Wanna Yodel with Bek Coogan

What I am asking for:

Funding for the New Zealand flights to attend 3 Days of intensive and specialised Vocal/Yodelling, 31 August- 2 September, 2018 in the Friulian Mountains. Val Aupa, Dordolla, Italy, with the renowned and experienced Austrian musician, composer and passionate yodeller Ingrid Schmoliner.

Why these workshops in particular ?

Firstly, you should have seen how far my jaw dropped when I discovered them. It is the opportunity to work with Ingrid specifically, and her special approach to yodeling, in the ACTUAL mountains, that blows my mind. Finding these workshops also has helped me articulate the other, deeper reasons why I am called to Yodel.

"On the basis of different yodels, we will work on intimacy/ flexibility/resonance and personal expression with the voice, The limited number of participants (max. 8 people) guarantees an intensive encounter with a special type of singing, in a special place...More and more people are discovering yodelling for themselves, and are fascinated by its power, urgency, and naturalness. Alternating between the strong chest and belly tones, and the fine head voice has a liberating and grounding effect on the entire body." (Ingrid Schmoliener)

To do this workshop would be a dream come true. The 'yodel coma' to quote the Topp Twins is a real thing, (I'll describe this a bit more later ! - I should check in with the Topps what their version of this feels like ! ). To be able to Yodel, and learn more about yodelling and its different forms, in the mountains themselves is a pretty fierce dream goal.

Bit of a backstory, plus the chance to talk about some heroes...

Last year in May, (Thanks to Sian Torrington and Kirsty Porter), I did a solo SHEVILLE gig/performance, (with crowd participation and some local guest stars The Brazen Hussies), at the opening of the Topp Twins exhibition at Te Manawa, Palmerston North (the first opening of their current touring NZ exhibition). This sparked a very real obsession with learning how to yodel. My dream would have been to do some tribute yodeling at the show. But as I have found, it is a really hard art form. You-Tube wasn't all that helpful, and I didn't get to bust out a yodel at all. I did manage to sidle up to Jools Topp for some advice, "Jools, how do you yodel?" She said with a kind of cheeky grin, "just feel it". She must have known I'd go home and sound like a stranded bull.

Later on in a Radio New Zealand Interview I heard the Topp Twins say it actually took them about 5 years to figure out yodeling. Deeper reasons, - there are always deeper reasons...Now a year later, still trying to teach myself, I have managed to find the 'break' in my voice, and still mostly sound like a stranded bull, yet I'm feeling it more than ever.

The more I explore the voice body connection, the more I realize that there are other reasons pushing me in this direction. How do we re:connect with nature, earth, ourselves..? And what gets in the way..? And "how to consciously perceive and resonate with surrounding spaces?" (Ingrid Schomeliner).

I attempted to explore some of these ideas last year in an open, experimental public yodeling work-shop/art performance, I ran as part of the Pyramid Club (Wgtn) P-Lab lecture series. This workshop was the very beginning and raw exploration of the relationship between, the larynx, vagina and ovaries, and sacred architecture of spaces of churches, and the not so sacred sites of neo-liberal economically influenced architecture.

What I will bring back/what I will learn...

Singing, art and performing is something that has/is always important to me, and this is a chance to learn more about forms of vocalising and roles of music that exist outside of performing. Learning itself also means teaching and sharing. I see yodelling as an educational space. We have a lot to learn from our bodies, and nature. I see this project as a commitment to future workshops, future performances, future art works, future learning, within our own special, place and space of Aotearoa.

Acknowlegdments and 'the work'...

I would like to acknowledge the vocalisng Workshops I have participated in here in Aotearoa, led by Sylvia Rands, (Ak, NZ,). Sylvia planted the ideas of the interconnectedness of the body parts in singing. These workshops have also provided the basis of body vocal work that I have been practicing with Erika Grant and others here in Wellington over the last few months.

I would be very humbled to receive support from my wider art and music, political, family, communites, either through donations or even just the act of passing on this campaign, means a lot. I am thankful also to Boosted, and look forward to being able to share the discoveries of this quest, on the Boosted platform.

Let's feel it..!

Kia ora ra!

Bek Coogan - from the flat and mighty Manawatu. 15.7.2018