Young musicians and dancers wanting to sample arts education in a college setting should consider the six workshops the OU music and dance programs are offering in the 2013 winter semester. Young artists will have the opportunity to work with OU faculty, as well as some of the area’s finest musicians and dancers. Current OU students will also attend, allowing workshop participants the chance to get a feel for the Oakland life, and we are confident they will find it an extraordinary experience.
The new semester will begin with
Double Reeds Day on
Saturday, January 5, 2013. High school students are invited to come and spend the day working with
Marcus Schoon (Detroit Symphony Orchestra),
Timothy Michling (Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra) and OU students in a supportive and encouraging atmosphere. There is a full day of scheduled activities for bassoon players and another schedule for oboists, each beginning at 9:30 a.m. At 4 p.m. all the workshop students will play together, along with any other double reeds players who want to sit in. The day will culminate with a reception at 4:45 p.m. The fee is $20, with parents and teachers welcome to attend for free. More detailed information about the schedule is available at
oakland.edu/woodwindsday.
On
Sunday, January 6, 2013 the music program will offer
Strings Day, which is targeted to high school students ages 15-17 who are interested in the university music experience. The entire OU string faculty,
Elizabeth Rowin,
Nadine Deleury,
Miles Brown,
Bill Milicevic and
Alan MacNair, will be present. The day will include a chamber orchestra rehearsal and concert, playing alongside OU faculty and students, master classes with OU faculty, a faculty concert, and a hands-on music education experience. The day begins at 12:30 p.m. and the fee is $35. For more detailed information about the schedule visit
oakland.edu/stringsday.
Later in the month, on
Saturday, January 19, 2013, the music program will offer
Voice Day. High school students are invited to come and spend the day working with our voice faculty and OU voice students in a supportive and encouraging atmosphere. This free event also features guest speaker
Jerry Schwiebert. Parents and teachers may also attend for free and as an extra bonus, students who register for Voice Day can reserve a complimentary ticket to the Saturday evening performance of the OU opera production of
Gianni Schicchi and
Suor Angelic. Additional tickets for the opera are available for purchase. Complete ticket information is available at
oakland.edu/tickets. Voice Day begins at 1:30 p.m. and a full schedule of the day’s activities is available at
oakland.edu/voiceday.
On
Saturday, January 26, 2013, the music program will offer
Percussion Day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. This is a free event and all students, junior high through adult, who are interested in the university music experience, are welcome to join the OU percussion faculty,
Mark Stone,
Dan Maslanka,
Mike Medvinsky,
Sam Jeyasingam,
Sean Dobbins, along with guests
Miguel Gutierrez and
Sandy Mabery. Sessions will include solo and ensemble coaching, how to start a school drum group, learning to play the Kanjira, a jazz drum-off, Latin percussion, steel drums and participation in a drum circle. The day will be filled with exciting experiences from percussion around the world. Parents and teachers are welcome to attend. A full schedule of the day’s activities is available at
oakland.edu/percussionday.
The final music workshop of the winter semester is
Piano Day on
Saturday, February 2, 2013. Students ages 10-18 are invited to enjoy mini-private lessons with Oakland University piano faculty, a conducting session, and an electronic laboratory experience. After lunch, there will be a recital by Oakland University piano students and an honors recital by the workshop participants. The day will culminate in three cash prizes awarded after the honors recital. The fee for this workshop is $30.
Dancers will have their opportunity to spend the day on the campus and work with our faculty and students at
Dance Day, on
Saturday, March 2, 2013. Guest artist
Iris Wilson, current cast member of the nationally acclaimed
FELA! will also be a featured instructor for this event. Ballet, Modern and Jazz classes will be taught by OU dance faculty. The fee for the event is $8, which includes lunch and an informal concert with Eisenhower Dance Ensemble and the OU Repertory Dance Company. Parents and teachers are welcome to attend for free. Classes begin at 9 a.m. For a full schedule of the day’s activities see
oakland.edu/danceday.
Registration is open now for all these workshops and may be done online with payment made (where applicable) using a credit card. Please note that to ensure participation, even our free workshops should be registered for in advance. For more information about any of these events visit our
workshop and intensives webpage or email
stapleto@oakland.edu.
Photos: Participants in last year's woodwinds workshop. 