Choral Classes, Camps, and Workshops with Val Rogers
Get your heart pumping and your spirit soaring with Lively Up! a “musical fitness” experience with Val Rogers. These sessions offer a fresh, uplifting version of community singing energized by South African traditions – inclusive, accessible, expressive, and above all – totally FUN!
Click the Register page for more information or to register for upcoming opportunities. Scroll down to see video from a recent workshop. Click for more videos of past events. For information on the Siyabonga Choir, click here. To learn more about what singing in South Africa is like, explore Val’s South Africa travelogue.
Through the natural process of mimicry, you’ll effortlessly learn melodies, harmonies, and integrated movement to songs from African and similar American folk traditions. Your voice will expand into the rich sonority of earthy singing while your body grounds your voice through simple, adaptable rhythmic movement. Strong themes of freedom, love, struggle, joy, and more will call forth your full expression while you are empowered and supported by the group through dynamic call & response interaction.
Val serves on the advisory board of and dedicates 20% of proceeds from classes and workshops to Thembanathi “Hope With Us” a non-profit founded by fellow Eugene-native Lindsey Reynolds. Thembanathi provides early childhood education and development programs to help communities recover from the legacies of apartheid.
This unique singing tradition comes FROM and still exists FOR community-building in South Africa, and it is this spirit Val seeks to share through her teaching. Classes and workshops can be tailored to groups of all ages, experience levels and interests. Materials are available to assist leaders seeking to retain this repertoire in their own groups.
