Advanced Workshop Interest -Southeastern PA, DE, MD, VA, NJ?

[jnday]

Hi everyone,

First, let me send a big thank you to Brett Ridgeway. I attended his HD workshop in Glenolden, PA on 8/20/11 and it was really great.

I was wondering if there is any interest among the HD community, besides myself, for an advanced players workshop that would cover chromatics, crazy hammering patterns, rhythmic exercises, and tips and tricks like those presented at the Dulcimer School but with a live instructor? I really want to continue to learn these things and mold into shape what bits and pieces of knowledge I have... but it seems that the Midwest is where most of the action is when it comes to hammerers and big workshops. If there was interest out here, would any of the Evart teachers be willing to come out to the Southeastern PA, Northern Delaware, New Jersey area for an awesome workshop that could help good players become excellent? Brett, do you offer an advanced workshop as well?

Thanks for reading, all!
Josh

[Dan Landrum]

Hi Josh,

Interesting post. Just thinking out loud here, which is usually a mistake, but a couple of things come to mind. One is that there are already a bunch of great festivals that happen up in your area, like the Upper Potomac Dulcimer Festival, Common Ground on the Hill, the Augusta Heritage Festival, Nutmeg, Kolodner's Sandbridge, and the National Dulcimer Symposium. (please forgive me for the ones I've missed - I know there are more than this!) You might want to check out some of those and see if the teachers you're looking for are already booked. If not, then email the festival directors and make a suggestion. They generally want feedback.

Another thought, and this is the one where I'll probably get into trouble, is that it would be simply spectacular to teach an advanced class where everyone comes in at the same skill level - actually it would be spectacular to teach any class where everyone comes in at the same skill level. I think Ken Kolodner and Steve Schneider are the only teachers I know doing juried classes like this. I've heard nothing but good things about their work so you may want to check them out. In each case though, they teach these relatively close to their home bases, and they, the teachers, have the final say on who fits the appropriate level.

Anyway, just some thoughts. I hope you find what you're looking for and I'd love to have you in a class sometime where we got to do the kinds of things you mention.

dl

[The Mousetrapezoid]

Hi, Josh:

Thanks for starting this discussion; this subject is of great interest to me as a resident of southeastern Pennsylvania! I had contemplated attending the Ridgeway workshop yesterday in Glenolden, but passed it up because (a) I had a chance to do a daytime gig; and (b) I discerned from the workshop description that the material Brett would be covering was stuff I was already pretty familiar with. I opted instead to take Brett up on his offer, posted elsewhere on this forum, of a private lesson. I will be meeting him tomorrow morning in Glenolden for my lesson, and I hope to get some insights into some of the subjects you mentioned in your post. Sorry I couldn't be there yesterday because I missed a chance to meet you and some other local HD players, but under the circumstances I think the private lesson will be a better use of my limited funds! (You may want to consider contacting Brett to arrange for a lesson, too; he is offering them while he is still in the Philadelphia, PA area over the next few days. Just call the phone number that's on his website.)

Anyway, I want to express my enthusiastic interest in the sort of workshop you are suggesting. I'd love to see a big fest weekend for hammered dulcimer players here in the "PennJerDel" area (southeastern PA, southwestern NJ, and northern Delaware). Considering that Philly is the 5th largest city in the US (and that doesn't even include the population in the surrounding counties), and considering that the Philadelphia Folk Song Society puts on the biggest and oldest continuously-running folk music festival in the US (celebrating its 50th year, this weekend!), you'd think more attention would be focused on this area by organizers of festivals that concentrate on traditional instruments such as the HD... but noooOOOOOooooo.

Dan mentioned some events that are in the eastern US: the Upper Potomac Dulcimer Fest in Shepherdstown, WV; events at Common Ground on the Hill in Westminster, MD; the Augusta Heritage Festival in Elkins, WV; the Nutmeg Dulcimer Festival in Milford, CT; Ken Kolodner's event in Sandbridge Beach, Virginia; and the National Dulcimer Symposium... I'm not sure where that is, but the Northeast Dulcimer Symposium is in Blue Mountain Lake, NY and is advertised as a "New England" event. None of these is local to the Delaware Valley area.

The events I know of that are around here -- as in "not more than a 2-hour or 3-hour drive one-way" -- sometimes include some classes for HD players up to the intermediate level, but little or nothing for the advanced player. The closest event that's coming up (Greenwood Furnace Folk Gathering in Huntingdon, PA, in September) offers no HD classes whatsoever.

Yet the HD players are here in the "greater Philadelphia" area and up into the Lehigh Valley area (Bethlehem, Allentown, etc.), and also farther north into the Pocono region... and in NJ and DE... and we are active in our local dulcimer-society type clubs. There used to be a listing, here at the ED site, of dulcimer clubs and teachers -- I hope it comes back as the site-maintenance project advances -- but just off the top of my head I can think of three clubs near me: QUADAS (QUakertown Area Dulcimer & Autoharp Society); Indian Valley Dulcimer Society in Collegeville; and Welsh Mountain Dulcimer Club in Pottstown. There are lots more in PA. Then there's the Brandywine Dulcimer Fellowship in Wilmington, DE, and another in Dover, DE, and one in Medford, NJ... the list goes on.

A bit farther afield from me, but still what I would consider to be "in the area", is the Pocono Dulcimer Club in Stroudburg which, to its credit, is offering an HD Master Class with Heidi Cerrigione as part of its Winter Dulcimer Fest in January 2012... and if there's no snowstorm that weekend, I might go! But it sure would be nice to have a hammered-dulcimer event during more temperate weather, and closer to the population center of this area so that hammerers in NJ and Delaware would find it convenient to their homes also.

What say you, hammered dulcimer instructors/gurus (and MD gurus too)? If such an event were to be planned here, I'm sure that the many area dulcimer societies as well as the local folk music societies (Philadelphia, Bucks County, Lehigh Valley, Princeton, Brandywine, Delaware Friends of Folk, etc.) would be happy to promote it! Come on over!!!

--Sharon

[jnday]

Dan & Sharon, thanks for your replies and the helpful information! Actually, Dan... I would love to take a live class with you sometime. I should have mentioned that the kind of class I'm looking for is not one that would exclude all but an elite group of players, because I certainly wouldn't be able to come to that class. I'm looking for a class that can make good players into advanced players. I had the honor of playing again at church today, and I'm getting really good on the instrument. But when I play I'm not "all over" the dulcimer yet. I'm still trapped in my box and a half, and I really really really want to break loose!

I had no idea that there were so many workshops over this way. But yes, none of them are very local. The closest for me might be the Common Ground on the Hill in Westminster, MD. I'll look into it some more.

Josh

[Kendra Ward]

Hi Josh,

I would love to teach a workshop in your area! I can teach you any of the ideas that you mentioned and more, just let me know what else you would like to learn.

I can really really get you out of that box and doing lot's of fun things. Can you set up a weekend workshop there for me in Glenolden? I could also come somewhere else that would work in that area. I love to teach!

If you want to contact me off ED that would be great and we could really discuss your thoughts. Hopefully you could help me connect with other players in the area and I can offer you a special deal for helping set up a workshop.

I really hope to hear from you.......

Kendra Ward
kward@zoomnet.net
740-388-6464

If there is anyone else out there who would like to help me set up a weekend workshop, just let me know.

Thanks,

Kendra

[jnday]

Hi Kendra,

Awesome to hear from you! I have heard many great things about you and I have a couple of your books. I don't really have any authority to set up something in Glenolden (not my hometown), but I do have a little sphere of influence at my home church in Wilmington, DE. We have a few very nice rooms that would facilitate an HD workshop wonderfully. www.fbcwilmington.com

Is there anyone willing to come to a workshop in Wilmington, Delaware? Tax free shopping down this way too, and we have a great mall in Christiana if you want to make a day out of it. Of course, if someone is willing to host a workshop anywhere around Del-Mar-VA-PA area, I'm willing to travel.

Kendra, thanks again for your post. I'll be in touch with you off ED.
Josh

[The Mousetrapezoid]

Is there anyone willing to come to a workshop in Wilmington, Delaware?

Wel-l-l-l-l, I was thinking it wouldn't be much farther away from me than Glenolden is, but then I looked up the address of your church, Josh, and I see that it's about halfway between downtown Wilmington and downtown Newark, so it's farther away than I thought! However, if you are able to get enough players together to schedule an all-day workshop, or an event with multiple workshops, at your Wilmington church, I will attend if my schedule permits.

If you need a bigger crowd, I understand there's a group that meets in Lancaster, organized by ED member "hcknbrgr"; I wonder if they would go to Wilmington for this workshop. (If they can't be lured that far, someone in my "sphere of influence" might be able to help me procure a meeting place in the Downingtown/Coatesville, PA area. That location might lure the Pottstown area folks too. Josh, would Downingtown be close enough to you to be feasible?)

As another alternative, I'm absolutely certain that the QUADAS club (QUakertown Area Dulcimer & Autoharp Society) could host a Kendra Ward workshop in Quakertown, PA or in Perkasie, PA. Judging from the HD workshop that QUADAS held in Perkasie last spring, I'm sure there would be plenty of attendees (although it would be a long haul for Josh to attend!). QUADAS is having a picnic/jam next weekend; I will ask the members what they think of this workshop idea.

[Kendra Ward]

Hi Josh and Mousetrapezoid,

Thanks for your comments and many suggestions! I am going to start working on some things right now and get something set up for the spring.

I would be willing to travel to any of those places.

Josh, I am looking forward to discussing this more in depth with you and Mousetrapezoid, thank you for the kind offer to talk to the people with weekend at your picnic! I appreciate both of you!

This will be awesome!

Thanks again,

Kendra

[jnday]

Hi again,

Coatesville and Downingtown are definitely not too far for me to travel. I worked in West Chester for 2 years, and my mom lives in York, so I come up through Gap area when I go to visit her. Lancaster is only an hour drive for me, and Glenolden is 45 minutes. It would be great to host it at my church, though, if people are willing to come out because I know we have the large rooms that would work well for this kind of a workshop, and I'm almost certain I could get such an event on our calendar. I'm also a graphic designer, and I have control over our web site and announcements, so I could help with advertising.

Kendra, how big of a crowd do you need for a workshop to be worth your while? If you like driving all over God's green earth just for kicks, I'd pay you for a private lesson! Depending on how far away you are I might even be able to come out to you sometime if you do one-on-one instruction.

Have a great day!
Josh

[Sam E.]

I agree, we definitely could use more dulcimer activities in this part of the country! Bring it on!

FYI, Music By the Bay is coming in Waretown, NJ the first weekend in November, featuring Jody Marshall (HD) and Bing Futch (MD). https://www.facebook.com/pages/Music-By ... 6720122840

(And Dan, thank you for mentioning Nutmeg. FYI, our featured hammered dulcimer artist this year will be Max ZT, who was mind-boggling even before the year he just spent studying with one of the most renowned santoor players in India. Also, if you were intrigued by the recent DPN article about Gypsy jazz on HD, the author of it, Andy Young from Illinois, will be teaching a workshop on it.)

Sam
http://www.nutmegdulcimer.com

[The Mousetrapezoid]

Very cool, Sam! This event is about as close to me (or about as far away from me) as Josh's church! ...so maybe I'll go!

BTW, I found the non-Facebook website where one can register for this event: http://www.musicatbarnegatbay.org/

[jnday]

Good news, everybody! I got the green light from the pastors at my church for an event sometime this Spring. So if anyone is willing to bring their HDs to Delaware, we can definitely set up a workshop here. Kendra, I'll be in touch with details.