Daily Schedule
A Day In The Life!
The most important feature of the schedule is that everything is optional.
Participants are free to schedule as many or as few playing sessions as desired. Few play all five.
Trips to local attractions like Bread and Puppets, the Fairbanks Museum in St. Johnsbury, nearby Canada, mountain trails, swimming in Lake Willoughby or in the college pool, working on a project in the art room, or just taking a nap can substitute for any of the playing sessions.
Booking is the process of asking players (or a faculty member) to join a session you’re organizing. Or, being asked to join another session being organized by someone else. Most booking occurs during meal time when most people are together. Little green notebooks are handed out at the beginning of the week for organizing your sessions. Especially for newbies, a booking table is set up in the cafeteria to assist players in finding a session to join.
Cafeteria meals can be skipped in favor of dining at off-campus restaurants, such as the down-home Miss Lyndonville Diner. However, many bookings of groups take place at meals, so it is important to keep checking your schedule against the times and room assignments posted in the cafeteria.
Presented with a draft of this schedule, one Board member suggested that it should include a list of the things one has to sneak into the schedule, like trips to the bathroom and stopping by the library to pick up the next music! It is a full life.
Time to check locations for the day's planned playing, and for booking more groups
Special scheduled events - also optional
Sunday night Large Ensemble: This is an informal sight-reading of some standard orchestral work. It’s fun and not to be missed.
Workshops are held simultaneously for piano or winds not involved in the ensemble.
Early Music: 9:00 – 10:25 except Thursday. Led by Collette LeFever, flute coach. The harpsichord and appropriate sheet music are also available throughout the day. No sign-up is needed – just show up if interested.
Madrigal Workshop: 1:00 – 1:50 Daily work (except Sat.) on vocal music, often from the 16th and 17th centuries but with excursions into more modern works.
Friday 8:00 Participant concert. Performing a favorite quartet movement or other work for your colleagues is very satisfying and enriching.
Saturday 8:00 FUN NIGHT! You have to have been there. There’s a bit of a ham in all of us. Who knew!
Other Events (times TBD)
Piano Duet Workshop: Music for piano four hands and for two pianos will be coached.
Bach Bash: Each week one there is an open reading of some works of Bach and other baroque composers. Singers and instrumentalists often prepare solo parts.
Folk dancing: An hour of international folk dancing engages all interested parties. Beginners are welcome; dances are taught.
Concerts: Groups of faculty perform weekly, usually a string and sometimes a wind WoW on Tuesday, and WoW ensemble with piano on Friday when individual faculty also perform with participant volunteers.
Unscheduled Events: As participant interest warrants, several unscheduled offerings may be available, such as voice production workshop, voice class for non-singers, Tai-Chi or Yoga or relaxation techniques or instrumental techniques.
