Come and play folk music with lots of lovely young people! All instruments and a range of levels welcome! If you like to play by ear (without notation), if you love rhythm, if you like the sound of folk music, then come and join Fiddleheads for a week of musical fun!
Take a journey that includes learning to play by ear, learning details of style for folk music, learning how to create harmonies and chords and learning how to join in tunes with others.
Each day will include time in a large ensemble, in small groups, and some jamming! We’ll learn a variety of tunes from a variety of places, including fabulous complex tunes with simple harmony and bass lines, and simple tunes with gnarly harmonies and riffs. You'll have the chance to bring any tunes you already know and create performances of them with your coursemates!
Open to all instruments regardless of whether it is traditionally a folk instrument. You don't need any experience playing traditional music, or playing by ear. You DO need reasonable proficiency on your instrument (able to play concert pitch scales of D, G, C or play chords C, G, D, A, Em, Am, Bm). We will have parts working at a variety of levels, suiting a mixture of abilities. Between sessions there are resources: recordings and notation to help you remember and practise the material at home.
Please enquire if you are below the age range but think this might be the right course for you.
Dates: July 15-19
Time: 9:30 - to 12:00 PM
Location: Brattleboro Music Center, 72 Blanche Moyse Way, Brattleboro, VT
Ages: 12-18
Cost: $220. This registration fee pays for entire week of ensemble camp.
About the Instructor: Laurel Swift plays fiddle and double bass and dances Clog and Morris. Laurel is a musician and composer, an inspiring instigator of creative new projects and performances rooted in the folk arts. She also teaches folk music, with particular focus on helping people find their own ownership of our shared traditions through creative approaches to variation, ensemble skills and simply having a good time!