Presenting a Pyware/Visual Design Workshop
I have been teaching a class in “Drill Writing” at the university for almost 20 years. It is a very introductory class. The course lasts just 5 weeks and meets twice per week. So I get a total of 10 class meetings to attempt to give the students enough tools enabling them to go on and learn more on their own through spending much more time designing/attending clinics and workshops. This is not unlike my own experience as a music education major many years ago. There just isn’t enough time built into the structure of a music education program to leave undergrad a fully developed designer. It is possible for someone to do this if they apply many hours outside of their program of study, but most don’t or just can’t spend that time. Since the course is so truncated, it really becomes more of a Pyware course. So you not only have the challenge of available time, there is also the divide between teaching design principles and the actual software used to realize those design ideas.
About a year ago, I realized there weren’t any Pyware/Visual Design workshops offered in this part of the country and began asking the question, “What would it look like to put a workshop together myself?” First things first. I had to consider how long the workshop needed to last to be effective. I had to consider a possible demographic of participants. This means the possibility of participants not having any experience with the Pyware software let alone visual design. This requires a certain amount of time available for introductory Pyware instruction. I decided I could cover this using a couple of sessions and a focused tutorial that would cover enough that someone could begin designing their band’s show. So day 1 of the workshop would be completely dedicated to Pyware.
So I then turned my attention to what would need to happen next. Teaching Visual Design is pretty tricky. Sure, there are a few principles that one can cover providing the student with some guidelines. Kind of like basic music theory….You have to understand the rules before you can break the rules. But I feel that Visual Design is an artform making it very personal and individualized. I decided that there needed to be brief instructional periods followed by the participants working on a design they would actually use. Unlike my university students who are basically executing exercises, the workshop participants would be applying what they are learning directly to their individual teaching position. There may still be some participants who aren’t in a teaching position, but I really want to consider those who are needing to write a show before school begins in August. Application is PARAMOUNT. With this in mind, I landed on the following possibilities for instruction.
Short demo of organization (phrasing the music, organizing the Pyware file, etc.)
Beginning a Design. The Opening Set.
Developing Ideas (inspiration, flow, etc.)
Creating Motion (basic concepts of expansion/contraction, flexation, segmentation, rotation, etc.)
Dealing With the Visual Elements (Winds, Percussion, Guard, Props, etc.)
Show and Tell
I landed on a number of sessions covering a day and a half. This should allow some time both in and out of session for the participants to begin working on their design. Hopefully we would have time for them to share what they have been working on thus triggering inspiration in the other participants. We will all learn from each other.
All of the Visual Design workshops I have attended have been pretty unique to the presenter. I can say I picked up a variety of different approaches from each of them. Presenters are going to present their own perspective and design process, that’s just the way it is and that’s the way my workshop will be. It will be a combination of all the tings I’ve picked up over the years mixed together in my process.
Having decided how the workshop would look from an instructional/activities standpoint, it was time to move onto logistics. Where? When? How much? While I can’t afford to lose money on this project, I decided that if I could break even I would move forward. So the pricing structure was set to cover the cost of the space, AV/print needs, and catered food. The cost of time/instruction was not a consideration in order to keep the cost for attending down. I also decided on a minimum (8) and a maximum number of participants. Too small and the workshop wouldn’t pay for itself. Too large and I wouldn’t be able to offer enough individual attention.
One final feature I decided to offer is ongoing advice/feedback throughout the 2020 Fall Season for participants. Participants can send me their design at any time and I’ll offer helpful feedback/suggestions. Some reassurance is always good for a designer too. This is covered in the cost of the workshop.
To learn more about my upcoming workshop (June 26-July 2) 100% online: Drill Dojo 2020
I always welcome feedback. What kinds of things would you hope to be covered in a Pyware/Visual Design workshop? Please leave a comment.—DB