Accessing the raw materials of vocal sound as primary source for composition.
A deeply experiential workshop.
Check out the video here with your course instructors Ethelyn Friend and Gary Grundei!
Grab your spot now – course starts soon!
Check your NEWSLETTERS from us at golden lotus studio for the discount code!
The voice is the muscle of the soul. - Alfred Wolfsohn all you need to write music." - Ethelyn Friend, your instructor
Writing Through the Voice course dates: 4 Saturday afternoons - Nov. 14 & 21 + Dec. 5 & 12
1:00 PM EST || Saturday afternoons on zoom for four sessions. Each class is 100 minutes. Register now or click the dates to add a registration reminder to your Google calendar, but hurry - this course starts soon!
grab it now:
welcome to WRITING THROUGH THE VOICE
Not a technical singing training class, but a facilitated dive into the depth of the whole range of vocal sound-making. We will work with simple physical forms/exercises designed to strengthen the natural bonds of voice and body. Claiming favorite aspects of your voice, you’ll find some new edges and colors. Like a painter preparing their palette, you’ll lay out your options and begin to “paint” directly from those sources.
The unique opportunity of this workshop is the distinct combination of two master teachers, steeped in separate but complementary rich traditions: Ethelyn invokes the tradition of the extended voice work of Alfred Wolfsohn and Roy Hart and Gary brings the lineage of musical improvisation as a compositional tool. This is a deeply experiential workshop.
surrender old ideas about song-making…
…access vocal courage.
The vocal work offered in these sessions is grounded in the discoveries of the Roy Hart Theatre in London and in France in the 1960’s & 70’s which promotes a radical and exciting vision of the human voice: that everyone can have access to an “8-octave voice”, and that the process of uncovering the full range of expression can lead to breakthroughs in all aspects of life.
Through highly physical vocal training designed to access an extended range of sound, group improvisation and solo work, let us lead you to your unique possibilities, both musically and personally.
what makes this class great for YOU:
If you are not comfortable with movement, it will be easy to adjust to your needs.
If you are a mover/dancer less familiar with voice, this is a great way to find ease and power through anchoring your sound in the movement you already know and love.
If you’re a controlling writer-type a bit stuck in your head, come get messy with us!
meet your instructors:
Ethelyn Friend
actor, teacher, writer.
Gary Grundei
founder, golden lotus studio.
Ethelyn Friend is a teaching member of the International Roy Hart Center in France, and a founding faculty member of Naropa University’s groundbreaking MFA Theater: Contemporary Performance Program. Modeled on NYU’s ground-breaking Experimental Theatre Wing, Naropa’s MFA is the first graduate training program to integrate contemporary physical theatre forms, Viewpoints theory and practice, extended range vocal work and traditional contemplative practices. She encountered the Roy Hart Theatre voice work in 1991, a classically trained soprano who had been warned “never to sing below middle C”. The expansion of the literal and figurative range of the voice which followed profoundly revolutionized the course of her life and work.
Ethelyn Friend is an award-winning actor,writer and vocalist with two decades of work in regional theatre and original solo performance. From work with Meredith Monk to leading roles at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival and premieres of new contemporary work with Tectonic Theatre Project. Lifelong study of the singing voice make her a unique vocalist, working in many musical styles.
Gary Grundei has composed music for NPR (Invisibilia), MTV, the Discovery Channel, New York Stage and Film, Ensemble Studio Theatre, the Magic Theatre, GALA Choruses, and the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. He has worked with Meredith Monk, Bill Pullman, Leigh Fondakowski, Caitlyn FitzGerald, and Barbara Dilley. Gary has taught at Naropa University, Occidental College, University of Denver, and Whitman College among others. He lives in NY and also plays with the band High Fiction.
For me, a shift happened beyond my knowing mind.
Woah! This class has started, and registration is closed – *but* you can still grab a spot in FASC!
Join us for Friday Afternoon Songwriting Club (FASC) every week and write 52 songs in the next year – just by showing up.
Want to learn more? Click the button below.
I’ve written this songwriting booklet, full of tips and tricks, inspiration and invitations as a gift to you.
I have faith in you and your ability to make the music that you were born to make.
I hope you’ll download this booklet, use it in good health and keep in touch on your journey.
*If are experiencing financial hardship, but are craving the songmaking offerings described here, please reach out and let me know because a modest amount of scholarship funds are available for folks in such circumstances. Please send an email to himself [at] garygrundei.com describing your situation.
golden lotus studio reserves the right to cancel this class if enrollment does not meet the minimum requirement.