Improvising with the Medieval Modes
Melodies from the Past. Creativity for the Present
with Cheryl Ann Fulton
Step into a timeless musical journey where ancient modes awaken modern creativity. This summer, world-renowned harpist and medieval music scholar Dr. Cheryl Ann Fulton invites you to explore the art of improvisation using the four medieval modes—a quest to deepen your musicianship and expand your improvisational fluency and musical vocabulary.
Whether you play plucked, bowed, wind, or percussion instruments or sing, this course will help you create a new musical palette. If you have some familiarity with the medieval modes, you’ll be perfectly poised to dive in. Patterns and motifs for each mode will be provided to guide your playing and improvisation. We will start with easy to play patterns suitable for all levels, beginners to advanced.
Awaken Your Inner Minstrel
In four live, immersive sessions, you’ll learn to bring the unique qualities of Protus, Deuterus, Tritus, and Tetrardus into your own musical expression. Discover how these medieval modes, once the foundation of sacred and courtly music, can inform your improvisation, deepen your practice, and inspire your compositions today.
You’ll not only study the modes, you’ll live them, embody them, and use them to shape your own melodies in real time.
This course is for you if You:
• Want to move beyond memorization into living, breathing musicianship.
• Are captivated by early music and want to explore its creative potential.
• Sense that music is more than performance—it’s a transformative experience.
What You’ll Discover During This Transformational Course:
⚜️ The Essence of the Medieval Modes
Understand the structure of the four primary medieval modes and how to channel their unique qualities into your music.
⚜️ Freedom Through Form
Unlock your improvisational voice within the clear structures of modal patterns and medieval music forms.
⚜️ Ancient Wisdom, Fresh Insights
Learn how the writings of Johannes de Grocheo, medieval theorist, are still surprisingly relevant to modern musicians.
⚜️ Create Your Own Estampies
Use medieval dance forms to create exciting, authentic-sounding compositions.
⚜️ Gregorian Chant as a Musical Template
Use Gregorian chant as a source for your improvisation and original pieces.
⚜️ Craft Modal Accompaniments
Learn how to create accompaniments for monophonic melodies using the medieval modes.
⚜️ The Magic of Pythagorean Tuning
Experience tuning that resonates with the natural overtone series and transforms how you hear and feel music.
⚜️ Music as Healing
Experience how these medieval modes can support emotional, spiritual, and creative well being for you and others.
Course Details
🕰️ Live Zoom Classes – Saturdays at 10:00 AM PT (75 minutes).
📅 Dates: August 2, 9, 16, 23
🎓 Bonus Guest Sessions – Featuring two acclaimed medieval music scholars and musicians (dates TBA).
📚 Resources Included – Bibliography, articles, sheet music, examples, and models to help you get started on your own improvisations.
🤝 Community Connection – Share insights, questions, and inspiration with a cohort of fellow music lovers in an easy to use Discussion format.
Imagine This…
You're improvising on your instrument. Each note resonates not only through your fingertips, but through time. The ancient tones of the medieval modes rise through you—not as something dusty or distant, but as living music, newly born.
This isn’t just another course. It is an opportunity to take time to find solace and depth in simplicity with music that does not require complexity for profound expression.
It’s a portal to the serenity of medieval music—and an invitation to transform your present-day creativity through it.
By the end of our time together, you won’t just understand these modes. You’ll be:
Improvising with them.
Living in them.
Creating from them.
Special Early Bird Pricing Until July 27th
Enroll now to secure the special Early Bird Price of $297 which also includes FREE access to the Workshop: Meet the Medieval Modes on Saturday July 26th Click here for details
The Full Price of $447 starts July 28th.
Register Now – Spaces Are Limited
This is more than a music class. In times of chaos and stress we can come together and create a place of solace in the beauty and simplicity that the music of the medieval modes offers.
Reserve your place today and join a community of modern day minstrels who, like you, believe in the power of music to connect, inspire, and heal.
⚜️ Click here to reserve your place ⚜️
Whether you’re looking to ignite your improvisational spark, refresh your relationship with music, or simply find joy in the timeless beauty of musical sound this course is your invitation.
Become part of a living tradition.
Let melodies of the past open the door to your musical creativity now.
👉 Enroll Now for the Workshop & Course Bundle for only $297
Meet Your Guide: Dr. Cheryl Ann Fulton
Harpist. Historian. Visionary.
Cheryl Ann Fulton’s name is synonymous with mastery of the harp and the revival of historical performance practice. From her earliest days, Cheryl has felt a deep connection to this instrument, dedicating her life to its study, performance, and preservation. With degrees in Pedal Harp, Historical Harp, and Musicology from Indiana University’s prestigious Jacobs School of Music, Cheryl has performed with major symphonies, toured globally, and appeared on over 40 professional recordings—from solo, renowned ensembles, and Celtic and world music to film scores and award-winning video games.
She’s not only a virtuosa, she’s a reviver of lost traditions and a gifted teacher who brings rare warmth, clarity, and passion to everything she does. Through her acclaimed online courses she is reaching a global audience, blending the intimacy of personal instruction with the accessibility of the digital age. She helps harpists tap into their deeper artistry with her signature Harp Secrets Touch & Tone Technique.
When you join Improvising with the Medieval Modes, you are learning from one of the foremost experts in the field—a teacher whose deep understanding and love of the harp and medieval music will inspire your own music making.
"When I registered for Cheryl Ann Fulton's Meet the Medieval Modes course I was expecting a good review of material I already knew. Instead, I stepped into an immersive experience in which songs I had known forever took on a new life. Cheryl's approach lets the music breathe. We didn't just learn songs in her courses, we discovered how this music informed medieval life, and through that lens got a new look at our own times. I cannot recommend her teaching highly enough."
- Patricia Vivien Yarrow, Multi-instrumental Performer, Certified Sound Healer, and Bead Artist.
“I can't say enough good things about Meet the Medieval Modes with Cheryl Ann Fulton. Getting to take a course with one of the top experts in the field was both exciting and a little intimidating, but Cheryl broke everything down into such clear, digestible bites that we were playing in each of the modes almost at once. Anyone who volunteered to play in class got helpful feedback directly from Cheryl, and she was incredibly generous and patient answering all of our questions. She also provided plenty of listening exercises and a huge reading list if we wanted to dive in deeper on our own time. In just a few lessons Cheryl had swept away the mystery of the medieval modes and replaced it with magic. Highly Recommended!”
- Elle Vevea, DPhil Oxford University, Researcher, Writer, Harpist