Classes begin Sept 13, 2010 at Passim Center

Passim Folk Music & Cultural Center

Below is a sampling of courses of interest to Trad players. Check Passim's website (link above) for a full list of courses offered.

Location
Classes and workshops are held at 26 Church Street. Please ring the buzzer downstairs and come up to the third floor. We are located right in the heart of Harvard Square, around the corner from Club Passim.

About the classes
Classes typically meet once weekly for 1 hour 15 minutes, and the term runs for 6 weeks. Nonmembers pay $132 for the full 6 weeks and members get a discounted rate of $108 for the course.
Private lessons have different price structures.

FIDDLE
Beginning Fiddle with Kimberley Fraser
$132 nonmembers / $108 members
Register here.
This six-week course will encompass your basic "fiddle from scratch" class and is geared towards people with minimal or no previous experience. Students will learn how to tune and hold the fiddle, along with some basic scales. The goal will be to learn and memorize some basic and popular session tunes. There will also be focus on ear training development. By the end of the course, participants will be able to understand a little more about the instrument, and attend jam sessions without fear! Must have a tape recorder and blank tape (or the mini disc equivalent) at each lesson, and a fiddle. Please make sure fiddles are in good working order (having all four strings, relatively in tune, etc) for the first class. This class is for complete beginners to the violin; if you have violin experience, we encourage you to take Intermediate Fiddle.

Kimberley Fraser was born on Cape Breton Island, and nurtured within its rich musical heritage. She has shared the stage with the finest acts in Celtic music, such as Alasdair Fraser, Martin Hayes and Lunasa. Kimberley holds a degree in Violin performance from Berklee College of Music and in Celtic Studies from St Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia. Her reputation as a teacher has brought her to conduct workshops at many camps and festivals, including Alasdair Fraser’s Valley of the Moon Fiddle Camp, the Swannanoa Gathering in Asheville, North Carolina, and The American Festival of Fiddle Tunes in Port Townsend, Washington to name a few.

Intermediate Fiddle with Hanneke Cassel
5 weeks - $110 nonmembers / $90 members
Register here.
The focus of these courses will be to explore traditional and contemporary Scottish and Cape Breton music. We will learn about the elements that characterize these styles of fiddle music--bowings, grace notes, and others. Tunes will be taught by EAR, and students are asked to bring a recording device to class. Similar material will be taught in both the intermediate and advanced classes, the difference being the rate at which the students learn.
"Exuberant and rhythmic, somehow both wild and innocent, delivered with captivating melodic clarity and an irresistible playfulness," says the Boston Globe about Hanneke Cassel's playing. Such charismatic fiddling has brought the native Oregonian many honors and awards. She is the 1997 U.S. National Scottish Fiddle Champion, she holds a Bachelors of Music in Violin Performance from Berklee College of Music, and she has performed and taught across North America, Europe, New Zealand, Australia, and China.

Advanced Fiddle with Hanneke Cassel
5 weeks - $110 nonmembers / $90 members
Register here.
The focus of these courses will be to explore traditional and contemporary Scottish and Cape Breton music. We will learn about the elements that characterize these styles of fiddle music--bowings, grace notes, and others. Tunes will be taught by EAR, and students are asked to bring a recording device to class. Similar material will be taught in both the intermediate and advanced classes, the difference being the rate at which the students learn.
"Exuberant and rhythmic, somehow both wild and innocent, delivered with captivating melodic clarity and an irresistible playfulness," says the Boston Globe about Hanneke Cassel's playing. Such charismatic fiddling has brought the native Oregonian many honors and awards. She is the 1997 U.S. National Scottish Fiddle Champion, she holds a Bachelors of Music in Violin Performance from Berklee College of Music, and she has performed and taught across North America, Europe, New Zealand, Australia, and China.

MANDOLIN
Beginning Mandolin with Eric McDonald
$132 nonmembers / $108 members
Register here.
In this course, we will start with the basics and give students a solid base of knowledge from which to build upon. We will cover basic technique, chord structures up the neck and improvisation. We will incorporate music theory, but do most of our work by ear. Using a group of simple fiddle tunes and songs, we will build a pallet of ideas that will hopefully inspire students to continue study on their own. We'll talk about practice techniques and learn how to produce good tone on the instrument. We'll work with scales and exercises to increase each student's fluidity on the mandolin quickly, which will allow us to take full advantage of our creativity. Be prepared to use your ears and musical brains, and expect to do some work. Students will be expected to practice for at least one hour per week.
Eric McDonald, a former Berklee College of Music student, plays mandolin and guitar for many touring bands and songwriters including The Dave Rowe Trio, Matching Orange and others. He has brought his music all over the United States and into Europe. In addition to teaching at Passim, you can find him instructing young musicians at New England fiddle camps during the summer.

BANJO (will start later in the Fall - check the website, or call Passim's)
Beginning 3-Finger Banjo with Charlie Rose
$132 nonmembers / $108 members
Join Charlie Rose for an introduction to banjo playing. The course will primarily cover 3-finger technique, but may delve into other styles depending on students' interests. The course will cover fundamentals of 3-finger banjo playing in bluegrass and folk music. It will be suitable for beginner and intermediate players who want to develop and improve their technique. Students are encouraged to bring a recording device. Expect to learn basic banjo concepts and their application to classic repertoire.

BODHRÁN (will start later in the Fall - check the website, or call Passim's)
Beginning-Intermediate Bodhrán with Eoin McQuinn
$132 nonmembers / $108 members
One of Ireland’s oldest and most traditional musical instruments, the Bodhrán drum is at the core of all Irish music experience. This six week course for beginners to intermediate students will focus on Technique and Style, Rhythm study and understanding the different tune types ( jigs, reels and polkas), group playing, technical instruction and accompaniment are the core areas of learning.
Born in Ireland in 1973, Eoin McQuinn graduated with a Masters Degree in Ethnomusicology at University of Limerick in 1998. His extensive performance career has seen him develop projects in the USA, UAE, South America, Australia, China and Tawian and most recently in Nairobi, Kenya. He was Music Director of The National Folk Theatre of Ireland, The National Irish Dance Company and the first festival of Irish Music in Dubai. His lives and works in Cambridge, Massachusetts.