Rails Comedy's Musical Improv for Newbies with Katie O’Donnell and Mike O’Connor on Jun 04, 2025 at 6:30 PM

Musical Improv Workshop

Musical Improv for Newbies with Katie O’Donnell and Mike O’Connor

📅 Date: Wednesday, June 4
🕙 Time: 6:30 PM - 9:30 PM (3 hours)
📍 The DC Arts Center, 2438 18th St NW, Washington, DC 20009

Ever wanted to try musical improv in a judgement-free zone? This workshop is designed to introduce first-timers to the art of musical improv. We will focus on the basics of crafting and singing improvised songs as well as performing scenes that incorporate songs.
Participants will learn:

How to structure and sing a basic improvised song
Tactics for “writing” dynamic improvised songs on the spot
How to build toward a song-inspiring moment and create a compelling musical scene with other improvisers
Methods for building confidence and feeling rooted while singing in front of others

This workshop is useful for improvisers who are curious about how to do musical improv and want to learn in a structured-yet-easygoing setting with other newbies.

🍎 Prerequisites

Participants ideally will have some non-musical improv training, such as an introductory or level 1 course.
Participants ideally will have not learned musical improv in a structured environment but are somewhat comfortable singing in front of others.
Having a strong sense of rhythm is very helpful for learning musical improv, but advanced singing and vocal skills are not required.

🎟️ Registration

Class Registration: $75
This class is limited to 10 students max

📗 Instructor Bios

Katie O’Donnell is a musical improv performer with experience at Washington Improv Theater (WIT), at Rails Comedy, and across DC’s indie improv scene. She is a member of WIT’s long-running ensemble iMusical and is a coach for the theater’s Musical Improv Conservatory program. She brings a background in musical theater and drama to her performing and coaching approaches, and she is dedicated to building positive ensemble experiences and sharing the joy of creating made-up musicals.

Mike O’Connor has been supporting improvisers from behind a keyboard since 2012, and he is currently an accompanist for iMusical. Dedicated to expanding DC’s musical improv scene, Mike is a cofounder of WIT’s Musical Improv Conservatory program and also serves as a teaching artist with WIT. He has musical directed and accompanied several musical improv groups with WIT, Rails Comedy, and comedy theaters in Austin, Texas.

🍸 Location

🚗 Parking garage nearby
❌ This venue is not wheelchair accessible
👧 Age Requirement 18+

📋 Policies

All sales are final. Refunds and exchanges are offered only when a class is canceled or rescheduled.
If you have questions, please email info@railscomedy.com