Descriptions
for Folk Festival Workshops 2008
Accordion -- Marc and Wilson Savoy
Learn Cajun accordion, how to play tunes and playing techniques
African Marimba Music From Zimbabwe -- Shamwari
We’ll discuss Shona Marimba music from Zimbabwe Africa, how it
got to Alaska, teach a few basic patterns and techniques, and let you
know how to get more involved.
Alaska City Folk Arts~ Mary Schallert
All Alaska Folk Arts teachers and students both past and present are
welcome to join us for a workshop that will develop into a stage program
later that afternoon. All ages welcome. Probable tunes will be Tam Lin,
The Road To Lisdoonvarna, Dancing Bears, Boil Them Cabbage Down and
Shady Grove
Alaska Flute Circle -- Jerry George
How to play-blow in the pointy end and music comes out the other end.
Bring your flute or play one of ours
Alaska Flute Circle -- Deborah Peterson
History, construction and playing. Bring your own flute or play one
of ours
Autoharps -- Steve Hinds
From basic strumming through picking, learn how to use an Autoharp for
back up or for instrumentals-from basic harp strumming through melody
picking. Bring any Autoharp that you have.
Banjo-Bluegrass style -- Kevin Cassity
An introduction to playing bluegrass banjo in the style of Earl Scruggs.
No prior musical experience required.
Banjo: Clawhammer -- Gary Hoerth
For beginner to intermediate, we will focus on history, the strum, chords,
tabs and songs
Banjo: Clawhammer -- Evie Ladin guest artist 2008 Stairwell
Sisters
Evie Ladin grew up playing clawhammer banjo, mostly influenced by players
in the Round Peak area of Western North Carolina. She has developed
a very funky style as a performer with the Stairwell Sisters and world
music group Crosspulse, and can cover topics as: playing while singing,
backing up singers on old-time banjo, improving your ear-to-instrument
transfer, as well as basic techniques for playing the old-time repertoire.
Banjo Drop Thumb Frailing -- Doc Schultz
Traditional banjo-Pete Seeger Style
Bass~Intermediate and beginners welcome -- Luisa Yoter and Garren
Volper
Luisa from Handsome Molly and Garren from Seek Bob are here to show
you some of their great bass playing secrets. BYOB (bring your own bass)
guaranteed to learn something new. Or learn to play the bass from scratch.
Bluegrass Band Dynamics -- Angela Oudean
Angela, an Alaskan grown fiddler and member of The Bearfoot Band, a
nationally known and Alaskan grown bluegrass band, is here to share
her amazing knowledge on band dynamics. Angela has many years of experience
teaching this subject in just this setting. All bluegrass instruments
and levels welcome.
Cajun Mardi Gras Mask Making For Kids --
Aileen Mcinnis, Christy Williams, Betsy Howard
Join us for a mask making workshop and get into the Cajun Courir de
Mardi Gras spirit.
Cajun Fiddle Styles A-Z -- Savoy Family
Join the Savoy Family as they demonstrate how Cajun fiddle evolved over
the years
Cajun Waltz and 2-step -- Betsey Howard
Learn the dance style of the Louisianna Cajuns before you take to the
dance floor that night. Weaselgras will be providing live music for
the workshop. AKA Fat Weasels.
Capo: Partial Capo Techniques -- Randall Williams from Texas!
This two-hour session will cover use of standard, Drop-D, and Short-Cut
capos, separately and together in more than a dozen different positions
in standard tuning. Learn the structural reasons why capos fit in certain
combinations, and wow audiences with the variation you get by playing
on both sides of the capo.
The first third will be an interactive presentation, followed by practice
time and one-on-one coaching. During the last part, participants will
showcase one song that they’ve adapted to include partial capo
techniques. A one-page handout will be given out, and everyone should
bring a guitar and a notebook.
For more information and a free instructional video, see www.kysershortcut.com
Clogging
-- Stairwell Sisters: 2008 Festival Guest Evie Ladin
Learn the basics of Southern Appalachian Old-Time percussive dance.
Evie teaches an easy style that gets people dancing before they know
it, in a way they can immediately apply to traditional music. All ages!
Come
together songs -- Sunrise Kilcher Sjoeberg
If you can talk you can sing. From Homers's own Kilcher family,
Sunrise is a gifted and creative singer and songwriter.
De-Stressing Musical Performance -- Kevin Cassity
Studies on stress and heart-brain interaction have shown that people
can significantly diminish performance anxiety, speed reaction time,
enhance cortical function and create other physiological conditions
which lead toward feeling and performing optimally. Come learn some
simple techniques that are being used in places like Cirque du Soleil,
Stanford business school, Duke University Hospital, NASA and now the
Anchorage Folk Festival.
Fiddle Guts --Clyde Pearce
This is a class on care and maintenance of a fiddle and an inside look
at how it works and the internal structure.
Flute: Norwegian Harmonic Flute -- Yngvil Vatn Guttu
Fun, hands on and ears on workshop. We will cover the origin, the making
and the playing of the Willow Flute, a deceptively simple, yet beautiful
instrument found all over the world. Flutes, instruction books/DVDs
available
Guitar: Flatpicking and Rhythm -- Todd Grebe
Learn basics of bluegrass guitar including rhythm, flat-picking, cross
picking
Guitar: Improv -- Matt Suddock
Class will cover major, minor and dominant 7th chords, and the scales
that fit over those chords.
Guitar: Rhythm -- Matt Suddock
Focus on bluegrass and swing rhythm.
Harmony Singing: Carter Family Style -- 2008 Guest Artists: Stairwell
Sisters
The Stairwell Sisters lead you through harmony singing as popularized
by the Carter Family. We will discuss what harmony choices make that
old-time sound, as distinct from bluegrass and other styles. The gals
will provide lyric sheets and teach parts so all can sing together.
Instruments: Offbeat & Unusual -- Wade Hampton Miller
Dulcimers, banjo and mandolin family instruments and other lesser-known
stuff: will cover tuning and use
Mandolin II -- Lowell Webb
Tips, tricks, insights and software to help take your mando playing
to the next level. (Stubbornness and dedication help too…)
Microphone Workshop -- Mary Schallert
Workshop participants will walk away with first hand experience on a
microphone, be sure to bring the instrument you plan to play for the
festival. See how it feels, meet Lucy Peckum the sound engineer, learn
how to talk to her efficiently, learn to set yourself up quickly and
hear what you sound like when you are way louder then you expect. Get
little tips from someone who has done this a million times.
Middle Eastern Dance -- Grace Ann Pierce
Beyond the basics!
Morris Dancing -- Dawn Berg with live music
Don't miss this chance to learn an English Folk Dance Style that predates
Shakespeare. Rant & Raven Morris Dancers will provide instruction
and sticks. Bring Clean Indoor-only shoes if you don't want to dance
in your socks!
Mountain Dulcimer -- Wade Hampton Miller
Beginning to intermediate dulcimer playing.
Rounds: Unusual and Satisfying -- Judy Jacobs
Looking for fun, relaxed time singing with others-and sounding great!
Come and sing with us. Some rounds are nursery rhymes, some are sacred
sounding, some spoken rather than sung, and many are just plain fun
and nonsense. If you know some rounds that you would like to share,
bring them and we will sing them. All ages and abilities encouraged
to participate.
Science Songs For Kids -- Dan Pascucci
Come join the fun as we explore different musical methods to promote
the love of learning. Fun for kids, educators, and anybody who has ever
clapped their hands or been hiking. Dan has worked with members of The
Banana Slug String Band. He is also an education specialist with the
Kenai Watershed Forum.
Slow
Jam -- Kevin Cassity
Playing regularly with other people can be one of the fastest ways to
improve your musical ability. Come learn to “jam”. Beginning
and intermediate jamming/improvisation skills will be taught and used
in a friendly, no-pressure, low-speed jam session. No prior musical
experience required. All instruments and levels welcome.
Song Circle -- Dawn Berg
Come share your favorite sing a-long, join in on an old favorite
or learn a new one. Some lyrics will be provided.
Songwriting: Improving Your Songwriting -- Andy Baker
Learn new ways to improve your songwriting skills, both lyrics and music.
Bring your instrument and a song
Ukulele-Beginning -- Fran Iverson-Mele Ukulele
No experience necessary. Bring your uke or play ours, and learn several
simple 2-3 chord songs. Only 2 fingers required!
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