Seascapes Music Workshop in Dunblane 29th May

A creative music workshop for 10-14 year-olds exploring the sounds of the sea and its creatures!
with Nordic Viola

We will explore the sounds of the sea and its environment using musical instruments, recorded animal and bird sounds and our own voices, and think about the effect humans have on wildlife in our seas.

The workshop will take place in the upstairs gallery at Weigh Ahead on Dunblane High Street.

In the morning we will learn a sea jig that we can perform outside Weigh Ahead as the Dunblane Road Race runners pass.

After a short lunch on the drying green, we will work together creatively on a short musical seascape.

No musical experience required, though please bring an instrument if you have one. We will provide simple instruments. Bring along something that could become sea waste – e.g. plastic bottle, twine, old plastic tubs/buckets.

Bring a packed lunch and your waterproofs!

Sign-up via Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/seascapes-creative-music-workshop-tickets-336438575837

Nordic Viola is grateful for support from Dunblane businesses Weigh Ahead, Green Clean and Allanview Windows and Doors Ltd whose generous donations are enabling us to offer this workshop free of charge. Voluntary donations will contribute to Nordic Viola’s performances at Edinburgh Festival Fringe this summer.

Tuning In To The Trossachs Workshop this Saturday!

It’s less than a week now until Orla Stevens and I host our Tuning In To The Trossachs Workshop in Aberfoyle in the beautiful Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park in Scotland on 5^th March.

I thought I’d just take a bit of time to tell you a little bit more about what to expect on the day in case you’re not sure whether to sign up.

Orla and I have spent the last year or so working on Nordic Viola’s Sagas and Seascapes project. We’ve become increasingly interested in how music influences art and vice versa. We also share a love of the outdoors, of northern landscapes in particular and the cultures that surround them and we want to share this with you.

Both of us have worked experimentally and are great believers in being able to express ourselves freely without worrying about “getting it right.” Our workshop will be very much exploratory, allowing you to paint and make sound in the way that expresses your feelings about being outdoors. We’ll encourage you to try both art and music. Orla got me drawing again after a 40 year break, because she gave me permission to work quickly and just draw what I felt without fear of judgement. If I can, you can!

For me, music is about so much more than playing the notes right. Even if you’ve never played an instrument, there are sounds all around you. You can make recordings and perhaps shape them into a soundscape, you can find objects lying around that create sound and you can use your own voice. Equally, if you want to write a good honest lyrical melody inspired by your surroundings, then that’s great, too.

We’ll aim to produce a graphic score and a short piece of music/sound art by the end of our day.

Our workshop is open to anyone aged 14 or over. It is fully accessible as even the outdoor part of the day has level access and parking. Just let us know in advance via Eventbrite or the contact form here, and we’ll arrange to meet you.

Tickets in advance from Eventbrite. Just 8 places left as of Monday, so sign up quickly!

I’ll leave you with a couple of short video clips where we talk about our work together.