brings Irish fiddle luminary Liz Carroll to teach with Franco-American and contra-dance fiddler Donna Hébert and old-time fiddler and banjo babe Jane Rothfield. Using Donna’s right-left hand method to teach both melody and rhythm, they authentically demonstrate how to navigate from one style to another. The focus throughout the week will be on turning simple tune phrases into experimental rhythms, mining tunes in each style for a variable pulse, stitching their phrases together. Joining them and teaching rhythm, theory and guitar is Groovemama guitarist Max Cohen.

A week of immersion in rhythm which is then applied to each genre ends in a Friday afternoon student performance celebrating the whole camp family, staff and students. All three fiddlers are highly skilled teachers, coaching students into manipulating rhythm and ornamentation authentically within as many styles as students are willing to tackle! They will jump right off the cliff with you, so no worries! You’ll have a happy landing as Donna, Jane and Liz provide the ultimate journey through groove in three very rhythmically different, yet melodically linked genres.

Thursday night faculty concert & dance will also feature Irish accordionist John Whelan.

Skill level - We will have a one-hour daily Basic class (not for beginners, but for players who don’t learn quickly). We’ll encourage them to come to jams and take part in all group activities. Other than that, classes (and all jams) are aimed at an intermediate to advanced level to take advantage of the focus on manipulating rhythm.

Can I play something else besides fiddle? You bet! We welcome fiddle, violin, viola, cello, bass, guitar, banjo, mandolin, dulcimer, flute, whistle, accordion and piano players.

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French-Canadian Music & Dance Camp Aug 16-20

2009 French Camp video on YouTube

with Québecois musicians and teachers Pascal Gemme of Genticorum (fiddle, chansons/songs), Marc Maziade of Reveillons (guitar, songs) and Marie-Soleil Pilette teaching stepdance and calls the evening’s social dances. Montreal funnyman and singer Steve Normandin teaches piano and accordion. Donna Hébert teaches the music of Franco fiddler Louis Beaudoin.

Learn the syncopated swing and twisted tunes of Québécois and Franco fiddle music and learn to sing, dance and play with that Northern “Je ne sais quoi”. Bring the musical “joie de vivre” into your life with a five days and four nights of French-Canadian musical immersion. This week offers evening jam sessions and dancing Monday – Thursday at the hall with staff members.

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Fiddle & Strings Youth Camp July 5-9 – for ages 6-18

Learn to:

• find the core melody of a tune
• build style over the melody and tell styles apart
• arrange tunes in medleys
• play 3/4, 2/4 and 6/8 rhythms
• find simple harmonies and chords
• use 5-note scales to compose tunes

FACULTY

Max Cohen
Donna Hébert
Jane Rothfield

DAILY SCHEDULE
  Morning 
  9:00 . . . hall open, supervised jam
  9:30. . . .instrument class
  10:30 . . theory class
  11:30. . .instrument class
  12:30. . .Lunch

 Afternoon
  1:30. . . master class – teacher rotation
  2:30. . . band practice
  3:30. . . special event
               Thurs. 3:30: Faculty Concert 
  4:30. . . potluck & jam – family invited

Lessons in:

• Beginning thru advanced fiddle, banjo, guitar, bass
• Beginning thru intermediate piano/keyboard
• Ear-training – learn the tune the easy way
• Rhythm – playing with two-bar rhythm motifs
• “Bowing 707” – controlling and maximizing your bow
• Playing in an ensemble
• Finding a common rhythm
• Recovering when you “fall off” a tune
• Improvisation – drumming new rhythms on a core tune

FACULTY BIOS FOR ALL THREE CAMPS AVAILABLE ONLINE 

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Tuition/Registration
Mail registrations to:         

Old Songs, Inc.
PO Box 466
Voorheesville, NY 12186 

or fax to:
518-765-4248

Program queries – Donna Hébert:info@fiddlingdemystified.com

Week I, ages 6-18, July 5-9 $350
Week II, all ages, August 9-13 $500 (Includes 9 meals: 5 lunches, 4 dinners)
Week III, all ages, August 16-20 $500 (Includes 9 meals: 5 lunches, 4 dinners)

Old Songs has reserved hotel rooms (double-doubles) at a reduced rate for campers for Weeks II and III.

Use our pdf application form and print, fill out and mail or fax to Old Songs. If you have trouble opening the pdf file, use our html form 

Please register using one of the choices above, which may be mailed or faxed (518-765-4248) or contact us by phone (518-765-2815), Mon.-Fri., 10:00 am-4:30 pm Eastern Time 

A non-refundable Deposit of $50 is required at time of registration to hold your place in camp. Remainder must be paid no later than 2 weeks prior to start of camp. 

We recommend calling Old Songs at 518-765-2815 to confirm available space before sending your application and fee. Space is limited to 25 campers each week.

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Donna Hébert books & CDS plus summer performance dates

 NEW! In Full Bloom CD & companion tunebook