Pulse - Celebrating Black History Month

Best known for his highly energetic performances as lead vocalist/multi-instrumentalist of Saratoga Springs’ Soul Session, Nelson designed the six educational workshops, which began Jan. 22 and run through Feb. 20, to invite and encourage audience participation. He hopes to engage both children and adults with sing-along materials, audio-visual examples, and historical context.

While planning “Shout It Out,” Nelson proposed to cover three major areas: the African-Slave component, Freedom Songs, and The Blues and Beyond.

“I wanted to backtrack to Africa. By exploring the nooks and crannies along the way, I wanted people to see how things evolved,” he said.

Nelson believes the first workshop, which took place on Tuesday at the Gavin Park Community Room, went very well. He said he’ll vary every workshop, but intends to focus on some central themes such as religious implications of the music, and the music’s connection with hope.

Nelson said he likes to keep folks up and moving with a lot of singing and dancing. He has also allotted time for demonstrations by Master Percussionist Brian Melick and pianist/composer Elizabeth Woodbury.

“Without the core of the Black American musical tradition, American music, as we know it to be, would not exist.” he said.

Each of the workshops will be recorded and downloadable for community use. Nelson’s goals for the program include establishing a web site for materials and resources, and sowing the seeds for a continuous vocal community in the Spa City and the entire Capital Region.

Saratoga Springs Visitor Center Heritage Educator Mary-Jane Rau Pelzer believes the workshops will be very popular because they’re fun and interactive. Pelzer said folks will want to make sure they attend because as of now “Shout It Out” is only scheduled to be a one time program.

“Garland is very passionate about the program. He’ll be phenomenal,” she said. “This is a fun way for people to broaden their horizons, and it’s a wonderful opportunity to get up close and personnel with a professional performer.”

All of the “Shout It Out” workshops are free and open to the public. This program is sponsored by The Visitor Center, and funded by a grant from the New York State Council on the Arts through the Saratoga County Program for Arts Funding.

For more information about the program, call 587-3241 or 888-344-7685, or visit www.myspace.com/soulsessionband.