UPDATE FROM LAKE FIELD MUSIC
We did not realize it, but the world of Lake Field Music (LFM) was missing a Sky. Thanks, COVID-19. Ha! We don’t hear that often. Once it was clear that our annual summer camp for adult singers and instrumentalists would not be able to meet, thoughts turned to alternative activities. Like so many arts organizations, we wanted to keep our community (both faculty and participants) engaged and let them know how much we appreciate them.
Maybe a concert with pre-recorded material from previous camps would suffice. Nice, but the faculty’s enthusiasm inspired much more. After some information gathering and a couple of brain-storm meetings on Zoom, a framework to showcase their wonderful talents was built. And so, LFM Sky was created, an eclectic collection of online music workshops — from arranging to accompanying, baroque to boogie, vocals to violins and more — all designed for the Zoom environment.
Current technology will not support a camp with choirs and ensembles, but we still want participants to experience two-way communication and feel as though they are taking part in something bigger than a private lesson.
Intensive workshops with small groups of participants will run concurrently in break-out rooms to facilitate individual coaching and learning from each other. For the big community experience, all attendees will gather in the virtual commons for a gentle stretch, followed by a music appreciation course.
Many of the workshops will include hand-outs and exercises for further practice, so we think participants will have a good sense of accomplishment at the end of their week-long course. Hopefully, we can return to Lakefield next summer, but for now, we will look to the Sky (August 9 – 15, 2020) from the safety of our own homes.
