SoCA ‘Shops is a new initiative designed to provide workshops that focus on new skills, knowledge, career training, or artist talks.
All workshops are open to all students across SoCA.
Undergraduate students in SoCA programs who attend at least 4 SoCA ‘Shops are eligible to get a 3% bonus credit for their final grade in their choice of one qualifying course.
SoCA 'Shops Schedule
Alain Lefevre – Piano performance masterclass - COMPLETED
What Works? - What is an Executive Director (with Stephanie Barnhard and Teajai Travis) - COMPLETED
Tina Rouhandeh – Artist Talk - CANCELLED
Dr. Nicholas Papador – Vessels of Song: a Klezmer Workshop
Join Dr. Nicholas Papador in a workshop to learn the basic materials of klezmer music, a wonderful variant of eastern European folk music that underwent a diasporic evolution in early twentieth-century North America when emigrating musicians began to fuse their repertoire with early jazz, theatre, and popular music. In this hands-on session, attendees will learn about the scales, rhythms and song forms commonly used in the genre and will learn a classic klezmer tune by the end of the hour. Bring your instrument, voice, or drum. Beginners or experts, all SoCA students are invited!
Prior to the workshop at noon, Dr. Papador will play two klezmer medleys with SoCA students and alumni and talking about his forthcoming book, Vessels of Song: A Collection of Klezmer Suites for Mallet Ensemble.
Friday, September 29th, 2023, 1:00pm
Ensemble Room, B22 Armouries
Artist Talk - Channel Surfing: Melanie Janisse and Richard Storms
Tuesday, October 3, 2023, 10:30am to 11:15am
Gallery, Room 101, Armouries
Trevor Pittman – An introduction to microphones, speakers and analog sound boards
Wednesday, Oct. 4, 11:30am to 1:00pm
AW 107, Multimedia Studio
The Art of Selling: Setting yourself up as an entrepreneur
Presenters: Paul Brereton, Layan Barakat, EPICentre
This workshop will be presented in a quiz-style format, allowing students to see that being a freelancer or selling their art online are all forms of entrepreneurship. Paul will dive into the preliminary stages of starting and positioning yourself as a business owner. Layan will talk about turning your social media presence into a recognizable brand, using examples of artists that have come through EPICentre.
Paul Brereton, Automobility and IP Program Coordinator, EPICentre, holds an MBA from The University of Windsor and works with entrepreneurs to promote growth and inclusivity in emerging technologies. Paul believes that putting resources and know-how into the hands of entrepreneurs is the key to innovation; with far reaching advantages. As a founder/CEO of a Windsor-based data analytics firm, Paul has first-hand experience using entrepreneurship principals to build a stronger, more innovative community. He is excited to share his skills and experience with future generations of entrepreneurs.
Layan Barakat, Marketing Administrative Coordinator, EPICentre, is a proud University of Windsor graduate with a B.A in Communication, Media, and Film Studies and a St.Clair College Converged Journalism graduate. Throughout her academic and professional career, Layan has gained experience in various fields, including marketing advertising, print journalism, broadcast journalism, event planning, and public relations. Her work has been featured in local and national publications, including The DRIVE magazine, Women of Windsor magazine, and various online magazines as a correspondent for Toronto Fashion Week. Notably, her marketing strategies have reached an impressive global audience of approximately 1.5 million viewers with her online presence.
Wednesday, Oct. 25, 12:00pm
Classroom 2, Room B31 Armouries
The Basics of Business Finance
Presenter: Wen Teoh, EPICentre
This workshop will cover the financial basics of operating a small business – What are revenues? What are expenses? How do I know if my business makes a profit or not? Students will be able to learn the basics of business finance through this workshop.
Wednesday, Nov. 1, 12:00pm
Classroom 2, Room B31 Armouries
Jeanne Moore – Exhibition planning and curating
Wednesday, November 8th, 2023, 12pm to 1pm.
Classroom 2, Room B31 Armouries
Brent Lee – Writing an Effective Arts Council Application
This workshop will address the central aspects of writing an effective arts council application, from strategies for understanding arts funding initiatives to putting together a compelling application. Participants will design an art project in their own discipline and receive feedback on their ideas.
Brent Lee is the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies in the Faculty of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences and a faculty member in the School of Creative Arts. He has submitted more than two dozen successful applications to various funding agencies and has served as an adjudicator for the Canada Council, the Ontario Arts Council, and the Manitoba Arts Council.
Wednesday, November 15th, 2023, 11:30am
Classroom 2, Armouries Room B31
Maestro Robert Franz Masterclass
Wednesday, Nov. 15th, 7:00pm
Performance Hall, Room 132 Armouries
Michelle Macarthur - Arts Criticism
As fine arts students, learning to speak and write critically about art benefits our academic work, enhances our creative practice, and enriches our engagement as audience members. This hands-on workshop will provide participants across creative disciplines with the tools to produce criticism for a variety of platforms–from newspapers to TikTok. Together, we will explore a wide range of reviews and try our hand at producing short examples of our own original criticism.
Dr. Michelle MacArthur is Associate Professor in the School of Dramatic Art. Her research focuses on the changing state of theatre criticism in Canada in light of the ubiquity of digital and social media and activism surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the arts. This scholarly work informs her pedagogy as an instructor of theatre criticism and her creative practice as an editor and occasional theatre reviewer.
Thursday, Nov. 16, 2:30pm
Performance Hall, Room 132, Armouries
Nick Hector - Fundamentals of Video Editing
Wednesday, Nov. 22, 11:30am
Classroom 2, Armouries Room B31
Sigi Torinus - AI for Creatives
Wednesday, Nov. 29, 12:00pm
Classroom 2, Armouries Room B31
More 'Shops coming soon!
Do you have a idea or request for a SoCA 'Shops topic? Email tpittman@uwindsor.ca to request a new 'Shop.
Extra Credit
If a SoCA student attends four or more SoCA 'Shops, they qualify for receiving 3% extra credit added to their final grade in any single course taught by one of the following instructors:
Any music private lessons course
Sally Bick
Nick Hector
Robert Fazecash
Bruce Kotowich
Catherine Heard
Jennifer Willet
Karen Engle
Bernadette Berthelotte
Lisa Baggio
Kim Nelson
Lee Rodney
Mike Seguin
Jason Grossi
Mike Stasko
Alejandro Tamayo