Discover the music that lives inside you!
My Journey
Like many classically trained artists, subject to the rigour and technical performance required by the profession of musician, I sought to make music using a more personal method. Then, by revealing a new world within reach, improvisation had a liberating effect on me. I rekindled my passion thanks to the integration of a classical background into my own creative language. Not only did I discover different musical styles, but I was also able to experience more momentum, feeling, rhythm and listening in my playing. The beneficial impacts were then reflected both in my teaching of piano than in my life in general.
This is why I now want to share this passion for improvisation through my music, in my teaching and my workshops.
The origin of the workshops
The workshops come from the philosophy of Music For People , a humanist and educational movement co-founded by David Darling, an internationally renowned American cellist and Bonnie Insull, a professional flautist. This approach encourages the right to musical and artistic expression for all individuals through improvisation. For more than 30 years, a 4-year training course in Leadership and Musicianship has been offered and reaches people from the United States, Canada and Europe.
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Josée Allard is one of the most expressive and talented graduate students in Music For People's Musicianship and Leadership Program. I would like to take this opportunity to praise his teaching and his qualities as a performer.
[David Darling, founder of Music For People, Grammy-winning cellist and composer]
The mission of the workshops
Participants of all ages, in individual sessions or in groups, are invited to develop their creative potential with a goal of self-expression that goes beyond technical performance.
While exploring different techniques and musical forms accessible to all, the Creative Music workshops offer activities that lead participants to take risks through improvisation, to unleash the imagination, to develop listening skills and a spirit of communication between the participants.
Whatever the level of experience, the mission of the workshops is to see everyone discover their own sound language, reveal themselves to themselves and become more alive. While providing a liberating effect, this approach is not intended to be therapeutic as such.
Marie Harmonie school in Châteauguay, Marie-Hélène Rondot's students
Who are the workshops for?
♪ To institutions, teachers and music schools
♪ For amateur musicians who wish to explore a new approach to music
♪ Professional musicians who want to discover a different side of their playing and break away from their usual musical patterns
♪ For pianists and singers
♪ For groups or companies, as an entertainment and team building activity
♪ To personal development groups that explore creativity
♪ To families (parents/children) during parties and celebrations
Minimum of 4 participants to open a workshop. Workshops offered in different formats, depending on demand and the number of participants: 1h30, 3 hours, 6 hours, weekend, or a series of 4 to 8 workshops.
Please contact me for pricing.
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I attended the improvisation workshop for private teachers. This workshop met my expectations and even exceeded them. Very educational. Relaxed atmosphere conducive to creation. I learned a lot and my students will benefit from it. Well done, Josée Allard and thank you.
[Alexandra Delgado, piano teacher and singer-songwriter]
In the program
Rhythmic warm-ups
Using percussion or a recording, I encourage participants to feel the pulsation in their body, to imitate or complete a rhythmic pattern.
Vocal games and warm-ups
As the voice is the driving force behind all improvisation, I offer different exercises that allow you to explore the voice through breathing and listening.
Avenues for exploration, triggers, support techniques
Improvisations can be inspired as much by a passage from a known piece as by the exploration of a particular mode, a poem, a conversation, a story, in short anything that allows you to stimulate the imagination.
Small sets promoting listening and communication
Ensembles allow participants to further develop listening skills and explore different tones and sound colours.
Exploration of musical forms: ABA, fugue, blues, etc.
Different musical forms can be explored in an accessible way and in their overall essence.
This approach brings together all types of musicians and all musical genres: from classical to jazz, from world music to modern music.
NB: Participants must bring their instruments, the piano and some percussion instruments will be provided