Kist O' Dreams

kist wkshp baby2

... performances, workshops, talks and other events tailored to specific groups...

Pictured: youngest participant at lullabies workshop at Celtic Connections 2007 photo by Marsaili Stewart Skinner

FORTHCOMING:

Fri 30 May:

MUSIC TRAINS 2008 - Exploring cultural diversity through music, song and dance, Artsplay Highland, Eden Court Inverness - Friday 30th May to Sunday 1st June

Aimed at: teachers, musicians, arts workers, youth leaders, childcare staff, childminders, health practitioners, carers supporting those with additional needs and anyone interested in learning more about informal music, song and dance education. PLUS performances by Orkestra del Sol and Gamelan naga Mas.

Among a number of events taking place over the weekend, Christina is leading a traditional singing workshop on Friday evening: Friday 30th May 6-9pm - Cost: £10 per person. For everyone.

This workshop will offer ideas on traditional songs in different contexts and teaching by ear, including Scots songs and simple Gaelic songs.

For more info or to book a place on any of the workshops contact Jelica Gavrilovic, 01456 450264 email: jelica@artsplayhighland.org.uk Funded partially by Scottish Arts Council and Highland Council. Artsplay Highland is a registered charity SCO 34648.

Sun 1 June:

SINGING WEEKEND - Rosemarkie Village Hall, Sat 31 May and Sun 1 June

Christina Stewart and Bill Taylor are guest performers at the concert on Sunday evening from 7pm, Ian MacBeath and Andrew MacIntosh will also perform.

The weekend focuses on a very special kind of group singing, known as Sacred Harp. All ages are welcome, and you don't have to be a music reader, or to have sung in a choir before. If you enjoy singing (even in the shower), and can carry a tune, you'll have a great time.

The music is taken from an American hymnal called The Sacred Harp, first compiled in 1844 and still in print today. It is powerful, rhythmic and folky music, written for unaccompanied performance in three or four parts. While the texts are of a religious nature, equally powerful and often poetic, they can be enjoyed by singers of any persuasion or none at all.

Sacred Harp gatherings are still held in America and increasingly in other parts of the world; people spend the day enjoying their favourite songs and socialising. Our weekend will follow the same pattern: Sat 31 May workshop 10am - 4.30pm (bring packed lunch), Sun 1 June workshop 1pm - 5pm and concert from 7pm (bring picnic tea)

The Sacred Harp singing sessions are lead by Bob Pegg who is a musician and storyteller and arts worker for Highland Council.

Admission to the concert will be free to Sacred Harp workshop participants - we hope as many as possible will be able to stay over to perform the songs we have worked on over the weekend.

The cost of the weekend workshop is £10.00 per person, £5 concession, family groups of four £20 - payable on arrival.

The weekend is open to all, but it would help us to have an idea of how many people will be attending; if you would like to sing, or need more information, contact Bob Pegg at strath@ndo.co.uk or Andrew Bruce on 01349 865 606 or at a.r.m.bruce@btinternet.com

Mon 21 July:

kist o dreams workshop - Clashmore Hall - for young children accompanied by an adult. Lullabies, dandling songs and action songs for wee tots as part of a day of Highland cultural activites for families.

Wed 23 July:

11am - 12 noon - kist o dreams workshop - Dingwall Town Hall Annex - for babies and toddlers accompanied by an adult. Songs, cuddles and baby bouncing to traditional Scottish songs including some very simple Gaelic . Absolutely no experience required.

1pm - 3pm - Bairn's Kist workshop - Dingwall Town Hall Annex - for children 5-10 years old (though brothers and sisters allwed too!). Lots of fun with singing games, action songs and activities using traditional Scottish songs. Some of these will be in Gaelic, but are very easy! Children under 8 should be accompanied by an adult who is welcome to take part or just watch.

Christina is currently rehearsing "Haunting": a new project focusing on Scottish beliefs in the supernatural.

You can see how the Feis Gleann Albainn went at the feis gallery page - http://www.feisgleannalbainn.co.uk/gallery.html

You can telephone Christina on 01997 433566 or email info@kistodreams.org.

Recent events have included

Learning with Lullabies project with the Care and Learning Alliance devising and delivering a total of 90 sessions visiting 20 parent and Toddler groups with a series of 4 interactive song workshops in each and 10 hours of Fora for adults involved in childcare
kist o dreams project providing support and resource assistance for new parents to encourage them to sing lullabies from Scottish tradition with their newborns
Gaelic Song classes for Feis Rois and Highland Council, teaching traditional lullabies and other songs through games, arts and crafts for ages 4 to adult
Eden Court Theatre’s Activities programme teaching traditional songs for parents with very young children, older children and adults
Course tutor for training day on The Power of Lullabies for Experiential Play in Glasgow for adult professional childcare workers
traditional song classes over a long weekend at Adult Feis Gleann Albainn in Fort Augustus and the family Feis Garbh Chriochan in Drumnadrochit
Playground activities and singing games to support Gaelic language and culture in primary schools and croileagan in Nairn

Any age group can be catered for, formal or informal, and sessions can be tied in with others.

Christina also offers other workshops, such as traditional songs for tots and tinies, Gaelic waulking songs and puirt a beul, wherever possible based on the theory that we learn from what we do, far better than from what we are told.

Bill Taylor is a very experienced harp teacher specialising in Medieval harp, wire strung technique and accompaniment of traditional song.

Events