Singing Ukulele Retreat

Description

Instructors: Stu Fuchs & Justina Golden

Date: Sunday, September 10th, 2023

Times: 1:00 PM – 8:00 PM EST, community supper included

Location: 80 Bassett Road, Shelburne MA 01370

Cost: $70-125, sliding scale

# of Participants: 35

Program Description

Fabric of Life is excited to offer a new musical program as part of its ongoing efforts to preserve and promote traditional skills which enrich our daily lives.  People have always made music, but in our modern world most people are passive listeners rather than active music makers.  Both singing and playing ukulele are easy and accessible to anyone who wishes to discover how enjoyable and rewarding it is to be a musician.

This one-day retreat will enable participants to work with high-level teachers and performers at the beautiful Bassett Homestead farm in Shelburne, MA; it’s only a ten minute drive from the Greenfield Rotary but you’ll feel like you’re way out in the country.  Participants should have some experience in playing ukulele, knowing basic chords and being able to easily switch between them.  Most ukulele workshops offer the chance to learn new songs and new techniques to improve your playing, and this will be no exception.  But even though the ukulele is most often used to accompany singing, attention to vocal technique is rarely offered in group settings to ukulele players.  So this retreat will also teach basic vocal technique, how to use your breath to improve your singing.

The retreat will feature three sessions: there will be an introductory session for everyone led by Stu that will combine some playing, singing and mindfulness practice to get us all in the mood.  Then half of the group will have a 90 minute session with Stu and the other half with Justina.; after that the groups will switch teachers for another 90 minute session.  Following this there will be a community supper where we’ll have a chance to relax and socialize.  The retreat will end with a short concert where our teachers will get a chance to perform for participants, and then the group will get together and show off what they have learned during the day.

Instructors

The workshop will feature two great musicians:

Stu Fuchs is a lifelong musician, award-winning teaching artist blending mindfulness practice and creative play.  He has presented his ukulele workshops and concerts at ukulele festivals around the world and has performed classical and gypsy jazz guitar with symphony orchestras.  Stu blends accessible mindfulness practices with playful holistic music instruction at his “ukulele zen” workshops and retreats.  He was awarded a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts for his work bringing healing music to cancer patients.  Stu recorded and toured with renowned sacred chant artist Snatam Kaur, playing on her  “Best New Age” Grammy award nominated album “Beloved”.  Stu continues to offer weekly lessons and music inspiration at his YouTube channel “Ukulele Zen” (www.youtube.com/ukulelezen).

Justina Golden is a singer and vocal teacher since 1986.  She fell madly in love with teaching, trying to explain how to wield something invisible that has the power to transform lives.  She has taught individuals, small groups, and choirs, turning good singers into professional singers.  Justina also toured for 12 years in a singer/songwriter duo, taught voice at the Dar Williams “Writing a Song That Matters” workshop, and has taught at the Northampton Community Music Center and Smith College.  She now teaches in Florence, MA at her Profound Sound Voice Studio.

Please contact us with any questions at office@fabric-of-life.org.

Our sliding scale fee allows us to keep these programs accessible to a wide range of individuals. The ‘admirer’ option covers the cost of the instructor fee, program support, marketing, and administration. The ‘friend’ option covers all of this and allows for a small profit margin to be contributed towards sustaining Fabric of Life programming for next year. The ‘enthusiast’ option covers all of this and allows for us to begin to sustain Fabric of Life programming for generations to come.

FOL will refund 90% of your fee if you cancel more than 30 days before the beginning of the program. 10% will be retained for administrative services. Cancellation with less than 30 days notice will automatically be rolled over as a credit for another program of your choice within the next year from the date of the original program. FOL will maintain the funds and carry them forward once you determine what program you would like to utilize them for. If there is a balance after paying for the second program, it will not be refunded. If a program does not run due to circumstances beyond our control, participants will receive a full refund of the fees paid.