Programs and Workshops
Welcome to Heshima Moja’s curated programs, where each offering is a unique fusion of sound, culture, and artistry.
Offerings: (As educator/clinician) for public and private organizations, educational residencies in private and public schools and universities as well as Music industry events functions).
Music as Language workshops: This workshop explores how music mirrors the linguistic patterns of people involved in the act of making music. This leads us to explore the issues of authenticity as a creative. It begs us to ask the questions: a. “What is the role of social/cultural context in the process of musical creation? b. “How do we authentically honor and engage with art forms whose cultural foundation is clearly outside of the scope of our own lived experiences while seeking to fuse our voice within the context of this art”. c. “How do we navigate the delicate nuances of preserving the artistic integrity of musical/artistic expression while allowing for the natural evolution of the language that any respective art form employs in the creation of new works?” This workshop explores the intersections of anthropology, ethnography, sociolinguistics, linguistic anthropology, ethnomusicology, and history.
Where words fail: Creating a New Language for Human Connections: This workshop delves into the ways that we can employ the language of jazz improvisation and improvisation employed in other musical forms to redirect our thinking around conflict to focus on the formation of genuine human connections. The workshop first explores basic improvisational devices employed regularly by improvising musicians to provide tools for participants to engage in scenario-based exercises in part II of the workshop. Part II focuses on placing participants in small groups to engage in various scenarios that challenge each person to access emotions and feelings without the use of words. During these exercises, participants learn to rely on observation of each other’s body language, and non-verbal cues, and then employ musical/non-verbal responses to communicate understanding, caring, and empathy, and to understand a deeper understanding of the various ways that humans experience and express themselves in relation to their lived experiences.
Developing improvisational language: While this workshop is rooted in jazz improvisation, all levels of musicians; from absolute beginners in the improvisational process to those with a strong foundation in improvisational techniques are welcome to join. In this workshop, we will look at music ranging from the blues to bebop and beyond to contextualize what we are learning.
Ensemble Workshops: Heshima will work with ensembles ranging from middle school to university level. The ensembles focus on three main areas. A. Rhythm section and it’s role in the ensemble B. Understanding how to create dynamic performance C. Shaping a band: the non-musical aspects of making great music. (This workshop is scaled to meet the needs of bands at varying degrees of development.)
From the Bottom Up: Bass Masterclasses: Heshima offers a variety of masterclasses for electric bassists: A. Development of fundamental technics for beginner to intermediate bassists B. Understanding your role in any ensemble: Focusing on understanding and developing a self-paced curriculum to develop into the bassists that people want to hire C. Finding Your Voice as a musician: This masterclass focuses exclusively on the issues related to determining your musical direction and voice through reflection, group discussions, and exploration of individual goals for your career. D. Advanced techniques for bassists.
Group Vocal/Choral Workshops: This workshop focuses on three main areas. A. Vocal care/maintenance (practice regiments, dietary considerations for singers, breathwork, protecting the instrument from wear and tear, etc)B. Developing as an ensemble vocalist (listening, blend, dynamics, etc) C. Vocal Arrangement(ear training, basic theory, how to approach vocal arrangement that is appropriate for your specific ensemble based on experience and size)
Artist Retreat (1 or 2 days): This retreat is meant to address the artistic life from a holistic perspective. Physical, emotional, and spiritual wellness are addressed in this workshop which can be tailored to a 1- or 2-day schedule. Classes range from financial planning, diet, fitness for artists, setting career goals, assessing where you are to determine how to get where you want to go, developing regiments that support your career goals, developing and maintaining a healthy work-life balance, developing a self-care practice, meditation as a tool for focus and to address anxiety or depression, addressing limiting and harmful belief systems to achieve success. These retreats feature several facilitators in addition to Heshima. Offerings are available based on the length of the retreat that one chooses to attend. Individual or packages of modules can be programmed for small groups and organizations based on the needs of a client group.
Meditation Workshops: Heshima currently offers several different workshops centered around meditation. He currently offers small (2-10 people) and larger groups (maximum 25) meditation trainings. These workshops are available to private sector corporations as well as public groups/organizations to address issues of anxiety and stress related to professional expectations, team building, conflict resolution, and addressing trauma at the cellular level.
Sonic Sessions: Using the Power of sound for healing a range of issues, Heshima draws upon years of training with sonic healing practitioners from a wide and varied range of cultural/national/ethnic backgrounds to facilitate Sonic Healing sessions ranging from nervous system reset/vagal work to unraveling emotional and physical blockages in the mind and body to improve quality of life. Heshima utilizes several different tools ranging from brass and quartz crystal bowls, healing vocalizations, mantra work, ambient composition, and various ethnic percussion instruments (depending on what is called for in each respective session) to address the range of concerns that participants can arrive with. Sound is used to assist participants in reconnecting with their bodies and to re-align body, mind, and breath to experience remembrance of wholeness (our natural state of being).
Songwriting/Composition as Storytelling: Our original purpose for singing songs and playing music prior to the existence of a “music industry”, was based on ritual. From the parlors and pubs to the villages where people gathered around the sacred fires, mankind has been telling stories and reciting the histories for thousands of years and music has always been the soundtrack to those histories. African griots, Indigenous elders, Irish bards; every culture has some form of storyteller. As mankind has moved away from the community-centered life to the highly individualized life, it is easy to lose that strong sense of communal ritual. Over time, and for a myriad of reasons, mankind in many places deemed “first world”, has lost the ability to listen to stories and to tell their own stories. This workshop focuses on the power of storytelling in song. Together we will explore stories, myths, and legends that are a part of who we are and translate them into songs and compositions that remind us. And as we craft our sonic stories, we reconnect with the ability to tell those stories to others; to heal, to uplift, and to inspire.