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Daytime Events

10:00 A.M.-6:00 P.M.*, Center for the Arts
*Registration: 9:30 A.M., Center for the Arts Lobby
Tickets: $10; one ticket entitles the bearer to attend any or all of the planned workshops.

Daytime Schedule for the Vermont A Cappella Summit

*Times subject to change

9:30am
Registration in the lobby of the Center for the Arts

10am
Introduction and Warm Ups
Welcome to the first Vermont A Cappella Summit to be held at Middlebury College. It's going to be a long day of singing, so meet and warm up with everyone to get things started.


11am
Vocal Percussion with Marty Gasper
More than cool sounds, it's rhythm and groove. Learn what it takes to be the percussion instrument in an all-vocal band from the goovemeister of Blue Jupiter.

Leader of the Band with Jonathan Minkoff
Intellectual property and copyright lawyer by day, artist and producer for life, Jonathan will draw from his diverse experience and talk about how to make the decisions that help your group meet their goals. He'll be joined by Jeff Rehbach, Policy Advisor for LIS and Director of Choral Music here at Middlebury College.

Noon
Lunch

1-3pm
Masterclass with celebrity panel
Each group will perform 1-2 songs, receive feedback from our celebrity panel (members of Blue Jupiter, Francois Clemmons, and others!), perform again, and then hear from the audience. It's an educational experience, on and off the stage.

3pm
Become the Diva with Diana Priesler
You have a beautiful voice, now let's make you the star of the show. In this workshop, Diana will take her experience from stage, tv and film and show us how to deliver the goods.

Recording Project with Marty Gasper and Jonathan Minkoff
In the Middlebury Musicians Guild recording studio, Freeman.
There is more to recording than showing up and sounding good. Carefully planning and organizing, taught to us by two of the masters, will make the most of your studio time and create a positive experience for all involved.

4pm
Get Out Of Your Own Way with Heather Finley, Ph.D.
What gets in YOUR way when you perform? Would you like to learn how to perform on stage as well or better than in rehearsals? Do you want to feel less self-conscious on stage? Do you need to bring more creativity to your performance? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, attend this experiential workshop designed to introduce you to the concept of FLOW through workshop demonstrations. Participants will provide examples of FLOW “blockage” and several volunteers will be chosen to practice FLOW techniques during the workshop. Join us to learn how to use mental strategies to get out of your own way for a FLOWING performance.

Vocal Improvisation with Philip Hamilton.
Hamilton leads a vocal workshop designed to increase participant's ability
to improvise sounds in group and solo settings. This workshop also
utilizes breathing excercises designed to increase one's awareness of the
voice and its range of possibilities. He has worked with some of the leading musical minds of our time including John Cage, Donald Fagen,(Steely Dan) Pat Metheny, Gilberto Gil and Vernon Reid.