Personal guidance
Full attention for every participant
Innovative materials
See improvisation from a completely new perspective
Expert
More than 25 years of experience guiding musicians
Registered course
The course meets CRKBO quality standards
Who is it for?
The impro week 'Song, Soul and Bliss' is intended for everyone who wants to learn to improvise through singing from the heart. Do you long to be able to join in when a group of singers are improvising together? Do you long for joyful, carefree singing together? Would you like to feel free during your improvisation, as if you're flying? Then this impro week might be perfect for you.
Together with singers Eleonora, Ineke and Marietta
I give the impro week 'Song, Soul and Bliss' together with singers Eleonora Slok, Ineke ter Hedde and Marietta Rust.
The four of us approach music, singing and improvisation each from a slightly different perspective. This means we complement each other. And so a very rich palette of vocal forms, learning opportunities and new experiences can emerge.
Ineke is especially great at helping you improve your voice technically in an effortless way. She is the master of the 'voice scan': she listens very carefully to your voice as it sounds now, and then gives you a few tips in an inimitable way that make your voice sound much more beautiful and effortless in an instant.
Marietta's speciality is: uncomplicated, effortless, enjoyable singing together. She picks up her guitar, strikes a few chords, starts singing, and does it in such an inviting way that everyone present naturally starts singing along...! Her magic is, I think, her aura, the enormous number of songs she knows by heart, and her beautiful voice. She teaches you the lyrics quickly; and of course you can then improvise to your heart's content on every song. She might also take us into body percussion, or bring out the tambourine, to 'wake up your aura'. Party!
Eleonora has made a deep impression on me with her 'soul singing' workshops. She takes you into a kind of meditation, brings you deeply in contact with your soul, and then lets you make sounds, sing, experience from that place... This versatile woman is also a yoga teacher and dancer. So there's every chance she'll take us through some yoga exercises, specially aimed at effortless singing. And who knows, under her guidance we might explore how dance and movement can enrich your singing...
Robijn will take you into tonediving with your voice, or vocal tonediving: a beautiful starting point to improvise further with your voice. Intuitive singing at the piano is also one of her specialities. Through her piano playing she inspires you to bring never-suspected sides of your musicality to sound. And then she has a folder full of songs that we can sing at the piano, and then improvise extensively on: duets can emerge, or solos, or we sing with the whole group. In the moment itself, what wants to sound unfolds...
Before you start the impro week...
The impro week 'Song, Soul and Bliss' is accessible in nature. Everyone who longs to sing for a week is welcome! You don't need any specific singing experience. During the week we'll gradually guide you towards using your voice in an increasingly 'listening', sensitive, intense way. Then it naturally becomes richer in sound, purer, more beautiful... Every person has a unique voice, and we would love to help you let your voice sound effortlessly, naturally, from your heart!
When?
From Thursday September 17 to Wednesday September 23, 2026, the impro week takes place.
We start Thursday at 1:00 PM with lunch (arrival from 12:30 PM).
We end Wednesday around 4:00 PM.
General programme
What is fixed are the start and end times of the impro week:
- Thursday there is arrival from 12:30 PM. From 1:00 PM we start with lunch.
- Wednesday around 4:00 PM we close and everyone heads home.
How the impro week will take shape is partly determined by you as participants. The weather also plays a role: for example, if it's rainy with occasional sunny moments, we plan it so that we can improvise outside during those sunny moments. The impro week is allowed to take shape organically, in the moment.
Per day you can roughly expect:
- roughly three blocks of about two hours of improvisation workshop 'Song, Soul and Bliss'; alternately given by the four different teachers
- a block of time to fill as you choose (think of: time to let things sink in / improvise informally, individually or in small groups / walk / cycle / swim / enjoy the sunshine / rest).
Generally we take a short three-minute break every hour, and a longer break every two hours. But we can deviate from this depending on your wishes and your 'absorption capacity' ('Can you continue or are you ready for a break?')
At the beginning of the impro week everyone can make a wish: something you'd like to learn or experience. We aim for all your wishes to be fulfilled by the end of the impro week...!
What does it cost?
Cost
The cost for the impro week 'Song, Soul and Bliss', including all workshops, 6x breakfast, 7x lunch, 6x dinner, continuous coffee and tea, optional 6x overnight stay, and including my improvisation book Tonediving, is € 995. The Improvisation Academy is accredited by the CRKBO and is therefore exempt from VAT.
Discount?
If you really want to join the impro week 'Song, Soul and Bliss' but cannot afford it, please contact us. If it's truly your dream, we believe that cost should not be an obstacle to realizing your dream...!
More information and registration
Does the impro week 'Song, Soul and Bliss' appeal to you and would you like to sign up? Click here.
If you're thinking: 'An impro week like this might be something for me, but I'm not sure, I still have some questions,' please email your questions to robijntilanus@gmail.com. Always include your phone number in your email: Robijn may call you back or leave a message, if she feels that's the best way to respond.
Sign upFAQ
Absolutely! It's especially great if you play an instrument and want to bring it! If desired, we can hold an extra workshop for those who want it: 'singing and making music simultaneously'.
The location is: Dorpsstraat 39, Uffelte, South-West Drenthe, The Netherlands. A beautiful farmhouse on one hectare of land, a hundred meters from a stunning nature reserve with forest, heather, sand drifts, small pools and two dolmens.
The impro week is given in a small group (minimum eight, maximum fifteen people).
Yes, staying overnight is in principle included in the price at no extra cost. The accommodation capacity of our farmhouse is limited. If you want to be sure of a spot inside the farmhouse, sign up for the impro week in good time. If you have your own camper or tent: you're very welcome! You may use a spot on our beautiful grounds free of charge; there is plenty of room. In the farmhouse, expect basic comfort, not a luxury hotel. We ask you to bring your own bottom sheet (or sleeping bag liner), pillowcase and duvet cover. The farmhouse has two bathrooms that we share. Of course you can also choose to sleep at a B&B or small hotel nearby if you want more comfort. Or perhaps you know someone near Uffelte where you can stay…? That would be lovely 🙂 Together we'll make sure everyone finds a nice place to sleep 🙂
Uffelte is located in the south-west corner of Drenthe. From the Randstad it's roughly an hour and a half by car, depending on your starting point. If you come by train, go to Meppel station. From there take bus 28 towards Dwingeloo. After about fifteen minutes get off at the Anserweg stop in Uffelte (Note: do NOT take the Dorpsstraat stop in Uffelte, as it's much further to walk. Also do NOT take the Dorpsstraat stop in Havelte, as that's the wrong village). From the Anserweg stop it's about a ten-minute walk to Dorpsstraat 39.
Absolutely! Please let us know your dietary requirements well in advance by email.