Performing Life offers a variety of services for students of all ages, abilities, and mediums ranging from individualized and small group lessons to improve ability in a performing art of choice, to the formation of the Collective, and community outreach. Please read from the menu below to see which opportunity works best for your needs!

The Jam Shed is a space to experiment with various instruments and/or vocals to experience the joy of creating sound within a group. Jam Shed musicians should expect to have the option to choose from a variety of harmony, percussive, and vocal instrumentation in a facilitated event run by the musicians themselves.

The session begins with an introduction, negotiated norms and expectations, an introductory lesson on creating individual sound in unity, and then it’s up to the musicians how they use the shed! Options musicians will choose:
> Creation of a new song from scratch will include education and experimentation with simplistic harmonies, rhythmic beats, and form in the pursuit of creating a new and repeatable song within the shed, a common way for bands to come up with their new content. Creation is open for both vocal ensemble and band experiences. 
> Improvisation using available instrumentation will encourage musicians to take inspiration from a mood, a speed, an idea, a harmony, a melody, and to listen and engage with surrounding musicians in ways that match. This is a space where mistakes are safe and experimental. The procedure is repetitive and will strengthen musician’s ability to use positive verbal and nonverbal communication. There is no finished product for this path, but rather a finished sensation of the release of emotions and ideas into a safe musical space. This is a preferred option for band ensembles, but can be fun for vocal ensembles as well!
> Song Cover Re-creations of beloved and popular music is very fun for those looking for a more straightforward music-making experience. This option is more structured than the previous two options and will be structured for the success of performance at the end of the session. In this option, musicians will decide on one or several songs to learn with prepared suggestions from various genres by the instructor that are easy to learn with maximum success and joy in mind. By the end of the session, musicians will be able to perform a cover of some of their favorite songs. This option is open for vocal ensemble and band ensembles!

The Play Emporium is a safe space to play around with pretend interactions in facilitated roleplaying activities where the goal is for actors to step outside of their lives and be a character. We will explore comedy, dramatization, improvisational speech, prop work, facial expression, body language and movement, vocal expression, and the idea of discovery and community through play.

The session begins with an introduction, negotiated norms and expectations, an introductory lesson on group play acting, and then it’s up to the players how they use the emporium! Options for roleplaying games and activities will foster community play, engaging facial expression, body language and movement, emotions, verbal communication, nonverbal communication, and character.

The Songwriter’s Guild is a space to experience prompted and facilitated expression in the form of creating written lyrics that can accompany music of any genre for the purpose of working together to create something new and meaningful to the group working in the guild.

Guild writers should expect to have the option to choose to work as a group or on their own in the effort to create lyrics for a new song on a chosen topic, experience, emotion, or event. Recurring Writers may be prompted on various days with different writing goals and may be asked to experiment with harmony instruments in order to aid in their songwriting experiences as they learn the skills needed to grow as a songwriter. 

The session begins with an introduction, negotiated norms and expectations, an introductory lesson on lyric brainstorming and identification of song form, and then it’s up to the writers how they use the guild!

> Group Writing: as a Guild, writers will choose the next prompt, begin brainstorming, find a genre/backing track, or fire up the harmony instruments to consider the flow of the song. From there, the group will brainstorm lyrics, write down verses, choruses, and determine intro and outro to create a new song!
> Individual Writing: More experienced writers may find it more productive to go off on their own to attempt this same process. Possibly, this option can be used for writers who feel compelled to write something personal or a bit more dark or emotional that they need to feel on their own. That’s completely fine and will also be closely monitored by the facilitator of this session.