Workshops

Each Day The Joyful strains will call on individuals to participate in a workshop to learn the song that will be performed 'flashmob Style' within the festival grounds (we are open to suggestions). The group will then, at cue, burst into song unexpectedly, creating a cultural turmoil as onlookers have to choose between joining in or spectating.

Tales of Timber: Irish Flute. Two top notch interpreters of the Irish flute - The Freewheeler's Dougal Adams and Ben Stephenson - explore the serious business of bringing the tunes alive on The Timber. A great chance for players at all stages to pick up some tips and techniques.

Contra dance music is a very diverse style. There is a wide range of music that will work for contra dancing. Numerous musicians and bands, including amateurs and professionals, and people of all ages, are inventing new sounds and exploring old forms all the time. Come and learn a few tunes from the Canberra Contra Club.

Participants will learn some simple a cappella songs which can be sung in a round, an ancient and easy way of singing in harmony to great effect. A good example of one of the pieces explored in this workshop is the "Babylon" round from Don Maclean's American Pie album. GOLDHEIST will also teach a number of well-loved songs in 3-part harmony, as well as some participative passages from her original songs such as The River and Other Girl.

With a strong background in choral singing, GOLDHEIST will teach participants aurally and visually, so no ability to read music is required.

Traditional Irish tunes played at a relaxed pace for beginners. All instruments and players of any level are encouraged and welcome to join in.

Is ‘branding’ a dirty word for folk musicians?

Aren’t we all about authenticity, good old-fashioned values, hand-made music and honesty? How do we reconcile these qualities with the need to promote our music in a highly competitive, social media-driven market?

Peter Campbell was Creative Director of a high-end graphic design practice for just on 40 years and has been a singer-songwriter for 60. This workshop draws on this diverse experience to investigate what a ‘brand’ actually is for a musician, why it isn’t something to be afraid of, and how to create one that will help your music cut through without sacrificing your musical integrity.

Join Charley and the Boys for a good ol' campfire singalong of well-known and old-timey songs! A session for vocalists to experience the joy of group singing with round robins and a capella tags. All ages and stages welcome, and instruments encouraged!

Crafting new written poetry, and adapting written work for performance, focusing on vocal and physical techniques.

Having recorded and produced eight albums and won seventeen Golden Guitar Awards at the Country Music Awards of Australia, Luke will share some ideas about writing songs.

Improvisation in the style of American/ New Orleans folk music. This style of music offers a lot of opportunities for collaborative improvisation. One band member is a high school teacher who runs jazz bands as part of his job, and the rest are all experienced with music tuition.

Understanding how your voice works inside so you can control what comes outside.

In Gaelic Ireland, there were at least ten instruments in general use. These were the crwth (a small rubbed strings harp) and cláirseach (a bigger harp with typically 30 strings), the tiompán (a small string instrument played with a bow or plectrum), the feadán (a fife), the buinne (an oboe or flute), the guthbuinne (a bassoon-type horn), the beannbhuabhal and corn (hornpipes), the cuislenna (bagpipes), the stoc and storgán (clarions or trumpets), and the cnámha (bones). There is also evidence of the fiddle being used in the 8th century.

So bring along your instrument, any instrument (except ukuleles), and learn some great tunes. Just kidding - even ukes are welcome.

UKULELE FUN – WITH SONGS THAT DON’T SUCK (all levels)

Join the ukulele tsunami! It’s the easiest, funnest instrument going, and you’ll be playing a tune in 5 minutes. And easy tunes don’t have to be dull and boring. Bruce is an experienced ukulele group leader of who knows how to make it easy – and fun. (Intermediate players welcome, too)

Traditional Irish tunes played at a relaxed pace for beginners. All instruments and players of any level are encouraged and welcome to join in.