to reserve your place in the next session!

Enrollment is extremely limited (we only accept ten students per session because of the very personal nature of the work involved in the course). The entry deadline for the Autumn 2011 course is Friday, August 27, 2011.

The Autumn 2011 session begins Saturday, September 18, 2011 and goes through Sunday, September 26, 2011.

Please call 1-800-343-7179 now or contact us for information about the next session.