I am delighted to have been invited up to Kildare to work with those involved in bringing singers together in their local community in the Naas area. The workshops are open to new interest and are free!
Song Crafting
Singing Picnic at Myross Wood Retreat Centre July 2017
I have only recently discovered the beautiful venue of Myross Wood and am delighted to be welcomed to hold this event there. As well as a picnic, the day will encompass workshops and the opportunity to hear something of some of the choirs local to the area. This is the first West Cork BIG SING! Singing Picnic and the hope is to hold more in various locations around West Cork…. and further afield.
Programme of the day:
11am: Tea, coffee and chat about the West Cork BIG SING! project and it’s possible future direction and activities.
12pm: Songwriting workshop, “What singing (and/or being part of a choir) means to me”.
1pm: Singing Circle – a warm up session singing short and easy songs with Jane Goss.
2pm: Picnic – bring a chair, blanket and food and drink to share. Choirs sing!
2.30pm: Childrens’ Singing Session with Lisa Canty (under 5’s to be accompanied by an adult)
3.30pm: Singing Workshop – a combination of larger songs from the existing BIG SING! collection plus some new ones with Caz Jeffreys.
5.00pm: Social: A chance to drink tea, chat and to take the time to walk around the grounds, enjoying the beautiful trails before you leave.
Suggested donation of €10 per person
In the event of bad weather the event will continue with ample sized indoor spaces to meet, sing and picnic together.
Children are welcome and parents must take full responsibility for their safety.
If you need to bring your dog, please ensure that they are kept on a lead.
Songwriting Week on the Beara Peninsula August 19th – 25th August ’17
Really looking forwards to running and fully submerging into a week of creative songwriting and musical exploration. Anam Cara is situated in such a beautiful and peaceful location and Sue is a wonderful host. This popular Writers Retreat host an array of wonderful workshops and I am delighted to have been invited to contribute to this years programme. Please contact Sue for further information and to book your place. Come along and treat yourself! http://anamcararetreat.com/
Workshop on ‘Working with harmonies and Arranging Songs for A-Capella – Nov. 2016
The next workshop I am offering takes the time to look at how to bring voices together to create the sound you want and looking at identifying songs for arranging for un accompanied singing. This workshop will be of interest to anyone who enjoys harmony singing – whether they are leading others in song or simply wishing to develop their skills.
Music and Mosaic Workshops in Killarney -12th and 13th November 2016
A fantastic opportunity for art and music lovers – now is your chance to create some new work, with help from three dedicated original artists – Nathalie El Baba (visual art), Caz Jeffreys (voice) and Ruti Lachs (music).
A weekend workshop is planned for Killarney on Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th November 2016. The cost of the workshop is only €40, as this project is kindly supported by the Kerry County Council Arts Office.
The workshop, for adults aged 18 and over, takes place on the premises of the Killarney School of Music, where three rooms will be available for a weekend of creativity.
This is a mixed art form project. Participants will be creating mosaic art in response to music, and making music (vocal and/or instrumental) in response to art. There will be a lot of group work, and every individual will have a chance to shine.
No previous experience is needed. The weekend will be fun, informal, and unique.
New Workshops and Training Days
I have been developing these three workshops and will be looking to deliver them in West Cork, Cork City and Limerick over the coming months. If you would like to see one in your own area then please get in touch and let’s see if we can organise it! I am also offering them to private groups. So if you are a member of a singing group, choir or work in a health care setting, you may be interested in developing your own skills and those of your colleagues. Sessions can be designed to suit the needs of your group or project.
Singing and Songwriting with the elderly at Cara House, Skibbereen May 2016
I been enjoying coming in to sing songs and explore percussion with a group of between 30-40 elderly folks on a monthly basis this year. Last week, as a special addition to our sessions to mark Bealtaine, we wrote a song together all about Cara House and what they share together there.Lovely to hear their stories and songs.
I have been bringing guests in with me too…people interested in seeing how I work and in developing their own ideas and skills. The group really enjoyed their visitors too.
A Right Ol’ Song and Dance!
I am starting a new Youth Music project this coming Autumn from The Attic Youth Cafe in Bantry. In this project I aim to provide a sporting and creative environment for 12-18 year olds to explore their voices in Acapella harmony singing. We will be including movement and dance and they will be encouraged to share their own ideas into the content.
The group will run on Monday evenings from 5-6.30pm from now up until Xmas, with a view to continuing into the next year.
Ballyphehane Day Care Centre – ‘The Club’ Summer 2015
Between the months of April and July ’15 I worked alongside movement facilitator, Helga Deasy, delivering a ‘Music and Movement’ programme to a group in Ballyphehane Day care Centre through Music Alive and FUSE. During this time I facilitated much singing, percussion playing and song writing. Together we created some wonderful songs, inspiration coming from the chosen theme, ‘Memories of Summers Past’. Working with Helga and the movement work she facilitate was very enjoyable and I hope to get the opportunity to do more of this again in the future. We finished off with a lovely party at the Centre. The Visual Artist who was working with the group during the same time period also took up the theme, and here you can see myself and Helga in one of the groups visual creations.
Townlands Carnival Parade July 2015
This is the first year of what promises to be a fantastic annual Arts and Music Festival based on a beautiful piece of land just outside of Macroom in West Cork. The organisers approached me asking me if I would help to create a participatory Grand Finale activity which would offer a variety of artistic mediums through which people could get involved with during the course of the weekend. Their vision was of a lantern lit procession followed by a fire show of their own design.
So with a team of musicians, dancers and visual artists we ran music workshops to create our own musical piece to process with and the provision of a space to get involved in costume and prop making.
‘Come bring your drum your fiddle and brass, put your glad rags on and shake your ass! We’re gonna combine rhythm and rhyme, make a brand new song cos it’s carnival time!’
And boy did we have alot of fun!! Here’s to developing the project even further for 2016!!
Caz Jeffreys 