The Tale in the Tune online course

The House of the West Wind: College of Storytelling presents an online course over four weeks: The Tale in the Tune.

People are always looking for new stories and new ideas for stories. But we are often drawn back to the same few sources and it can be hard to find something fresh, unique and personal to you.

Ballads are a rich source of material: they are compressed, often mysterious, but if you learn to drash them, the stories within them start to unfold.

Many regions and cultures have their own ballad and song traditions.

This course is designed to appeal to anyone who is looking to explore these to create unique and personal repertoire, apply a whole set of tools that will open up other story avenues, or would like to increase their understanding of drash techniques.

Shonaleigh is the last in a line of Jewish Drut’sylas, a tradition passed on from grandmother to granddaughter, and she, using the drash techniques, will walk you through how to find The Tale in the Tune... and move from song to story.

Sessions will be held in the evening, UK time, between 7.30 - 9.30pm BST on Wednesdays 8th, 15th, 22nd, 29th October 2025.

Please bring along a traditional (not modern) ballad to work with, for example one from the Francis Child's Collection.

IMPORTANT: Sessions will not be recorded, you will need to attend live.

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HOUSE OF THE WEST WIND REFUNDS POLICY for online course, lectures and events

If you wish to cancel your place -

• Less than 1 month before - no refund
• Less than 6 months before - 50% refund
• More than 6 months before - 90% refund
• Transferring your place to another person of your choice is possible subject to our agreement