rhiannon

Would I recommend ATWI? Totally. Rhiannon is a masterful teacher and has created a program that takes singers to a whole other level. ATWI demands a lot in terms of vocal skills, but also openness…  lack of ego… willingness to risk... to drop what you think you know and be awake to what is happening in the moment…. to let go of expectations of how you think things should go…. to support and be supported, to be generous and accepting of yourself and others. To really listen… to be vulnerable… to go for it!   It's a deep dive vocally and personally and whatever is happening in your life at the time may very well be part of it!  I decided to revisit ATWI in 2017 after decades of study with Rhiannon, and even then I found it pushed me in unexpected ways because of what was going on in my life.   What a great opportunity to grow, and see what happens when you bring your whole self to your singing. To stretch vocally and personally and to do that with a committed group of singers, all on the same journey together.  Rhiannon guides this process with so much wisdom and musical depth. She models the power of improvisation in her teaching, in her words, in her connection to the sacred, and especially in her  vocal artistry. She really embodies it. Even the different the locations she has chosen— each offering their own special magic. How exciting to explore the world together, making heartfelt connections with singers who will feel like your people, your tribe.  There is nothing like it, really. ~Laurel Murphy

 All The Way In“ the program I started in 2020 in Hawaii, ended yesterday in 2022 in  Perugia, Italy. It was something quite different than I initially thought it was. Meaning not just a vocal improvisation workshop, but more something like a life changing event. Learning all these smart ways to create music from scratch, that also apply to many other things in life… still seems kind of mind boggling. Like how to be clear and committed to make ideas work, or how constant curiosity helps us to grow, or just the way trust is key again and again.  Another precious experience was learning to function as a group and finding the  "collective mind“.  And on top of all that: the gift to have these fellow improvisers from all over the world as friends for life  Nothing but thankfulness to our phenomenal teacher Rhiannon! So glad to know you. Ready to bring the magic into the work that’s coming up for me!  Eva Buchmann, ATWI 2020-2022

Your spirit, soul and way of honoring and treating music is world changing. It has a strong effect in the music itself but it also clears the spirit, which gives the soul an opportunity to speak from an honest place.  Ulla Britt, Denmark   ATWI 2017

Deeply moving. Life changing. Unfolding and emerging relationships with land, body, voice and community. Unlocking new potentiality through music and sound. Connecting to my native roots. Breath of joy and freedom. A remembering of my true calling.  Charlotte Roberts, Australia, ATWI 2017

What has remained so powerfully with me since doing the ALL THE WAY work is the body memory the workshops created within me. The work continues to live in my bones; the techniques get grounded to your creative source, you will never lose them, even if they get rusty from time to time. Rhiannon has really tapped into something essentially human and exceptional in this training. Writing is the place where I do my creative reckoning, where at times I feel I am engaged in a wrestling match, but for me, music, and particularly singing is the great exaltation, the exhale, the wail -- the beckoning, the balm. I have always wanted to incorporate music into my plays without them becoming musicals and the ALL THE WAY work has created an amazing foundation and trust in the voice and shown me how song can be linked to play text so that difficult stories can be truly heard, and therefore felt by an audience.
Denise Kumani Gantt, Seattle, WA   ATWI 2009

This course has deeply changed my life and my music. I now celebrate Improvising everyday. It has made me live incredible adventures. As a singer and teacher, I grew stronger, more confident, blossoming in sound and movement in a sacred environment of loving energy, being surrounded by a group of amazing singers who became my family. Loving the feeling of jumping into the poetic universe of the unknown has now a sense of trust and gratitude. Rhiannon has given me the power of finding the essence of the music that exists in me.
Katia Leonardo, OPorto, Portugal   ATWI 2008

My year in ATWI was transformative. Not only did I grow by miles in vocal ability, ATWI brought new energy, clarity and focus to my artistic process and identity. The breadth and depth of experience and skill among the singers in the program was a huge bonus on top of the generous and masterful teaching and guidance we received form Rhiannon and her assistants.
Germaine Ingram, Philadelphia PA   ATWI 2008

I love Rhiannon. She's a fabulous artist and teacher. I love her depth, humor, directness, artistry, spirituality, awareness of earthly matters. What a combo. What an inspiration! Her feedback was so profound and moving. She deeply cares about each singer. And even gives difficult feedback (like recommending a life change) with so much care love and honesty. No ego whatsoever. Beautiful how she lets each one blossom from where they're at. This work is so welcome in my life. Such new territory; such a long forgotten dream. I so love ATWI. I get to give the gift I give to my singers so well, to myself. My guard is slowly coming down. Thank you!  Marion van Namen, Portland, OR   ATWI 2017

Waiting for my flight back to Canada after almost 3 weeks away – goodbye Portugal! What a fantastic time I had in this beautiful country, singing and improvising with Rhiannon and two different groups of international improvisers. This was the second week of Rhiannon's "All the Way In" program--in its 10th year now. I was a copilot for the first year but really needed to jump back in and stretch my edges. Highly recommended! It's so great to be back in the vocal river! The work just keeps expanding and deepening! I'm very lucky to be singing with such a wonderful and skilled group of singers – we are having so much fun and diving in deeper and deeper! Week 3 will be in Copenhagen in October. What a great gift this was to myself! I am rebooting my energy and adjusting my life compass--feeling more and more myself. Who knows what will be next… Laurel Murphy BC   ATWI 2017

All The Way In is like skydiving. If you’re crazy brave enough, jump off, jump out! You’ll shit in your pants, scream for mercy, have your breath taken away, and then soar with elation! You will know what it is to be alive! After awhile, you’ll notice there has always been a parachute above and a guide at your back—or is that an angel?  Virginia Schenck, Atlanta, GA   ATWI 2009

All the way in' is an initiation. It's an invitation and a gateway into the infinite possibilities of applying improvisation to all aspects of life.
Linda Stonestreet, California   ATWI 2016

For me, ALL THE WAY IN was a commitment I made to myself to dive fully into my own life. To take risk, to trust, to be challenged, to be supportive and be supported, to grow, to let go, to listen more deeply, to connect and above all to SING! Rhiannon, the co-pilots and the amazing group of singers I was blessed to be a part of were the cornerstone of this tremendously important year in my life. Because of my experience through ALL THE WAY IN, I am more committed than ever to teaching vocal improvisation. Thank you Rhiannon!
Rebekka Goldsmith, Seattle WA,  ATWI 2009 & 2010

The effect of ALL THE WAY IN for me has been profound. I clearly see how improvisation is slipping into every aspect of my life, from performance to teaching to my everyday moving about in the world. Working for a whole year with the same people gave me a sense of responsibility and inspiration to continue to develop all the elements we explore - melody, harmony, rhythm, counterpoint, language, and deep listening. Since we began, in addition to expanding my musical vocabulary, I have started an improv group, started a critical feedback writers group, and started weaving improvisation into my world of song. I am so thankful for this opportunity to really dive ALL THE WAY IN, and know that it informs and will inform my life for all time.
Elise Witt, Pine Lake GA  ATWI 2008, 2012

ATWI really became a home for me. I have felt the love and support of Rhiannon and each person in the group since we began. To take such intimate musical risks while being held by this group has profoundly marked my life process. And it’s all good.
Celeste Niehaus, Louisville CO    ATWI 2008

ALL THE WAY IN has been a major landmark in my learning about this craft called improvisational singing. The sharing of knowledge, tools and unique perspectives by the participants is a valuable adjunct to the course materials themselves. I have made lifelong friends with whom I am sure to collaborate, in the future. I highly recommend this course to anyone who is serious about vocal improvisation.
Emile Hassan Dyer, Los Angeles CA   ATWI 2008, 2009

Rhiannon can so easily and lovingly bring me to my edges - that wonderful place that I sometimes dare not go - in music making and living. ATWI was a supportive, challenging, wonderful group experience where I felt myself grow stronger in myself, and felt my voice seek out and explore new territory too. At the end of these three weeks I have returned home to life and work as a music educator with a renewed commitment to music, deeper attention to my own process, the continuing support of my ATWI colleagues, and a feeling of new beginnings. THANKS from me and all the people I live and work with!
Becky Graber, Brattleboro VT   2008

So many times as a singer, as a seeker, I have felt alone. ALL THE WAY IN brought me into a circle of singers whose styles might vary from mine, but whose soul songs resonated and opened my heart and voice in ways I could not have imagined! Rhiannon’s open and steady guidance allowed us all to venture into new territory and come back shining with new ideas and deeper groundings in fundamentals. The journey has just begun. I am so grateful to Rhiannon for creating and improvising and holding the sacred space that ATWI is...
Patti Schaffner, Gary IN   ATWI 2008

Rhiannon’s ALL THE WAY IN is not for the faint of heart. Prepare yourself to dance with the darkness and let in the light. This transformative course invites your fullest commitment to explore new depths and new horizons of vocal expression. Your course mates will become friends for life.
Cherilynn Morrow, Atlanta GA   ATWI 2008, 2010-11

Time with Rhiannon has seen me grow more and more completely into myself as a musician, singer, improviser, and human being. She encourages us to bring our hearts fully into our singing presence and to create music that connects at higher and deeper levels. While we focus with curiosity on development of vocal, musical and improvisational skills, we learn about growing the community, honoring our ancestors, expressing our truth, listening, remembering our bodies, and celebrating our lives - in the moment, on the fly, with open hearts and voices. This work is good for the world, and so much fun!
David Haddock, Vancouver, Canada   ATWI 2013, 2015-16

Rhiannon is very insightful, and tuned into each of us, the participants, as we traverse the new landscapes of vocal improv. She does a great job of teaching through example, showing herself to us with intensity, balanced with the softness it takes to meet someone else where they are.  
Mark Saunders, Bloomfield, CT   ATWI 2016  

Rhiannon explains very well... Learning by doing, that´s very good. I like the combining of singing, moving, dancing, speaking, acting, talking, bringing in personal stuff. A good mixture. Great learning atmosphere, very open - she does that right at the beginning of each session. No fear, no pressure. Just openness. I was overwhelmed by the kindness of Rhiannon. Letting us share her own property, getting to know her friends, her area - that was just very special. Hawaii itself is special, but being there (on the farm) is even more special. Very personal, it makes the whole setting intimate, so you come to the point much quicker. Also the accommodation - since it was only us, no „strangers“ around, made it very intimate. That´s great for such a workshop.
Cordula Foerester, München, Germany, ATWI 2016