Workshops

The Guitar Master Class Workshop:

The Guitar Master Class is a hands-on workshop for guitarists of all levels and idiomatic persuasions. Jon’s unique performance career as a guitarist and extensive teaching experience are a recipe for a powerful workshop experience for all participants. Soloing and accompaniment skills are honed using Jon’s comprovisational philosophy; maintaining a compositional attitude in our improvisations. You will leave the workshop inspired and thankful for one of the greatest gifts we have, our music!

The Creative Workshop(Cre.W):

The Creative Workshop(Cre.W) is for players of all instruments, band directors, teachers, music therapists and composers. In the Creative Workshop Jon draws upon the more than 20 years experience of directing his Creative Workshop at the Berklee College of Music. Participants don’t need advanced sight-reading skills or the ability to shred through a line of chord symbols. The goal is to heighten listening skills and truly play in the moment and compose and improvise original works spontaneously. Inspirational sources for Cre.W. compositions have ranged from the alphabet to the zodiac, Bach to bop, and jelly beans to doughnuts. For one piece, we even had a goldfish serve as conductor! A basic requirement for partiipants in Cre.W. is to be fearless. The uniqueness of many of Cre.W.’s concepts creates an atmosphere of no idiomatic shoulds or coulds; a guilt-less environment. Bring this found freedom back to your special music. For ensemble directors the workshop moves through Cre.W activities from which you can create your own syllabus. The techniques used will help you to tap into the innate genius of your ensemble, whether it be an ensemble of one or one hundred, of all ages and of any idiomatic persuasion from jazz to classical to metal to blues. As a band leader jump start your band. Use the themes throughout the workshop as catalysts for your bands creative work and communication abilities regardless of your bands idiomatic persuasion. Stimulate a workshop environment in your band. As a composer, in the Creative Workshop, the world is the stimulus for our creative ideas; not only music-thinking behind the music. Any archetype can work as an underlying form for Cre.W.’s compositions. Let Cre.W.s holistic attitudes inspire your work as a composer and expand your compositional resources. Cre.W members develop their musical communication skills through exploration of the basic sound dimensions; dynamics, rhythm, direction, and articulation. In every playing situation, a greater awareness of these elements strengthens creative potential. The Cre.W. player quickly learns that true improvisation is the ability to be aware of a musical moment and to react to it efficiently. Communication is simply taking advantage of your ensemble neighbor’s ideas.

Contact Jon about past or upcoming workshops