What this Weekend is About • The Workshops • Director’s Bio • Testimonials
The Venue • Daily Schedule • Weekend Rates • Registration • Contact
What This Weekend is About
The particulars:
Ages 18 and above
There will be 5-12 participants, all eager to inspire and support each other!
$275 covers EVERYTHING for the weekend!
The idea:
Do you sit on the sidelines while others make music, assuming you don’t have what it takes to be an active music maker? Did a thoughtless comment made by a music teacher, choral director, or relative lead you to assume that music making should be left to others? But it sure looks like fun, doesn’t it? If only I had the talent, you think.
The facts:
~Each of us is born with some sort of musical ability.
~Each of us is musical in a different way
~There are opportunities for all forms of musicality.
This weekend will be devoted to helping you awaken your inner musician, and giving you the tools and confidence to become musically engaged.
While the thought of revisiting one’s musical potential can be intimidating or downright terrifying, the actual process can be—and should be—fun, lighthearted, and even thrilling. Several of my adult students have described it as “an iron bar melting.”
N.B. This is about YOU: your needs, interests, readiness and comfort zone. There are many angles into musical self-discovery, and you will never be expected to do anything that is not totally comfortable for you. Trust me—you would not be the first person who has come to Music House feeling petrified because of past musical experiences! Singing in front of others not your thing? We can work from an instrument. Something confusing? I will be available one on one throughout the weekend.
DISCOVER HOW EASY SOME OF THOSE “HARD” THINGS ACTUALLY ARE!
We are impressed with someone who can stroll over to a piano and figure out a song by ear, or who can turn the little black dots on a page into “Here Comes the Sun” or “Fur Elise.” These abilities seem so amazing and mysterious that we assume the bearer of such skills must have a talent that we, unfortunately, don’t possess. Right?
The Wizard is just a little guy behind a curtain!
All basic musical skills can be accessible when presented in a way that relates the skills to each other and to a musical whole. This does not mean that we are on the path to a career onstage at Carnegie Hall (necessarily …) It means that the innate musicality you were born with (Yes—YOU!) will be well up to the task. And not only will all of these skills—learning to play simple tunes by ear, accompany a singer, try your hand at songwriting, and decipher those “little black dots”—be easily within your reach. You will not believe how natural, enjoyable, and nourishing it will be to try these things!
DISCOVER YOUR PARTICULAR MUSICAL INCLINATIONS
Some people are drawn to learning a string instrument, others to learning percussion. Some people are predisposed to learn how to do something correctly, others are more inclined to create.
Musically speaking, who are you?
You stand on the threshold of meeting your inner musician—one of the most exciting and nourishing gifts you can give yourself!
EXPERIENCE THE SATISFACTION OF PLAYING MUSIC WITH OTHERS
Those who make music with others consider themselves fortunate. Playing in an ensemble or accompanying a singer, improvising or jamming in a group—these wonderful opportunities speak to music’s unique power. Throughout the weekend you will have opportunities to participate in …
Making music together!
The Music Workshops
Playing by ear, accompanying, writing songs, reading notes—skills you may have admired in others, thinking that they have talent and you, alas, do not. But all of these skills are easily attainable when approached through a natural, interrelated process. We are about to turn whatever negative impressions you may have about your musical ability upside-down, by way of four nourishing and empowering workshops. Prepare for transformation—seriously.
All workshops will be led by Meryl Danziger, founder and director of Music House.
The four weekend Music House workshops over two days will open doors to a wholesome variety of empowering musical activities.
1-Awaken Your Musical Ear
Imagine: You (Yes, you!!!) stroll over to a piano and casually begin to play a tune someone has just mentioned. People whisper How does she do it??? There is virtually nothing more musically empowering than being able to play by ear. Not only does this skill open the door to all sorts of musical opportunities; it offers infallible proof that you do have musical bones in your body! And it is way easier to develop this skill than you (probably) think!
Simple melodies songs at the keyboard
Transpose tunes to different keys
Transfer songs you’ve figured out at the piano to string and mallet instruments.
Participate in duets and ensembles
2-Becoming an Accompanist
What are chords? How are they formed, what is their function, and how can you use them to create harmony? Once you understand how chords work, it is a short and gratifying step to becoming a competent and confident accompanist for simple songs.
Discover how chords are formed on the piano
Learn what “chord families” are, and how to sense chord changes in a song
Try accompanying 1-, 2- and 3-chord songs on autoharp, piano, and dulcimer
Transpose songs to different keys to accommodate your singer
3-A Taste of Songwriting: Rhythm, Rhyme, Repetition
There is rhythm in words—all words. So how can almost any words become lyrics? How can words inspire a tune? WARNING: Once you start, songwriting may take over your life. It has happened!
Learn how giving prose rhythm can turn it into poetry
Exercise your rhyming muscle and learn strategies for rhyming lyrics
Discover how songwriters use repetition to glue a song together and make it memorable
Practice improvising a tune over a chordal accompaniment
Music Literacy: Sing/Play/Write/Read!
Those black dots all over the page? Let’s unravel the mystery! Using the unique Music House approach, you will discover that note reading is not the intimidating monolith you may have thought, but a tool to use. You will learn how singing/playing/writing and reading are organically connected and easy to grasp.
Discover how the contour of a melody follows the shape of your singing voice
Learn how notes on a page simply reflect the contour of a melody
See the logical progression from singing to playing to writing to reading melody
Find out how to use “Snowmen”: an organic shape for reading chords
Testimonials
The vast majority of adults I have worked with range from apprehensive to downright petrified. It is always a thrill for me to see someone discover that despite whatever her piano teacher or chorus director may have told him, she DOES have musical ability! Here is what some of my adults say:
“Whenever I’m in Music House, I feel so unconfused!”
—Simon, 21
“Meryl is the teacher I always wanted but didn’t know I did, or, rather didn’t know could really be. I feel so much more comfortable now with all things musical. She is extremely supportive and fun.”
—Linda, 79
“Meryl has a gift for putting a frightened student—namely me—at ease. After years of discouraging music lessons I was almost too “frozen” to try again . Working with Meryl, I could feel an iron bar melting away. My experience at Music House has reconnected me with music making and I am so grateful.”
—Jessica, 35
“I so appreciate Meryl’s efforts to get me going in a musical sense. She is amazingly patient and her enthusiasm is contagious. She is the perfect person to inspire and teach anyone who is beginning a musical journey.”
—Kris, 74
“My experience has been truly wonderful! Not only did my daughter spend several years learning to play the piano in a relaxed and fun environment at Music House, it also inspired me to learn to play (again, after only 2 years when I was 10!). I find the whole experience something I look forward to each session, and come home feeling renewed and further inspired. Music House rocks!”
—Marian, 58
“Meryl and her musical philosophy changed my life. I was able to more fully understand my musical place in the world and in so doing, share my music with others. This has lead to deeper relationships with friends and family as well as a better understanding of myself and what I have to offer others. Music unites us.”
—Nathan Dillon, Director of School of Rock, Old Town Music School
The Venue
The Empowerment Center in Goshen, NY has a magical quality. Only 1 hour and 45 minutes from NYC, the beautiful old stone building is nestled on a hill with a breathtaking view of the surrounding hills and woodlands.
Formerly a schoolhouse, the retreat can accommodate 30+ people in comfortable rooms. Some private rooms are available for an additional fee per night please inquire within.
The huge and beautifully cared for organic garden is the source of most of the vegetarian cuisine you will enjoy, courtesy of our beloved Chef Rami.
Hike the paths through the serene woods; run or bike the magnificent trail that spans the 5,7 miles from the quaint Chester railroad station to the charming town of Goshen.
On site laundry and linens.
I have found much inspiration from the atmosphere here, and trust that you will too!
For directions to the Empowerment Center and FAQs, click here.
Daily Schedule
NB We will have keyboards, autoharps, guitar, uke, mandolin, mallet instruments. No need to bring an instrument, but we’ll do some sing-alongs, so if you have an instrument you’d like to bring, feel free!
Friday:
4-6 PM: Arrive, check in, explore the house and its surroundings
7 PM: Dinner
9 PM: Meet to learn about the weekend and ask questions
10 PM: Listen or participate in jam session
Saturday:
8 AM: Meditation/jogging
8:30-9:30: Breakfast
10:00: Trail walk or one-on-one with Meryl (Sign up sheet on dining room door)
10:30-11:45 Music workshop #1: Your Musical Ear
12-1: Trail walk, ensemble, or quiet time
1-2: Lunch
2:30-3:45: Music workshop #2: The Magic of Harmony
4-5: Nature walk, one-on-one with Meryl, exploration, duets
5-6:30: Yoga or rest time, one on one with Meryl
7-8:30: Dinner
9:00: Sing-along/group participation
10:00 Late night jam
Sunday:
8 AM: Meditation/jogging
8:30-9:30: Breakfast
10:00: Trail walk or one-on-one with Meryl (Sign up sheet on dining room door)
10:30-11:45 Music workshop #1: Your Musical Ear
12-1: Trail walk, ensemble, or quiet time
1-2: Lunch
2:30-3:30: Musical Shares
By-bye till next time!
Weekend Rates
$275 covers the entire weekend, from Friday dinner through our Sunday afternoon share:
Four music workshops, ensembles, and one on one tutorials
Vegetarian meals prepared by Chef Rami and his protégés, using ingredients from the Empowerment Center’s organic garden
Daily Yoga and meditation
Register
You’ll be directed to raguy.com.
