Dworp

Yes, it's a silly word and you pronounce it just like it looks. 

It's the name of the closest village to us here at the Destleheide Culture center for the jazz camp, and it's very cute. We arrived on Sunday to go to dinner with the Weyler family, the owners of the music school and heads of the camp (note Maarten's work of art dessert below from said dinner). That dinner brings together the teachers that come from out of country, which included this year David from Amsterdam and Serge from Montpellier as well as the three Americans, with Peter Eldridge being the other voice teacher. 

Peter is the nicest person ever and and I think we will all be friends for a long time after this. I feel very blessed to have met him. I mean how many jazz musicians can you talk about your classical rep with, and they also say "Oh I love Poulenc!" Dig!

Raspberry mouse dome with nom nom nom...... also Chopped fans, notice the spoon push?

This year I was invited to teach some extra vocal technique classes, in part because there were 21 singers registered and it would help keep students involved and provide smaller class sizes, and also because, like at home, contemporary music singers often don't get a lot of information on vocal production. The interest from the students has been in releasing tension, improving the breath control in ballads and such, and everyone wants to know how to belt. Of course! The students are very polite and inquisitive and after talking about jazz style and songwriting and having combo rehearsals, it's a totally different sort of class and a nice switch for them I think. It's an experiment this year and I have no idea if it will happen next summer, but I've had a great time teaching at a camp I've been at as a spouse for 4 years previously. The people here are just so nice, students and faculty alike. 


And if you think larynx is difficult to spell, try strottehoofd. 

View from the deck off the main classroom building. 

View to left. Fabulous weather here every day. 

View from first morning in the dorms, we move to the cabin Monday afternoon. 

View from our ground level room- we share a patio with a big table and umbrella with 2 other teachers down here. 

The sun sets here around 9 and lingers. Just beautiful. 

Wednesday we escaped the caf food (not so bad this year) and went first to the bistro, which was closed on Wednesday, and then to the local castle for dinner. While there we met up with Matthias and two students from camp (friends of his) and then had dinner with Ewout and Tutu, now longtime friends and jazz musicians extraordinaire.

I love cram-in pictures. 

This guy.
Also, nice socks Peter. (Must continue joke). 

This is the pond at the bottom of the hill- Zevenbronnen or Sept Fontaines, and is in a swanky neighborhood. 

yeah I ran here yesterday. 

here too. 

Can you find the moon?
I was sitting outside rewriting song lyrics to memorize and I just loved the scene.

I promise I will remember to charge my phone today and take it with me and get some people pictures- it'll be easy since it's the faculty concert tonight. Hot in the day and delicious cool at night. Very jazz.