Archives: Events

Mah Jongg  • The Beauty and Soul of Mah Jongg
Come hear Toby Salk’s lively lecture about the history of how Mah Jongg became so popular in the United States, how Mah Jongg has seeped into popular culture, and so much more. Toby’s mother and aunts played Mah Jongg before she was born. So, you might say she first heard the clicking and clacking of Mah Jongg tiles in the womb! Don’t miss this wonderful and wacky Toby Salk talk! You do not need to be a player to attend!

Beginners Mah Jongg–American Style (60 mins) – 4 sessions – require sign up at the Ranch
This class will teach you the basics of playing American Mah Jongg according to the National Mah Jongg League Guidelines. The focus will be on tile recognition, rules, strategy and lots of fun! This is also a great class to take if you are rusty and want to go back to the basics.
You must be present for the Monday class if you really want to learn.

After the end of a long-term corporate job, Toby Salk knew it was time for reinvention. She tried on all of the hats she’d worn throughout her life, seeing if one might fit again. One night, she was sitting at a dinner party with a successful bakery owner. She looked at her squarely in the eye and said, “You should be teaching Mah Jongg.” Before Toby could protest, she offered her her bakery in the evenings for her first class. Experimenting on friends first, she then organized her first class at Sweet Adeline Bakery and had to turn people away. It was a huge success. Now she is teaching all over the Bay Area, including two exclusive women’s clubs on Union Square, Berkeley Adult School, Orinda Park and Rec, and private homes. Every month she hosts a Mah Jongg brunch for all of her students and players. “Mah Jongg for Everyone” is truly that. It has connected all kinds of people and brought more fun and more joy to so many.

Mah Jongg  • The Beauty and Soul of Mah Jongg
Come hear Toby Salk’s lively lecture about the history of how Mah Jongg became so popular in the United States, how Mah Jongg has seeped into popular culture, and so much more. Toby’s mother and aunts played Mah Jongg before she was born. So, you might say she first heard the clicking and clacking of Mah Jongg tiles in the womb! Don’t miss this wonderful and wacky Toby Salk talk! You do not need to be a player to attend!

Beginners Mah Jongg–American Style (60 mins) – 4 sessions – require sign up at the Ranch
This class will teach you the basics of playing American Mah Jongg according to the National Mah Jongg League Guidelines. The focus will be on tile recognition, rules, strategy and lots of fun! This is also a great class to take if you are rusty and want to go back to the basics.
You must be present for the Monday class if you really want to learn.

After the end of a long-term corporate job, Toby Salk knew it was time for reinvention. She tried on all of the hats she’d worn throughout her life, seeing if one might fit again. One night, she was sitting at a dinner party with a successful bakery owner. She looked at her squarely in the eye and said, “You should be teaching Mah Jongg.” Before Toby could protest, she offered her her bakery in the evenings for her first class. Experimenting on friends first, she then organized her first class at Sweet Adeline Bakery and had to turn people away. It was a huge success. Now she is teaching all over the Bay Area, including two exclusive women’s clubs on Union Square, Berkeley Adult School, Orinda Park and Rec, and private homes. Every month she hosts a Mah Jongg brunch for all of her students and players. “Mah Jongg for Everyone” is truly that. It has connected all kinds of people and brought more fun and more joy to so many.

Mah Jongg  • The Beauty and Soul of Mah Jongg
Come hear Toby Salk’s lively lecture about the history of how Mah Jongg became so popular in the United States, how Mah Jongg has seeped into popular culture, and so much more. Toby’s mother and aunts played Mah Jongg before she was born. So, you might say she first heard the clicking and clacking of Mah Jongg tiles in the womb! Don’t miss this wonderful and wacky Toby Salk talk! You do not need to be a player to attend!

Beginners Mah Jongg–American Style (60 mins) – 4 sessions – require sign up at the Ranch
This class will teach you the basics of playing American Mah Jongg according to the National Mah Jongg League Guidelines. The focus will be on tile recognition, rules, strategy and lots of fun! This is also a great class to take if you are rusty and want to go back to the basics.
You must be present for the Monday class if you really want to learn.

After the end of a long-term corporate job, Toby Salk knew it was time for reinvention. She tried on all of the hats she’d worn throughout her life, seeing if one might fit again. One night, she was sitting at a dinner party with a successful bakery owner. She looked at her squarely in the eye and said, “You should be teaching Mah Jongg.” Before Toby could protest, she offered her her bakery in the evenings for her first class. Experimenting on friends first, she then organized her first class at Sweet Adeline Bakery and had to turn people away. It was a huge success. Now she is teaching all over the Bay Area, including two exclusive women’s clubs on Union Square, Berkeley Adult School, Orinda Park and Rec, and private homes. Every month she hosts a Mah Jongg brunch for all of her students and players. “Mah Jongg for Everyone” is truly that. It has connected all kinds of people and brought more fun and more joy to so many.

An exceptional, interactive opportunity to learn from Native American Wisdom Keepers, through ceremonies, music, art and talking circles.

Austin G. Nunez is a member of the Wa:k Community (San Xavier District) of the Tohono O’odham Nation (formerly known as the Papago Tribe of AZ). He has been the leader of Wa:k for the past 35 years for a community of 2300 citizens on a 72,000-acre reservation southwest of, and adjacent to the City of Tucson.

Austin participates in his community’s O’odham ceremonies that are conducted throughout the year. He conducts sweat lodge ceremonies and he is often requested to conduct blessings at various functions in his community, and in the greater Tucson area.

He has three adult children and six wonderful grandchildren.

Mona Polacca – Havasupai/Hopi/Tewa Tribal lineage
Mona is a social, spiritual leader and activist, working to protect nature and water, peace, and the consciousness of oneness.

Mona is a founding member of the International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers, which is an alliance of indigenous women from around the world who are upholding, preserving, and protecting earth-based medicine, indigenous practices, and beliefs. She is a water woman and serves as the Treasurer of the Native American Church of Southern Arizona.  The focus of her spiritual work is based on the concept of “We are all related.”

This program provides guests an overall understanding of brain health and what it means to take care of yourself physically, mentally, and emotionally as we age.  It also provides a safe space for guests to explore grief as they move through both expected and unexpected life changes that cause sudden change and/or hardship.

Brain Healthy Living: What is “brain health” and how we can protect our most vital organ from cognitive decline
In the first seminar of the series, we will discuss what brain health is and how we can lower our chances of developing a cognitive disease like Alzheimer’s or dementia.  How do you want to age and live in your later years? What steps should you take now to protect the dreams for your future?  We will examine the warning signs of cognitive disease vs. what are normal memory issues as we get older.  We will learn about the key components of brain health and specifically what you can do to help strengthen your brain and by extension your quality of life.

Grief 101-What is Grief? Let’s explore the grieving process and the unexpected life experiences that lead us to experience the fluid range of emotions surrounding grief.
In the second seminar, we will dive straight into grief and talk about the five stages of grief as well as the various life experiences that pulls us into grief that we may not expect. Divorce, empty nesters, a career-ending, and the death of a loved one are all examples of times we grieve.  There are many different things that we may grieve but the process holds similar threads no matter what.  Sometimes these stages of grief don’t go in order, and you can revisit stages over and over again until you have healed.  Living with grief can feel isolating and all-encompassing, and we will outline all the ways it can change you and ultimately your mental health.

Grief 102-What does it mean to be depressed?  When the normal grieving process pulls you into something deeper moving on feels impossible.
In the third part of the series, we will talk about feelings of hopelessness, sorrow, and anxiety that can accompany the grieving process.  We will also discuss what it is like to grieve for a loved one who is still alive, as such is the case for Alzheimer’s and Dementia caregivers or other long-standing disease.  We will discuss what to do if you feel a loss of joy in your life, and how to find healing and ultimately hope again.  Elizabeth will describe the symptoms of depression and give insight into ways you may be feeling depressed without realizing it.  Depression can be a tricky thing that sneaks up when you least expect it, but its grasp on you takes hold in life’s most vulnerable moments.

Finding healing and purpose in the community.
“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much”-Helen Keller
In the last part of this series, Elizabeth discusses how finding purpose from pain can be one of the richest and most rewarding experiences of your life.  She will give strategies for coping, for getting help and for moving forward even in life’s most difficult moments.  This will be a more interactive series where participants are encouraged to share their stories and help one another relate to shared pain.  Sure to be a heavy discussion, it will also be filled with hope and healing as we move forward and hopefully take away from the Ranch useful tips to put to use once participants get home on their path to healing.

Elizabeth Humphreys is the founder and Executive Director of the nonprofit organization Mind What Matters and hosts the Mind What Matters podcast.  She is also a speaker and guest lecturer that focuses on brain health as well as Alzheimer’s and Dementia prevention.

Elizabeth got involved in the community surrounding Brain Health while being the sole caregiver for her mother Madelyn for over twelve years. She recognized the need for caregiver resources and community, especially as the number of families affected by memory disease is rising every year. Elizabeth was still in her 20s when her mother first started showing signs of memory impairment and personality changes. It was a long and difficult road that led to an Alzheimer’s diagnosis and there seemed to be no real support at the time for caregivers. There was no roadmap. Elizabeth set out to build one.

Elizabeth joined the Alzheimer’s Association as a volunteer and chaired the young professionals board for the midsouth. She began speaking publicly about her journey as an Alzheimer’s caregiver. She then decided to start a podcast to help others talk about their own life experiences, sharing stories about their own pain and grief and ultimately how they managed an impossibly painful and emotionally draining disease. The podcast also serves to help educate and encourage others to care about their brain health. After meeting so many inspiring and dedicated people Nationwide, Elizabeth decided to launch Mind What Matters as a National Nonprofit. The Nonprofit supports the new generation of Alzheimer’s caregivers by providing financial aid, community, and resources to help ease the tremendous burdens they face. It also seeks to educate the public on the importance of brain health and doing whatever is necessary to lower the chances of developing Alzheimer’s or another related dementia.

When she’s not working or being a mom to three dogs and three children with her husband Hunter, she is an avid distance runner and loves to travel cook, and slowly build a world of brain health ambassadors.

Instagram Account-@mindwhatmattersnonprofit

Enlightened Relationships: From Bedroom to Boardroom
A healthy life style requires healthy relationships and healthy relationships require healthy interactions, communications, and negotiations.

As social beings, we are interdependent, we must interact in order to survive. Unfortunately, most people have not learned the art and science of interaction. Learn to negotiate/navigate/guide your interactions toward a mutually fulfilling outcome in your personal and professional life.

As in nature, humans and their interactions are subject to certain laws that we must honor in order to survive and thrive.  Learn the 8 Universal Laws of Enlightened Negotiation with emphases on Effective Communications, Building Trust, the Power of Intention, the Significance of Creativity, and the Magic of Mindfulness.

Enhancing Your Relationships for a Healthier and Happier Life
Attain the Right Mindset, Choose the Proper Skillset to Achieve the Ideal Relationship
Put your attention on your intention! Often in challenging interactions people react from a default mode with an automatic response, consciously or unconsciously, which is not healthy. This may compromise our relationship and create unhappiness or escalate to a conflict.

Learn a simple yet profound tool that liberates you from this trap. The choice of your behavior not only demonstrates your authenticity and clarity, it removes the guessing game for others, prevents conflict and makes a good relationship even better!

In this session you will learn how to use The Law of Intention as a GPS or the guiding light of your behavior in any interaction or negotiation. We will also discuss The Law of Strength; you will discover the source of your strength in any interaction or negotiation and learn how to tap into that source.

Conscious Interactions for Healthier and Happier Life
Build Trust, Learn to Overcome Obstacles and Prevent Failure or Conflict by Using the Laws of Trust and Flexibility
Similar to the idea of using your creativity to uplift your relationships, you can tap into your creativity to avoid conflict. Obstacles and roadblocks are part of interactions in any relationship. Learn how to maneuver and negotiate your way to your goal. The main reason for an impasse in any interaction is lack of flexibility on either side as parties don’t see a viable option. Learn the golden role of brainstorming for co-creating options.

Last but not least: Trust is the foundation of any relationship! How to build trust and how to amend a broken trust. What do biological and behavioral science of trust teach us?

Dr. Mehrad Nazari is the author of the multiple award-winning book, Enlightened Negotiation: 8 Universal Laws to Connect, Create, and Prosper. Recently he was selected as one of 20 thought leaders around the globe by the International Leadership Association to contribute a chapter to: Evolving Leadership for Collective Wellbeing: Lessons for Implementing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. He is an executive advisor, corporate trainer, and speaker.

Dr. Nazari is a passionate practitioner of applied spirituality. He believes in preserving the authenticity of the ancient wisdom practices and applying them to our daily lives in the 21st century.

Mehrad holds a PhD in Leadership and Human Behavior and an MBA. For three decades Mehrad distinguished himself as a business leader in San Diego with several accolades to his credit, and also served for a decade as an adjunct professor of Business Negotiation. Mehrad has studied with spiritual masters including Walt Baptiste, Swami Veda Bharati of India, and Kyozan Joshu Roshi of Japan. He has been teaching mindfulness, meditation and yoga for over twenty-five years and served on the faculty of Esalen Institute and Kripalu. He coaches individuals as well as corporations which include Sony, Brookfield, eBay, and Young President Organization Gold. Dr. Nazari has presented at the Int’l Conscious Capitalism Conference and served on the Board of Conscious Capitalism, San Diego. You can contact him at DrNazari@EnlightenedNegotiation.com

Diet and Nutraceuticals
Learn powerful evidence-based ways to reduce anxiety and depression by 50% in a matter of weeks!

The Ultimate Sleep Reset
Learn the key ingredients to proper sleep hygiene. 

Soothe Your Mind
Learn ways to release anxiety, overwhelm and depression with botanicals, diet and technology.

Neuro-regenerative Practices to Build New Neural Pathways
Practice a specific meditation for balancing the limbic system of the brain to down shift allowing for a more balanced stress response.  Leave relaxed, connected and smarter!

Dr. Jacqueline Chan, D.O. graduated from Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine in the top 10 of her class in 1997 and is board certified in Integrative Medicine. Dr. Chan uncovers root causes of illness by using cutting edge lab work, medicinal herbal tinctures, HBOT therapy, nutraceuticals, bio-identical hormones, osteopathic craniosacral therapy to optimize the body’s inherent healing forces. She completed a medical missionary project with Mayan Indians in Belize Central America, Amerihealth television show, presenter for Dr. Oz as a panelist, Professor at Energy Medicine University, Faculty Member at the Academy of Intuition Medicine. Her honors include: Phi Kappa Phi and Who’s Who in Medicine and Healthcare. She practices at Marin Natural Medicine Clinic in Larkspur, California, and as a medical director at Advanced Hyperbaric Recovery of Marin in San Rafael, California. She is the author of Regenerate Your Brain: A Breakthrough Plan to Regain Your Brilliance.

Creating, managing and sustaining relationships is a critical aspect of health and the source of a great deal of disease. As a divorce mediator I know this too well. That work got me started and was a fertile learning laboratory for the work I’ve been doing over the last thirty years. Everything I do is in service of helping people get along well, an essential life skill, and the place the juice of life resides. I teach people tools for how to create effective personal and professional relationships, and how to sustain them with simple conversational tools for creating agreements and moving through differences and conflict. This series of programs will contribute to your emotional health and effectiveness.

Sustainable Collaborations: The Power of Agreements for Results
Most of us never learned what you need to talk about at the beginning of any personal or professional relationship. In this session you will learn about The Laws of Agreement, The 10 Essential Elements of Agreements for Results and how to engage in the conversations that will determine the success or failure of your project or relationship. You will come to understand how to create alignment and maximize your chances for success.

1. The Laws of Agreement
2. 10 Essential Elements of Agreements for Results
3. Agreement & Alignment
4. Yes / No ? Trust?
5. Application

Agreements with Yourself: The Power of Manifestation
Most of us have things we would like to do or accomplish that remain elusive: cleaning the garage; getting that advanced degree; losing 20 pounds; dealing with a difficult neighbor, relative or significant other. This session will get you on the road to what you have been procrastinating. You will leave the session with an agreement to accomplish what you want that has a critical “by when”. You will get the opportunity to share what you have created and get feedback that will allow you to fine tune your process. You will realize that by breaking the endeavor into manageable steps you will be able to engage, and get it done!

1. Laws and Essential Elements of Agreement
2. What do you want to accomplish?
3. Crafting the Agreement
4. By When, Value,  Promises, Metrics, At Stake
5. Sharing / Feedback

Essential Communication Skills and The Magic of Listening
Most of us have not taken the time to be more conscious of how we engage with others. Communication is how we bridge the gap between ourselves and others so that we can work and play together well. It’s not only what to talk about but how. In this program we will learn what communication is and the critical skills for connection.

1. Becoming Audience Centric
2. Emotional Intelligence – What, Why, How
3. The Toolbox
4. Whole Body Expressions
5. Listening Essentials
6. Knee to Knee Listening

Getting to Resolution: Turning Conflict Into Collaboration
No matter how conscious, mindful, knowledgeable and wise we are in our relationships differences and conflict will surface.  In this session we will explore, demonstrate and practice a simple three step conversational model for dealing with the speed bumps that get in our way. We will look at the Conflict Continuum; The Real Costs of Conflict; The Cycle of Resolution; Dealing with Emotion; Normalizing Conflict; Disagreeing without Being Disagreeable and Crafting New Agreements.

1. The Conflict Continuum
2. The Real Costs of Conflict
3. The Cycle of Resolution
4. Clearing Emotions
5. Normalizing Conflict

Everything I do is in service of helping people to get along well, a most critical life skill, and the place the juice of life resides. I share tools for how to create effective personal and professional relationships, and how to sustain them.

Stewart Levine is the founder of ResolutionWorks, providing skills and ways of thinking needed to build strong collaborations. He has been resolving conflicts and coaching people in collaboration for over forty years.

His book Getting to Resolution: Turning Conflict into Collaboration was endorsed by Dr. Stephen Covey; featured in The Futurist magazine and was a finalist for the Center for Public Resources book of the year. The Book of Agreement has been called more practical than the classic Getting to Yes. He co-authored Collaboration 2.0 and Curated and Edited The Best Lawyer You Can Be: A Guide to Physical, Mental, Emotional and Spiritual Wellbeing, published by The American Bar Association.

Stewart is an Honors graduate of Rutgers Law School; served as a Deputy Attorney General for the State of New Jersey and was a Law and Humanities Fellow at Temple Law School. He served as an adjunct member of the faculty at the University of California Berkeley Law School. He delivered workshops at the Esalen Institute from 1995 to 1999. This year he will publish a large volume of poetry. StewartLLevine; Pilgrims Path

Letting Go of Anxiety
Can you build your centering muscles? In her talk, Dr. Victoria Maizes will help you build the skills to address the “oh so common” experience of anxiety. She will explore mind-body practices, imagery, music, supplements and much more. Expect to learn at least one new way to address your emotional health!

Nourishing Your Health by Living Green
Modern life exposes us to chemicals that subtly or profoundly impact our health.  We absorb toxins in the food we eat, the beverages we drink, the containers they come in, the personal care products that we put on our skin, and the sprays we use in and around our homes. Mounting evidence links environmental toxins to developmental disorders, obesity, heart disease, cancer, and neurodegenerative changes. Dr. Victoria Maizes addresses the evidence for harm, the steps we can take to reduce exposures, and the multitude of resources that can help nourish our own health and that of future generations.

Vibrantly Healthy Women
Questions about women’s health and well-being frequently arise in an integrative health practice. Hormones, bone density, and weight management are common concerns. Dr. Victoria Maizes, an internationally recognized women’s health expert will address the science that supports women in their efforts to live vibrantly healthy lives.

Victoria Maizes, MD, is Executive Director of the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine and a Professor of Medicine, Family Medicine and Public Health at the University of Arizona. Internationally recognized as a leader in integrative medicine, Dr. Maizes is committed to helping individuals live healthier lives and pioneering change efforts that solve health care system problems. A highly sought-after speaker, Dr. Maizes lectures worldwide on integrative medical education, women’s health, pain management, environmental issues, healthy aging, nutrition, and cancer. She co-edited the Oxford University textbook Integrative Women’s Health and is the author of Be Fruitful: The Essential Guide to Maximizing Fertility and Giving Birth to a Healthy Child.  Together with Dr. Andrew Weil, she co-hosts the popular podcast Body of Wonder. www.integrativemedicine.arizona.edu

Cultivating Purpose, Meaning and Action
In these past and present years of immense new challenges, we are asked to reimagine what is possible and called to create new paths forward. How might we compost and catalyze new opportunities from the crises of the past several years and reroot them into possibilities for personal growth and flourishing?

Utilizing lessons from the practices of gardener, we identify what it is we want to grow within ourselves, our communities and the world. This workshop encourages us to develop rigorous practices of intention setting, tending and cultivation to bring our visions into being. Through a series of visualizations, reflections and planning exercises we emerge with a clearer sense of our core purpose and the paths we can (and should) pursue.

This workshop utilizes poetry and meditation to bring about deeper states of seeing and knowing—all within a pragmatic framework that emphasizes a bias for action: How might we seed and grow a culture of vibrant and successful collaboration, advancing us towards our goals of living sustainable, resilient and fulfilled lives? Participants emerge from this session with a clearer sense of personal purpose and direction and the next steps we should take to realize our visions.

Mindful Gardening: Soil to Soul with Sylvia Boorstein
There is ample and growing clinical evidence that spending mindful time in nature is a healing balm for the mind and soul. With uncertainty, danger and anxiety rising in our lives and culture , it’s time to ‘get back to our gardens’—to discover our sanctuaries for healing and well-being.

This workshop offers activities, exercises, and examples of ways we can ‘garden’ health and well-being in our own lives and in those of our parents, children and friends. Participants will learn to establish and maintain a mindful garden practice (both real and metaphorical) that will serve as a source of joy, resilience and encouragement.

Drawing on deep ecology, systems science and Buddhist psychology, participants learn to integrate ancient and cutting-edge garden and mindfulness practices that deliver states of equanimity known to the Greeks as ataraxia. This garden-rooted mindset can boost the immune system, expand courage and open a greater sense of hope and possibility.

Becoming a More Enlightened Eater
What does it mean to be an “enlightened eater”? This workshop, based on a highly popular UC Berkeley course, guides participants to examine their relationship to food and eating as a means of developing “food-systems intelligence”. We examine our personal values and habits and how they manifest in our conscious and unconscious choices and actions—and how these actions collectively impact the greater whole of the food system–climate, health and social justice. We learn about “leverage points” and transparency (or lack thereof) in food systems and ways our own conscious actions can accrue to make a meaningful difference during our lifetimes.

Our work together helps participants make easy and accessible shifts from a “me” orientation around food, to a “we-centric” mindset. Participants develop greater consciousness and a deeper understanding of ways to ethically grow, procure, cook, share and eat our meals. As an output of this workshop, participants will develop a concise and actionable plan for ways we can shift our shopping, cooking and eating habits to create healthier, sustainable and equitable food systems—actions that respond to the most urgent challenges of our time.

Ideagardening: How to Transform Your Idea into a Purpose-Driven Business
Are you thinking about a new calling, business idea or side hustle? What are the steps and paths one takes to turn passion and skills and a new idea into reality? In this workshop, participants learn the best practices of “ideagardening”, a proven process for transforming purpose into possibility. Many people are walking around with seeds of possibility in their minds, but don’t know how to act on them; they find the process of entrepreneurial implementation a complete mystery. Ideagardening draws on nature’s principles and applies lessons in practical terms to entrepreneurial practice, helping creators and innovators find their way through a dynamic, confusing, risky and competitive process. Ideagardening will help you align your passion and purpose with a sizable unmet need in the marketplace. This workshop will also help you discern between an interesting hobby and a viable business—“derisking” your idea in ways that dramatically improve your likelihood of success.

Recipient of the 2010 Oslo Business for Peace Award, William Rosenzweig is an internationally recognized entrepreneur, educator, and avid gardener. His acceptance speech for the Business for Peace award explains Will’s philosophy for creating a successful business; it starts with nurturing the conditions and culture that make collaboration and the generation of ideas into goals possible and sustainable. Will has spent over 25 years cultivating thriving startups and mentoring mission-driven entrepreneurs worldwide. Will serves as a Senior Advisor to Generation Investment Management, a public and growth equity practice chaired by Al Gore. Will was founding CEO (and Minister of Progress) of The Republic of Tea and co-author of The Republic of Tea: How an Idea Becomes a Business, named one of the 100 Best Business Books of All Time. Will has served on the professional faculty of the Haas School of Business at UC, Berkeley, since 1999, where he is a Social Impact Fellow and teaches food systems transformation through courses such as Plant Futures, Food Innovation Studio and Edible Education with Alice Waters. He also recently developed an entrepreneurship course for regenerative farmers in collaboration with Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture.

6 Days with Hiroki (Matt Brewster, Salvatore Manalo)

Summary/workshop description: Music is a bit of magic, and songwriting is a science. To demystify the process of what makes a song work, let’s take a deep dive into the process from start to finish. We’ll take a look at all the working parts; from melody and harmony to structure and form. Follow us as we collaboratively create a song and record it. Whether you’re an aspiring songwriter or a music enthusiast, we’ll discover what we’d like to say to ourselves or to the world through a laid-back songwriting experience.

The topics we are going to discuss include, but are not limited to the following:
Form
Chords
Lyrical Content/Subject
Approach
Solid Hook
Rhyme Scheme
Feeling/ Major or Minor
Tempo
Rhythm
Dynamics
Space
Tension/ Release
Harmony/Melody
Time
Groove
Music as a Language

Day 1: Introductions/Demonstration/Analysis
Day 2: What makes a Song?
Day 3: Writing Preparation – Music
Day 4: Writing
Day 5: Refinement
Day 6: Recording and Performing

Led by the AAPI duo of Salvatore Manalo and Matt Brewster, Hiroki is a band from Portland, Oregon, focused heavily on grooves, good vibes, and quality music. Although the two have different musical backgrounds, the work together seamlessly to write, record, and produce every song. Each of them brings their own personal flavor to the sweet recipe of soul, and the result is something smooth, something tasty, and something undeniably enjoyable.