Mining For Magic - New Orleans!

May 17-21 2024 - New Orleans, Louisiana

with Cindy Scott and Brian Seeger

Mining for Magic - New Orleans! will be an intensive 4 day/5 night gathering of six vocalists seeking to find deeper musical connections with themselves and their audiences. Led by Berklee College of Music voice professor and touring artist Cindy Scott, along with University of New Orleans music professor, in-demand guitarist and award-winning producer Brian Seeger, Mining for Magic – New Orleans! will open new pathways to musical freedom and expression, liberate your ideas and your sound, pump up your technique and encourage you to bring yourself all the way into the process of music making and performance. 

On day four of the intensive workshop, each student will get to go through their selected performance pieces with the A-team backing band. The culminating concert will take place at one of the well-known New Orleans music clubs. Evenings will be free for exploring, sampling the local cuisine, and experiencing music in one of the most concentrated live music scenes in the world. M4M staff will provide daily suggestions for music to check out and places to eat.

We will assist with ground transport to and from the workshop location each day. (Students may appreciate staying in the Mid-City neighborhood near City Park, as many activities will take place there.) Does not include accommodations or travel to/from New Orleans.

Dates: May 17-21, 2024

Where: New Orleans, Louisiana.

Teachers: Cindy Scott and Brian Seeger  

Price: $1425 USD includes workshop fee, welcome dinner, lunches, snackage & hydration, band rehearsal, updated charts, concert, taxes, processing and registration fees. We will assist with ground transport to and from the workshop location each day. (Students may appreciate staying in the Mid-City neighborhood near City Park, as many activities will take place there.) Does not include accommodations or travel to/from New Orleans.

The music and vibe of New Orleans is the perfect setting for a class like Mining for Magic. I resonated with how Cindy applied vocal anatomy with practice. With the tools she gave me, I was able to sing with far more ease through my break than ever before, and since then my upper range has continued to improve and strengthen. Brian worked with each of us to deconstruct our chosen songs, switching between styles and rhythms. Together, Brian and Cindy guided each of us to collaborate with the amazing band and take our songs from nice to "good shit man." - Nancy

"The inaugural Mining for Magic workshop was truly transformational for my approach to singing. Those days of intense, challenging, collaborative, and supportive work were an amazing experience. From technique to interpretation to performance strategies, Cindy and Brian taught me more in a short period than I would have thought possible. Spending time with the other singers in the program was also wonderful—being inspired by everyone’s different styles and song choices, learning from my fellow musicians, and of course making new friends. I will definitely be back for the next MFM" - Julie

"The Mining for Magic workshop was a wonderful learning experience. It helped me take my next steps as a soloist...heal some baggage I was carrying....and helped me to dig deeper and connect more with myself, with the music, and with everyone present. And it culminated with a peak experience of soloing… backed up by a talented, sweet, hot band. Who could ask for more? 😉" - Georgia

Instructors

Cindy Scott

Cindy Scott is recognized in the vocal community as a singer’s singer. Her technical mastery and deep commitment to the lyric and musical expression has earned her loyal fans around the world. Originally hailing from Tupelo, Mississippi, Cindy Scott has lived a life steeped in all forms of American roots music, jazz, gospel, and southern soul. She came up in an extended family full of talented musicians and passionate educators, and was singing parts at the family jams at the age of 2. Her earliest formal training was on classical flute, and she went on to earn her first college degree on a flute scholarship. She also plays guitar, bamboo flute and hand percussion, and is a composer and lyricist. Scott has lived all over the South as well as in Germany, Mexico and Hungary. She speaks German and Spanish, and has Masters degrees in both Jazz Performance and International Business. Most recently, she spent more than a decade living and working in New Orleans rich musical environment, performing with a who’s who of the Crescent City and establishing herself as the go-to teacher for the top tier of New Orleans’ vocalists. Scott joined the faculty at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston in 2016 and is the Director of the Berklee Vocal Summit, a five-day summer program for 200 vocalists age 15+ from all over the world.

Brian Seeger

Guitarist Brian Seeger is an integral part of New Orleans still vibrant jazz community. His recording and performance credits include Aaron Neville, Charlie Hunter, Karrin Allyson, Big John Patton, Jason Marsalis and many others. Although his musical excursions have been influenced by his studies with contemporary jazz figures such as Gary Burton and Ellis Marsalis, Seeger's playing is well grounded in the blues and American roots music, as well as the sounds of New Orleans' streets. Seeger deftly melds these elements into an approach that is extremely heartfelt and individual; his aesthetic is fundamentally that of a jazz musician, but there is still ample space for ideas from other idioms.

Along with his accomplishments as a performer, Seeger is a well known jazz educator and composer. He holds a full time faculty position in the esteemed University of New Orleans Jazz Studies program, and was the director of the National Guitar Workshop's Jam Summit.

Schedule and Classes

Schedule

Friday May 17th

We will kick off our time together with a beautiful welcome dinner at Brian's house. Brian and Cindy will prepare a home cooked feast and we will have a chance to gather, get to know each other, talk about the program ahead and have fun!

Saturday May 18th, Sunday May 19th and Monday May 20th

For three days, we will meet together out at the University of New Orleans and dive into a day of musical exploration. There will be some group singing, and afterwards, singers will begin to work on their songs with Brian and Cindy - discovering deeper emotional and musical possibilities with the repertoire. In these “Mining for Magic” sessions, singers will be coached and supported throughout this beautiful process and will benefit so much from witnessing others move through this journey. These intensive sessions will happen in blocks of 1.5 hours, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.

There will also be contemporary vocal technique sessions each day, as well several special topics specifically tailored to the wants and needs of the group. These could include such things as overcoming performance anxiety, maintaining vocal health, communicating with the band, writing lead sheets, practice strategies, music technology, improvisation, etc.

After working on your pieces over the three days, Brian, who is a chart writing master, will refine each of your charts for you to use with the all-star backing band. You then get to keep these and use them as examples as you continue to develop your own book.

Tuesday May 21st

Today will be a day to rehearse with the stellar band and prepare for our evening performance. Brian will lead a band of top New Orleans musicians, and each singer will have time to rehearse with them. This will be a joyous day of preparation, performing and celebrating afterwards. 

One-on-ones with Cindy

Scheduled over Friday, Saturday and Sunday, each student will get some one-on-one time with Cindy to work on specific technical questions, talk through practice strategies, or address any specific topic they would like.

Lunch and snacks

Lunch will be served all three days, and we will provide light snacks (fruit and power bars), coffee, tea and water.

EVENINGS

Throughout the workshop, you will be provided with insider's knowledge of where to eat, who's playing where and when! Karla (with advice from Brian and Cindy) will happily put together some curated nights out as we take in the musical and culinary feasts... These evenings are optional - you can come for part or all or none but they will be so fun and a great way to explore some of the city's amazing offerings! 