Arrival & Inn Check-in, Program Registration & Orientation, Shawnee Institute Campus Walk

Afternoon: INN CHECK-IN: Available from 4:00pm.

PROGRAM REGISTRATION: After you have your room assignment, come over to the Road Scholar desk in the lobby to register with the program staff. You’ll receive your arrival packet containing the most up-to-date schedule and program information that we’ll review during our orientation session. If you arrive late, please pick up your arrival packet from the front desk at the Inn.

Please be aware that program activities and scheduled times could change due to local circumstances. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding.

Dinner: Dinner is buffet style with an eclectic flair, offering a variety of selections including a vegetarian option and other healthy choices with fruits and vegetables from our own garden, as well as coffee, tea, and a delightful dessert.

Evening: ORIENTATION: We'll have an informative overview of the program to come plus an opportunity to meet the program staff and your fellow participants. We will review the schedule, cover responsibilities, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer any questions you may have.

We conclude the evening with an informal walk through the lovely Shawnee Institute campus.

You are about to embark on a musical adventure: reviving the Fred Waring Choral Workshop as you learn and perform some of Fred Waring's greatest hits. Fred Waring taught America how to sing through his glee club, recordings, radio shows broadcast exclusively from the Shawnee Playhouse, and television. Now it's your turn to be a part of Fred Waring's legacy. Road Scholar’s Fred Waring Choral Workshop is open to adults of all ages. While reading music is an advantage, it is not an absolute requirement, as you’ll learn the notes and turn them into music during intensive workshop sessions led by experts. The program culminates in a concert for the community.

Meals Included: Dinner

Fred Waring's Shawnee, Choral Workshop 1, Fred Waring's America Collection

Breakfast: Enjoy your choice of hot and/or cold breakfast selections from fruit to home-made granola, pancakes or French toast, a variety of breakfast meats, an omelette station, and more. Dine in the Shawnee Inn's River Room restaurant overlooking the lovely Shawnee Institute campus. In good weather, you may choose to dine on the verandah.

Morning: FIELD TRIP: Now it's time to see where Fred Waring did it all. We’ll explore the quaint little village of Shawnee on Delaware including the Shawnee Presbyterian Church, founded in 1752. In addition to Fred Waring’s resting place, you’ll see tombstones dating back to olden times. We’ll conclude at today’s Shawnee Playhouse, where Fred Waring broadcast his famous radio shows.

Lunch: Enjoy an outdoor BBQ lunch featuring grilled barbecue chicken, baked beans, corn on the cob, corn bread, salads, seasonal fruits, a vegetarian selection, and a coffee and dessert station. Dine at the River Sanctuary overlooking the scenic Delaware River.

Afternoon: Fred Waring organized his first choral workshop in 1947 at the Shawnee Inn. The vocalists he recruited learned to sing not only with enthusiasm and expressiveness, but precision, sensitivity, and a wholly American sound. When these singers returned home and shared what they had learned with fellow musicians, Fred Waring’s approach to choral music spread across the country. As his fame grew, he centered his musical activities here at the Inn, preparing and broadcasting his radio programs here throughout the 1950s. Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians — America’s first real “show choir” — sold millions of records.

CHORAL WORKSHOP 1: At various points during the program, you’ll work on technical vocalization, posture, and breathing; ensemble considerations such as matching vowels, blending, and listening skills; group and individual musicianship, intonation, and rhythmic integrity, and achieving artistry through phrasing.

Imagine yourself a member of Fred Waring's Glee Club with our first choral workshop session under the expert leadership of Midge McClosky, Executive Director of the Shawnee Playhouse, assisted by an outstanding rehearsal pianist and accompanist. A vocal performance major in college, Midge moved to New York City to attend the American Musical and Dramatic Academy's Integrated Musical Theatre Program and began a professional performing career that has taken her to 49 of the 50 states including recordings, television, film, and commercials. Midge is also Artistic Director of The Worthington Players and the creator of "River's Edge: The Shawnee Story" — an historical play complemented by music and photo footage.

Dinner: Enjoy a delightful array of local foods in a buffet featuring seasonal dishes, salads, a vegetarian option and other healthy choices, as well as coffee, tea, and a truly decadent dessert.

Evening: FRED WARING'S AMERICA: A COLLECTION OF MEMORIES. The Penn State University Archives contain historical memorabilia reflecting Fred Waring’s nearly seventy-year career as a band leader, choral conductor, glee club pioneer, music educator, entrepreneur, and renaissance man. As the guiding force behind his large musical organization, he and his musicians earned accolades from listeners and critics alike throughout a career that spanned much of the 20th century. We’ll view some of the kinescopes of Fred Waring’s weekly musical spectaculars on television, originating the show choir concept.

Lodging: Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast buffet in the River Room.

Morning: CHORAL WORKSHOP 2: Immerse yourself in another morning of vocal training and rehearsal with Midge McClosky in the Fred Waring way, using techniques he developed to prepare his singers for their performances — learning the notes, how to express them, and applying what you learn to our upcoming concert.

Lunch: Enjoy a delicious lunch buffet featuring a variety of wraps, lunch meats, salads, fresh seasonal vegetables, coffee, tea, and dessert station. Admire the trees with a casual walk, we will give you a booklet that will guide you in identifying the magnificent collection of trees on the Shawnee Institute campus.

Afternoon: STAGECRAFT WORKSHOP: Learn the keys to singing and performing in an ensemble just as the master himself taught it. This invigorating lesson will transport you back to the days when Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians would light up the Shawnee stage and delight audiences. Discover the secrets of the pros and take your turn at being a star while making the whole group shine.

Dinner: Dinner is buffet style with an eclectic flair, offering a variety of selections including a vegetarian option and other healthy choices with fruits and vegetables from our own garden, as well as coffee, tea and a delightful dessert.

Evening: EXTRACURRICULAR: Enjoy a lovely riverside concert, performed by one of our local groups. While listening to the music, let the Delaware River tantalize your senses in its passage through the Delaware Water Gap.

Lodging: Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Enjoy your choice of hot and/or cold breakfast from fruit to home-made granola, pancakes or French toast, a variety of breakfast meats, an omelette station, and more. Dine in the Shawnee Inn's River Room overlooking the lovely Shawnee Institute campus. In good weather, you may decide to dine on the verandah.

Morning: CHORAL WORKSHOP 3: Really get into the swing of things with your third choral session. Now that you know the songs and the music, practice to turn your knowledge into a skilled performance that would have made Fred proud.

Lunch: Your free afternoon begins with lunch on your own to enjoy the cuisine of your choice. You may dine at the Inn or off-campus. If you choose to remain on campus we will be offering variety of exciting activities that will be guided by our staff. The Road Scholar Beach Volleyball Tournament is invigorating and always a thrill.

Afternoon: FREE AFTERNOON: Highlights you can explore on the Shawnee Institute campus include the Country Club and Golf Academy, the Art Gallery, the Playhouse, the Spa, and our on-site craft brewery. Or grab a bicycle (available at the Inn) and take a ride on the McDade Trail along the Delaware River. You might prefer a scenic hike or just relax and unwind with a good book on the verandah. Off-campus, the area has an abundance of farms, markets, vineyards, cultural resources, and recreational opportunities. The staff will be happy to answer any questions.

Dinner: Dinner is buffet style with an eclectic flair, offering a number of selections including a vegetarian option and other healthychoices with fruits and vegetables from our own garden, as well as coffee, tea and a delightful dessert.

Evening: CHORAL WORKSHOP 4: Now that you've mastered the notes and have formed this magical connection with Fred Waring, it's time to tweak every component of the concert program. Show time is almost here and we really want to dazzle our audience.

Lodging: Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Breakfast: Enjoy your choice of hot and/or cold breakfast selections from fruit to home-made granola, pancakes or French toast, a variety of breakfast meats, an omelette station, and more. Dine in the Shawnee Inn's River Room restaurant overlooking the lovely Shawnee Institute campus. In good weather, you may decide to dine on the verandah.

Morning: DRESS REHEARSAL: Have a good warm-up, stay relaxed yet on your toes, keep the adrenalin in check, watch and listen during our final rehearsal before this afternoon’s concert as we put the finishing touches on our exciting vocal program.

Lunch: Buffet lunch at the Inn. Be sure you eat not too much, not too little, but just right. You don’t want to burp right before that high note!

Afternoon: CONCERT PERFORMANCE: This is it, what you’ve been working towards the whole week. Put everything you've learned into action under Midge's direction as you and your choral colleagues perform the songs you’ve been rehearsing so energetically and with such concentration. The whole Shawnee community is invited, including friends and guests of the Inn, and the local performing arts community. Whether you prefer “Break a leg” or “Toi-Toi-Toi” have a truly wonderful time!

Dinner: "Come home" for dinner at the Gem & Keystone Restaurant on the Shawnee Inn campus. The scrumptious dinner features locally produced foods and an opportunity to sample Shawnee's own craft beer. Relax and enjoy!

Evening: CONCERT VIDEO: Feel the rush as you relive the concert from the audience's perspective, watching a video of the performance to which you contributed so much.

Lodging: Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Enjoy your choice of hot and/or cold breakfast selections from fruit to home-made granola, pancakes or French toast, a variety of breakfast meats, an omelette station, and more. Dine in the Shawnee Inn's River Room restaurant overlooking the lovely Shawnee Institute campus. In good weather, you may decide to dine on the verandah.

Morning: WALKING FIELD TRIP: The “Green” Shawnee Institute. Just as in his own way Fred Waring was a grower and developer of choral techniques, the Shawnee Institute is working with nature to help the environment. During our expert-led visit to the on-site organic farm and apiary, you might even see a few eagles! Learn from professional staff what it means for a garden to be labeled "organic" and what the Institute is doing to protect and preserve all that nature has to offer.

Our program concludes with this final session. We hope you have enjoyed the revival of the Fred Waring Choral Workshop and will return for other rewarding Road Scholar programs in the future. Best wishes for all your journeys!

Inn check-out is by 11:30am.

Lodging: Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort

Meals Included: Breakfast