Workshops for Emerging Artists
Khelsey is excited to offer a variety of workshops and masterclasses designed for college students, music departments, and young professionals. These offerings pull back the curtain on artistic programming, career growth, and performance practice, with the goal of helping make a music career easier to navigate. All workshops are tailored to meet the needs of each institution.
Workshop Topic
Career Growth
These workshops are designed to equip college students and young musicians with the tools and confidence needed to navigate today’s professional landscape. Rooted in real-world experience across performance, arts administration, and community engagement, each workshop blends practical strategy with honest conversation about what it truly takes to build a sustainable career in the arts.
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Creating a career that defies your expectations
Music students often wonder what’s next; what opportunities will be waiting for them once they finish their studies and become a professional. In this workshop, Khelsey discusses how to create a diverse and meaningful career by drawing from her experiences as a working musician. Career avenues explored include chamber music performance, collaboration, teaching, arranging, administration, and the unexpected opportunities along the way. Topics include finding freelance and teaching opportunities, building a full career from multiple income streams, expanding musical skills, building relationships, and self-promotion.
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Lessons from sold out shows, shut downs, and everything in between
Being a chamber musician is more than just playing the notes and working with others. In this workshop, Khelsey draws from her experiences in multiple chamber ensembles to explore the ins and outs of forming a chamber ensemble and creating a meaningful and sustainable career. Going beyond performance alone, topics include starting a non-profit versus for-profit organization, exploring roles and responsibilities for each member, creating a shared mission and vision, collaboration tips, and entrepreneurship.
Workshop Topic
Programming
These workshops are designed for musicians who want to deepen their understanding of collaboration both artistically and within the communities they serve. Participants will explore how meaningful collaboration can strengthen creative work, expand audience engagement, and build lasting impact.Sessions focus on developing effective communication skills, navigating artistic partnership dynamics, and designing programs that reflect the communities’ priorities. Musicians are guided in thinking beyond performance alone, considering representation, access, equity, and intentional relationship-building as essential components of their work.
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How to use collaboration to create unique and interesting performances
Drawing from her multi-genre projects in concert halls and community areas alike, Khelsey shares how to collaborate with artists and organizations such as poets, authors, museums, and non profits authentically. Through topics including identifying partners and their needs, blending different art styles and identities, building relationships, navigating budgets, and blending audiences, attendees will leave with a real understanding of how to make a successful and fruitful collaboration.
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Creating concerts that meet people where they are
“How do we engage audiences?” Many organizations are asking this question, hoping to bring more diverse audiences to the concert hall with varying success. In this workshop, Khelsey explores how intentional program curation can reach communities and draw bigger and more diverse audiences. Topics include thoughtful and intentional community engagement, equitable representation, partner led collaboration, and public speaking.
Workshop Topic
Performance Practice
These workshops are designed to help musicians connect technical preparation with artistic intention. These sessions move beyond accuracy and into deeper musical understanding, encouraging participants to explore different genres on their instrument and expand their stylistic fluency. Musicians will also gain practical tools for practicing away from the instrument—sharpening listening skills, score study habits, and mental preparation techniques. The goal is to cultivate performances that are not only polished, but versatile, thoughtful, and musically compelling.
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Mastering the art of playing in the moment
“Do you want to improvise?” Many classical musicians would say “no thanks!”, but this workshop gets to the heart of those nerves and discusses why improvising is important to musical artistry and easier than one might think. Topics include exploring different genres on your instrument, tips on harmony, rhythm, and melody, practice tips away from the instrument.
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Khelsey will provide coachings for solo and chamber ensembles on personal repertoire, including rehearsal techniques, performance practice, practice tips, and encouragement to bring your full self to music making.