Open Mic & Improv Jam
to close out the night at Soil & Sky Fest
join Gareth Leslie for
10pm: Open Mic
11pm: Improv Jam
in the Community Connection Tent
We are so excited to offer programming this year that honors our three event pillars: Mental Wellness, Earth Care & Community Connection. We hope you will review the program (coming soon) and enjoy some of the talented speakers, workshops & sessions we’ve planned for you, including the Open Mic & Community Jam!
10pm: Open Mic. Bring your instrument, voice, stories, or poetry. Sign up for a slot earlier in the day, and become part of the festival atmosphere in your own unique way.
11pm: Improv Jam. Join Gareth and members of The Collection for an improv jam following the open mic!
By purchasing your event pass on this page, you directly support Gareth Leslie with 5% of your ticket price going straight to them.
Don’t forget! Your Event Pass includes access to an incredibly special Ecstatic Dance at the Haw River Ballroom on Sunday morning following Soil & Sky Fest. Details here.
The Art of Music Improv (for Everyone)
“The wonderful thing about improv is that the performative pressure is off. You don’t have to practice, or create some show-worthy song. It’s really a great way to spend time with people! It can be daunting because it can feel uncertain, but if we lean into that edge, we may find that it meets a strong need in all of us for spontaneity and creative surprise. ”
Similar to improvisational acting, or contact dance improv, music improv is an activity anyone can enjoy, a skill anyone can learn. Music improv is an art that is playful, experimental, and un-scripted. Just as improv acting doesn’t require you to be an actor, music improv doesn’t require that you be a professionally trained musician. It’s a totally different skill-set, just like being a ballerina isn’t a prerequisite for attending a contra-dance.
When people get together to improvise, it’s often called a ‘jam’. What makes for an excellent jam? Sometimes some structure can facilitate the jam, but sometimes it’s restrictive. The question is, how much structure; how much freedom?
When improv acting, the first agreement people usually learn is called “yes and.” The equivalent in music improv would be something like “I hear what you’re playing, and I will affirm it by contributing my own musicality to it.”
Good signs that the group has got a groove:
A vibe starts to be sensed by the whole;
People begin to move to it, hum along to it, sing with it;
People feel emotionally moved by what is played or sung;
Instruments lock into complementary forms that are playful for each musician;
Improvisers feel free within bounds to experiment, try, step back, or step forward