Workshops are a fantastic way to teach, inspire and promote creative exploration. What you do with a workshop and how you plan it is limited only by your imagination.

Mrs. Z discusses planning workrshops and clinics with Sue K Riley, who has both presented at and organzied workshops.

Mrs. Z: There are several things to keep in mind when planning your workshop. Starting with the subject material, the location and number of attendees that you can accomodate, and how much you are going to charge - you need to sit down and write out plan detailing the workshop start to finish. Sue, you have done quite a few workshops, as both participant and coordinator. What do you think is key to putting together a productive workshop?

Sue: I try to fill it with information that I wish someone had given me when I first started out. Often the workshops are about how to find good New Thought music, so I’ve created a resource book with hundreds of possible songs and where to find them. I also make sure and demonstrate some of the songs, how they would be used, and where to get them. I always like handouts when I go to a workshop, so I include those. I like for folks to be able to sing and focus without scrambling to take notes, thus the handout.

Mrs. Z:  Those are great points. Combining good information with preprinted material is a definite must. In your workshops, Sue, your presenters are artists. With PosiPalooza, Summersongs and various concert schedules- how do you work out the timing for so many musicians?

Sue:  I try to be organized. It’s funny, I think I’m very disorganized, but no one else agrees with that! I have a notebook with all the facts about each Posi show, or workshop. The Posi shows are pretty fun and they’re opportunities to hang out with some really cool musicians, so artists generally like doing them. We set up “tours” with a couple of artists at a time..so, once they’ve agreed to those dates, it’s just a matter of filling in all the dots.

Filling in the dots is a perfect analogy. Once you have a basic plan, you can start filling in details. Get your dates, your location and your presenters confirmed. Plan your schedule in advance, if meals are included add that to the price of the workshop. Get your hand-outs and printed notes ready. Put the word out at least 6 - 8 weeks in advance; don't neglect to advertise.

Mrs. Z: Sue, I know that the economic crunch is hitting everyone hard. Has this had a negative impact on Posi-Music that we should be aware of?

Sue: I think our message is one that people want to hear even more in a tough economy. It might be a little more difficult to sell tickets for a concert, and folks might have to make a decision to only buy 1 CD, but for the most part, I think the messages of our music genre are perfect for today and often uplift folks when they are having a difficult time.

Mrs. Z:  That's true. Now more than ever, people need the message of Posi-Music. So don't let the economy be an excuse for not setting up a workshop or a song writing clinic or hosting a Posi-Palooza concert. Posi-power can be the catalyst for the change we're all needing.