Music, Voice, & Page Program Area with instructor DyAnne Korda at the Ely Folk School
- Rachael Pace
- 5 hours ago
- 6 min read
Stories are at the heart of literature and life. I believe now is the time to pass along the inspiration I’ve received from my mentors. I believe we need poetry and other forms of the written word to feed our minds and imagination. It keeps us hopeful and afloat during transformational moments. As in folk tales, we gather insight by entering the forest to become part of the seasons. My poetry and workshops at the Ely Folk School are invitations for you to come along. --DyAnne Korda
Our Music, Voice, and Page Program Area classes help you channel your creativity and share your inner spark through the less tangible arts of writing, singing, speech, dancing, and instrument playing. The classes in this program area may involve public speaking and performing, or they may focus on the very personal, generative aspect of learning. No matter your comfort or experience level, Music, Voice, and Page classes are all about translating your inner world and honing the craft of making art.
Fun fact: of the two classes on our opening day back on June 7th, 2015, one was Songwriting with Joey Kenig! Music is an especially important folk tradition. Long before literacy was the expectation, stories and history were taught and learned through folk tunes, so it seems only fitting for that to have been one of our first classes.
Over the past 11 years, we’ve had a variety of writing, songwriting, and instrument-based classes. We’ve had local authors, such as Consie Powell and DyAnne Korda teach writing and journaling workshops and we’ve welcomed regional writers like Brian Malloy to Ely and he’s offered Fiction Basics workshops. There’s been multi-session classes on learning how to play the guitar (Jason Rabuck is currently teaching a Guitar Fundamentals course) and Introduction to Clawhammer Banjo with Blake Ferree. We’ve also had classes that focus more on the how and why behind music such as Music Construction and Exploring Music with Doug Luthanen (read more about the Luthanen family legacy in our blog post celebrating Doug’s mother, Josephine Shepel Luthanen, and her piano here) and How to Read Music by current ISD 696 Band Director and music teacher, Karl Kubiak.
DyAnne Korda, a local poet and author, has been instructing at the Ely Folk School since its inception in 2015. Her first class was Nature Writing in September of our first year, and her writing classes have been at the core of our Music, Voice & Page Program ever since. She offers seasonal Nature Writing for Women classes, various multi-session classes designed to be nurturing environments for her students to explore writing practices, and partners with The Listening Point Foundation to help folks connect with Sig Olson’s legacy and the magic of the North Woods.
DyAnne’s classes are popular offerings and students walk away from class feeling more empowered: “Dy has such great pacing and prompts and makes the space very inviting for all people (even if you don't think of yourself as a writer). It is a great time to slow down and connect with a more creative side of myself.”
When asked to share a little bit about her time instructing with EFS, DyAnne sent in the following reflection:
When the Ely Folk School first opened its doors in the summer of 2015, I was warmly welcomed in as an instructor. Ever since then, the school has generously allowed me to share my passion for words and gratitude for living in northern Minnesota.
Back in the day when my husband Scott and I lived in central Wisconsin, we visited Lake Superior and fell in love with her unapologetic moods. So we followed the pull north and made our home in Ely. When we arrived here, we were determined to stay. That meant taking on a variety of jobs. I sold moose-hide mukluks and moccasins, while Scott tended bar at a main street tavern. Together we directed a black bear sanctuary where bears bluff-charged each other for territory and sleeping cubs dangled from aspen branches. I studied hot-stone massage for humans and the Tellington Method for sled dogs. Scott wrote for and edited a regional weekly newspaper. I helped socialize wolf pups at the International Wolf Center, listening to their howls transform from tiny, rooster-like crows to full, rich melodies. Scott became a morning DJ, bantering away and spinning eclectic music at our local radio station.
Through the years at Ely Folk School, I’ve used my writing experience with the intention of helping people understand their own connection to the natural world. My classes often emphasize how northern seasons reflect archetypal dreams, character and spirit. Writing workshops are designed to emphasize elements of oral storytelling traditions through free-flowing writing prompts within a supportive group. Most of all, I always hope to slow people down, remind them what we have in common, and illustrate how necessary the natural world is for our well-being.
Whenever I participate in poetry readings, workshops, and collaborations with fellow artists, I remember a quote from songwriter and poet Patti Smith. She said, “My mission is to communicate, to wake people up, to give my energy and accept theirs… We all have a voice. We have the responsibility to exercise it, to use it.”
Stories are at the heart of literature and life. I believe now is the time to pass along the inspiration I’ve received from my mentors. I believe we need poetry and other forms of the written word to feed our minds and imagination. It keeps us hopeful and afloat during transformational moments. As in folk tales, we gather insight by entering the forest to become part of the seasons. My poetry and workshops at the Ely Folk School are invitations for you to come along.
--DyAnne Korda
In addition to her writing workshops, Dy has also collaborated with local musicians to host book release shows and Summer Solstice poetry readings. These events have highlighted poetry open mics with local musicians accompanying on cello or guitar.
Some of Dy's upcoming offerings include:
The Writer's Path (2 Session Class, Thursdays, July 23rd and July 30th)
Nature Writing with The Listening Point Foundation (Saturday, August 1st)
Nature Writing: Water Reflections (Wednesday, August 5th)
The Language of Life: Journaling for Writers (2 Session Class, Friday & Saturday, August 28th & 29th)
Writing for Your Life (2 Session Class, Fridays, September 4th & 11th)
View our full upcoming Music, Voice, & Page schedule here.
Our classes and events often overlap across multiple program areas. This is especially true with our Music, Voice, & Page Program Area and our Community Events.
We host monthly Community Sings with local trio Chickadee-Dee-Dee. These generally occur the first Tuesday of each month at 6pm.
Simply show up (registration is not required) and join the circle of voices. Music will be taught the night of; all voices are welcome to gather and be led in song. There are no auditions or music to read, no performances, and little to no accompanying instrumentation. Community Sing is an entirely oral tradition for people of all ages! Unlike a choir, Community Sing is not divided by traditional voice parts or vocal range. Some songs are sung all together, as call- and-response, in a round, or in taught parts. Community Sing is also non-denominational.
Throughout the summer we are hosting monthly Old Time Strings Jam Sessions. These also occur before our community dances.
Come on down for an old time strings music jam session at the Ely Folk School! Bring a fiddle, banjo, guitar, mandolin, dulcimer, or bass to EFS! Play along, or just sit back and listen. Everyone, no matter your skill or comfort level, is welcome to play along, listen, or even dance. These jam sessions have an emphasis on string instruments. It is a jam session, so sheet music is not provided, rather chords are called out.
Joe Smith, Ely resident and longtime jam member, will be helping to lead the string session and will provide a list of songs that will likely be covered during the jam (check the event listing page on our website).
Registration is not required, and the jam is open to all. Folks are welcome to play, or just come and listen.
We also sponsor the Ely Area Writer’s Group, which meets on the first Thursday of each month at 6pm.
The mission of the Ely Area Writers Group (formerly Writers Read) is to encourage writers to write. Writers tend to hide their work. For most, the only thing worse than rejection is having something printed that isn't perfect, so we give gentle suggestions for edits and cheer all the good bits. When someone joins our group, we add their email to our list. Before our monthly meetings, anyone can submit something they've written to the group via email. Any genre is welcome. The author may be specific about what response they want (does this essay flow, or is this character believable, or which images stick with you?) or they can let the others respond on any aspect that strikes them.
Some members submit work every month, others may share something only a few times a year. Registration is not required; simply show up!
