LESSONS, WORKSHOPS AND COACHING

Charlie has an international teaching practice, and divides his time between the UK, the US, South East Asia and Australia. He offers:

Lessons

• One-to-one lessons for singers (1-2 hours a session): Coaching here often focuses on interpreting songs and performance skills; improvising, or personalizing a song you already sing; developing a unique sound; and of course vocal technique.

• One-to-one lessons for jazz pianists and other jazz musicians (1-2 hours a session): These lessons should add depth in your jazz vocabulary, develop jazz musicianship, improve your technique as a jazz player, show you a path to individuality as a jazz player, and help you work more collaboratively as a jazz musician within small and large ensembles.

  Workshops

• Workshops for choirs (3 or 6 hour sessions): both mainstream and LGBTQ+, encompassing choral skills (sound, groove, performance skills), and the development of community and belonging for all within your group.

• Jazz workshops (3 or 6 hour sessions): With school groups, his main focus would be performing together, learning to listen, group skills, groove, and approaches to beginner improvisation for less experienced instrumentalists and singers. At college level, he offers undergraduates and post-graduates strategies for developing their technique, vocabulary and personal voice as instrumentalists, and in groups he presents challenging contemporary repertoire alongside classics form the jazz tradition, and offers a range of ways to manage the musical space.

  Coaching

• Coaching for choral leaders: Does your choir ‘just want to sing better’? Or is it interested in developing better community connection, choral impact, a sense of purpose and the commercial success that follows from mission focus? In Charlie’s experience, the two are linked. Leading choirs involves the special ability to lead singers outside the musical process as well as within it. Charlie has over 25 years of successful choral leadership experience, and has transforming models to offer that can help you take your choir to a new place.

• Coaching for arts practitioners, and members of the LGBTQ+ community in the arts: Being a pro artist of any kind is hard. You have to maintain your craft, develop a netowrk of contacts, show up on time, turn on a dime when a gig comes along. Oh yes, and can you also make a living? Charlie has had an extensive professional practice at the highest level in the widest possible range of styles and genres. He has both survived and thrived with ALL kinds of arts people! After years leading arts organizations, he is also acutely aware of the many issues facing arts practitioners and leaders in the queer community. He has somehow retained his compassion, calm and idealism, and has solutions to offer!

ONE TO ONE TEACHING: Charlie taught jazz piano, improvisation and contemporary singing (pop, jazz, musical theater) for many years at the Royal College of Music, Brunel University, Anglia Ruskin University, Kingston University and a number of high schools in the US and UK. He now divides his freelance teaching time between the US, the UK, South East Asia and Australia.

LEADERSHIP COACHING FOR CHORAL DIRECTORS: He specializes in workshops for choral directors, and enjoy working collaboratively with colleagues to develop new skills, share best practice and problem-solve together.

WORKSHOPS: Charlie offers workshops, clinics and retreats for jazz educators, choral educators choirs of all shapes and sizes since the mid-1990s, in the US, the UK and overseas, LGBTIQ+ and mainstream. He also runs weekend retreats and five day festival programs. Pictured is an example of recent workshop with the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Choir. He specializes in workshops for choral directors, and enjoy working collaboratively with colleagues to develop new skills, share best practice and problem-solve together.

COACHING FOR JAZZ EDUCATORS: Dating from his time at the Royal College of Music, Charlie has long experience of teaching classically trained instrumentalists, singers and teachers to play jazz for the first time. The focus is on simple practical strategies and activities that demystify improvisation and make it accessible to all. His work is backed up by materials across many instruments, and he has written a number of books on the subject.

COACHING FOR ARTISTIC AND ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERS: He has been the artistic leader of several arts organizations, large and small, and understands the challenges they face. This work supports artistic and organizational leaders and Boards to refine their focus and work together. In the process, he has found he can help them to re-engage performers and audiences, develop deeper community, increase the social and political impact of their art, and improve commercial success. Below is a small selection of workshops I’ve given in the US, UK and internationally in recent years, in choral singing, jazz, conducting and leadership.

For more on his workshops and presentations for GALA Choruses, you can also go to his GALA Choruses page, or see the workshops blog below.