Song Collecting (and Composing): Oral History and Music
Date: Tuesday, November 14, 10 AM - 6 PM ET, New York (7 AM - 3 PM PT,  9 AM - 5 PM CT)
Format: Online
Instructor: Suzanne Snider
This workshop is limited to 30 participants.

In this virtual song collection workshop, Oral History Summer School Director Suzanne Snider will guide participants through an exploration of historic and contemporary song collection practices before inviting participants to try them out in a supportive environment. This workshop involves presentation, discussion and practice (Yes, maybe a little singing!) with an emphasis on coming together to tell stories. Snider will discuss the ways that song collection can be an especially powerful invitation for the very young, the very old, for those dealing with memory loss and/or brain injuries, for those speaking across difference and for those who employ nontraditional communication styles.

In addition to discussing and practicing song collection, we will get into musical composition from oral histories. Topics, texts and composers will include: John and Alan Lomax, Alive Inside, Radio Ballads, Glenn Gould, Fiery Furnaces, repatriation/rematriation, spiritual songs, narcocorridos, memory, prison music, and the ethics of field recording.

The Zoom link for this workshop will be sent out one week before the workshop, and again the day of the workshop.

Please note: No musical proficiency is required. If you can stumble through Row Row Row Your Boat, you are qualified to attend!

Tuition Fee Structure
Thank you for reviewing our tiered fee structure, which reconciles our wish to make the training increasingly accessible with our need to cover staff labor and the rising costs of our materials. Please read the descriptions below and be in touch (info@oralhistorysummerschool.com) if you would like assistance selecting your tuition tier.

While we will provide a recording to all who register, we hope to reserve the lower-cost seats for those intending to attend the live session.

[FELLOWSHIP SEATS HAVE BEEN FILLED] Fellowship: $0, 2 participants
These spaces are reserved as part of an equity initiative to support more BIPOC participation and historically marginalized voices at the table and in the field. If you are eligible based on these criteria and cannot attend at the standard tuition rate, please select this option.

[HAND UP SEATS HAVE BEEN FILLED] Hand Up/Subsidized: $40, 2 participants
A limited number of $40 spaces have been reserved for participants who work in under-resourced economies (education, social work, etc) and need a hand-up to participate at this time.

Independent/Subsidized: $160, unlimited (up to 30 participants)
This is for participants without institutional support. Please consider our Standard/Institutional rate, below. If you are at a salaried job, employed full-time or finance vacations and things like dining out, we ask you to consider our Standard/Institutional rate. 

Standard/Institutional Rate: $200, unlimited (up to 30 participants)

Note: Due to small class size, OHSS is unable to provide refunds. Tuition is non-refundable or transferable for withdrawal or cancellation.