Master Classes
Janis Ian has given master classes in both conventional and unconventional settings including Berklee College of Music, UCLA, the Chino Correctional Facility, and festivals such as the Philadelphia Folk Festival, Gamble Rogers Festival, Lyons Folk Festival, and Falcon Ridge, to name a few.
Her two to three hour presentation includes live performances, her take on the history of music ("From the caveman to syphilis and its effect on the arts") and personal anecdotes based on Ian's three decades of experience as a writer, performer and businessperson, followed by an open-ended "shoot from the hip" Q&A section.
Topics covered include the fundamentals of performing, tricks of the trade, the deconstruction of a song, business do's and don'ts, how to nurture your creativity, what not to do, and much more.
A professional, published singer/ songwriter since the age of 13, Janis Ian has made 22 major-label-release albums and had her songs recorded by an extremely diverse group of artists, including Hugh Masakela, Bette Midler, Chet Atkins, John Mellencamp, Roberta Flack and Cher. In addition to her stellar career in music (9 Grammy nominations and 2 Grammy awards to her credit), Ian trained for a decade under noted acting teacher Stella Adler. She also spent years studying her craft as an artist with Nina Foch, Jose Quintero, and Chao Shao Lin of the Peking Opera company, as well as with Dora Krannig of the Royal Ballet.
Berklee College calls Ian's class "An open-ended, free-wheeling graduate level seminar featuring one of the best live performances we've ever seen. Bring your questions and a hearty appetite for knowledge!"
Says Janis: "I love doing master classes, even though it uses the same amount of time and energy as a regular show. I always encourage presenters and promoters to ask my agent whether it's possible to do one the day after a concert, and we work with them financially to make it feasible. I didn't have much mentoring until my mid-thirties; now I'm trying to utilize what I was taught, and pass it on!"
Janis Ian presented one of the most powerful and compelling clinics on music, artistry, creativity, commerce, and life that we have ever had at Berklee. She is an extremely intelligent and honest musician who manages to inspire while not varnishing over the hard realities of a life as an artist -- and the whole package is wrapped in compassion. I was touched and I know our students were as well.
Roger Brown, President Berklee College of Music
Janis Ian gives the finest Master Class I've ever seen. She brings so much to bear -- intelligence, savvy, craft, experience and wisdom, mixing them all in a practical package, all couched in the bigger picture of what it is to be a true artist. She certainly is, and communicates her artistry with style and grace. A national treasure.
Pat Pattison, Professor Berklee College of Music, author of Writing Better Lyrics
If teaching about artistry..... seeking it.... finding it ... nurturing it ... recognizing it's importance - or even just being drawn in enough to even consider what it means - has a spirit guide, it is Janis. Her own humanity and thoughtfully introspective sharing provided a safe place for students to seek new ground and attempt to reconcile the obvious and the unknown.
Carl Beatty, Chief of Staff
Berklee College of Music
