Music

Listed here are the Classes, Workshops and Special Concerts that make the Adirondacks Special!

(It’s a long list, so be sure to scroll all the way down)

Beginning Bluegrass Banjo

Mac Petrequin

This class will introduce you to the basics of playing bluegrass style banjo, which is also called 3-finger or Scruggs style, and is the popular sound heard in familiar tunes such as the Beverly Hillbillies Theme Song, Rocky Top, and Foggy Mountain Breakdown.

Students are expected to bring a playable 5-string banjo, 2 metal finger picks, a plastic thumb pick, and eventually purchase the Mel Bay Publication “You can Teach yourself BANJO” from Melbay.com or Janetdavismusic.com.

Lessons to be covered will include the parts of the banjo, how to tune, how to read tablature, rhythm, basic rolls for right-hand, chord shapes and fretting techniques for the left hand, and playing tunes with the aid of tablature. The goal of the class would be for students to take enough knowledge and practice with them so as to continue with the book, and progress with their learning at their own pace.

April 17, 24, May 1, 8, 15, 22, 2012 - CRN – 20189
Length of Class – 6 – 2 hour sessions
Hours – 3:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Location – AFS, 51 Main Street, Lake Luzerne, NY
Tuition – $150

Note – Students need to bring a playable 5-string banjo

Sing, Stomp, Strum & Swing at the Adirondack Folk School

The last week of July and the first week of August are dedicated to the rich history of music & dance enjoyed in the Adirondacks for centuries.

We have gathered a spectacular array of the finest musicians, dancers, storytellers, and singers from all over the region with one simple goal – help others learn and appreciate these rich traditions.

So, come and participate in one of the workshops, classes and take part in our celebration of song, dance & oral history. Bring your family and friends for one of the evening performances.

MUSIC WORKSHOPS

Listed below the workshops are Concerts by these performers you won’t want to miss!

An Adirondack Musical History Tour

Dan Berggren

This workshop takes you from the shanties and kitchens through the fields, forests and streams of the North Country and is presented through discussion, demonstration, stories, traditional and original songs, and historic recordings. Dan has been collecting, writing and performing songs of his Adirondack ancestral home in Essex County since 1975. His laid back, “talking around the kitchen table” style has made him an Adirondack icon.

July 24, 2012 – Tuesday – CRN – 70128
Length of Class – 1/2 day
Hours – 9:00 a.m. – noon
Location – AFS, 51 Main Street, Lake Luzerne, NY
Tuition – $40

Songwriting for Beginners

Dan Berggren

Whether you have never wedded words and tunes or you have a few under your belt, this workshop introduces the creative process. From developing ideas, storytelling, and song structure, straight through to meter and rhyme, this workshop will bring you through the whole songwriting process. Lyrics are the focus, so reading music or playing an instrument is not required; carrying a tune is helpful.

July 24, 2012- Tuesday – CRN – 70129
Length of Class – 1/2 day
Hours – 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Location – AFS, 51 Main Street, Lake Luzerne, NY
Tuition – $40

Intermediate Guitar

Tom Akstens

Taking Your Playing to the Next Level. Learn effective accompaniment and lead playing with open tunings, left hand damping, chord voicing and improvisation. Join Tom as he helps you “kick it up a notch” with knowledge gleaned from over 40 years on stage. Tom has played with his partner Neil Rossi, band mates Chris Shaw and Artie Traum, and is a true master of folk, country blues ,and honky-tonk.

July 26, 2012- Thursday – CRN – 70130
Length of Class – 1/2 day
Hours – 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Location – AFS, 51 Main Street, Lake Luzerne, NY
Tuition – $40

The Banjo & Beyond

Tom Akstens

Explore new horizons in your old time banjo playing! Play with different tunings, drop-thumb and hammer-on, pull-off combinations to brighten your playing and add new fun to traditional tunes. From the first few chord positions, to the quickest licks and rolls, this workshop has something for all player to sink their teeth into…

July 27, 2012- Friday – CRN – 70131
Length of Class – 1/2 day
Hours – 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Location – AFS, 51 Main Street, Lake Luzerne, NY
Tuition – $40

Fiddling & Clogging Workshop

John Kirk & Trish Miller

Get ready for fiddle tunes and fancy footwork that won’t let you stay in your seat! This class will give you all you need for the evening Square Dance & Concert featuring John & Trish. A great class for all ages, and NO experience is necessary – just come on out, kick up your heels and have a great time. Come trip the light fantastic to tunes steeped in a rich mountain tradition!

July 29, 2012- Sunday – CRN – 70132
Length of Class – 1 hour
Hours – 11:00 a.m. – noon
Location – AFS, 51 Main Street, Lake Luzerne, NY
Tuition – $40

A First Look at Bluegrass Banjo

Mac Petrequin

This class will emphasize the 3-finger or Bluegrass style of banjo playing, in the standard open g tuning: gDGBD. The old time or frailing style will be briefly demonstrated. First you will look at 5 different kinds of 5-string banjos that are available; open-back, resonator, fretless, riverboat and cookie-tin, and show the differences in the sounds just by plucking strings.

Then you will be introduced to approximately 10 different bluegrass banjo rolls that are so much a part of the sound, and put these together with 3 different left handed chord shapes. See how they work together as the beginnings of what it takes to accompany other instruments, and eventually play so that a melody can be recognized.

Participants should come to class with a playable 5-string banjo

July 30, 2012- Monday – CRN – 70133
Length of Class – 1/2 day
Hours – 2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Location – AFS, 51 Main Street, Lake Luzerne, NY
Tuition – $40

Making & Playing Percussion Instruments Out of Found Objects

Brian Melick

Brian Melick is a living legend in the world of percussion, and more fun than ought to be legal! Students will create and learn to play a variety of percussion instruments out of found objects based on traditional instruments from around the world. They will be first introduced to the traditional instrument and explore the qualities of color, tone and texture that these percussion instruments create. They will explore the reason they create such different sounds and learn about the science and physics of sound. Brian will introduce the different families of percussion instruments formally divided into two groups (idiophones and membranophones), as well as the four different elements of percussion, which are rubbing, scraping, shaking or striking to create a pulse. We will explore a visualization experiment learning how these instruments not only can be used to create rhythm and music but also to create imagery.

Following this introduction, the students will begin making five different instruments: sandpaper blocks, picnic plate drums with rubberband mallets, sump pump guiro (scraper), film canister shaker and paper plate shakers.

Each of these represents one of the four basic groups of percussion. The students will be introduced to the instruments origin and practice some basic techniques and rhythms borrowed from European, Brazilian, Egyptian, Cuban, and African cultures. Participants will then combine these techniques and rhythms to create their own music. All instruments made during the workshop will then go home with the student so that they can continue their musical journey…

Throughout the program, Brian will remind the participants to pay close attention to their environments, as they listen for different rhythms and percussive sounds around them. What can we hear in both the natural world and from man-made objects as well?

July 31, 2012- Tuesday – CRN – 70134
Length of Class – 1/2 day
Hours – 9:00 a.m. – noon
Location – AFS, 51 Main Street, Lake Luzerne, NY
Tuition – $40
Ages 5 – 11 (parent with child welcome) – maximum of 10 children

Introduction to the World of Percussion

Brian Melick

In this workshop you will be exposed to a multi-cultured experience through percussion instruments from around the world and be introduced to them by name and origin. Students will sit in a circle and pass around the group of instruments. With-in the time frame of the workshop participants will be able to physically handle and play on a dozen or more instruments.

You will learn and use both Call and Response as well as Copy Cat forms of engaging each other in playing together. Brian will introduce different playing techniques so you will learn how the percussionist uses every part of their hand to control and release different sounds and textures from the instruments. You’ll explore many different rhythmic exercises utilizing basic ideas borrowed from Brazil, Egypt, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Africa. Then building on these rhythms we will create polyrhythm’s (many rhythms played together). Brian will introduce an oral tradition from Africa as a way to first sing the rhythm and then play it. Use this basic idea as a building block to create your own rhythm exercises. Then you will be introduced to a visualization experiment so that students will not only look at the sounds of the instruments as a catalyst to create music but also as a catalyst to create imagery which is utilized by Foley artists (sound effects artists for movies, sound track recordings etc).

If you love music, that this is an amazing opportunity! You will have lots of opportunities for questions and answers.

July 31, 2012- Tuesday – CRN – 70135
Length of Class – 1/2 day
Hours – 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Location – AFS, 51 Main Street, Lake Luzerne, NY
Tuition – $40
Adults + teens welcome

Adirondack Folk Song Traditions – History & Song Workshop

John Roberts & George Ward

John Roberts and George Ward are true giants in the world of traditional folk music. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to hear not only the songs, but the stories behind the songs with the humor, warmth, and deep perspective only these two men can provide!

August 1, 2012- Wednesday – CRN – 70136
Length of Class – 1/2 day
Hours – 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Location – AFS, 51 Main Street, Lake Luzerne, NY
Tuition – $40

“Rhymes Without Reason”

Roy Hurd

Roy’s “Rhyme Without Reason” songwriting workshop offers children a firsthand experience in the songwriting process. In this workshop, students learn about rhyme and structure. There is discussion about what inspiration is and what inspires them. They brainstorm concepts, choose a subject, and collectively find the words and lines that pave the way to the writing of their song – a song that is their own and expresses their thoughts and feelings. Upon completion, the song will be shared with the group and others gathered to hear the presentation. This workshop is great for an aspiring songwriter to get insights into the music business: publishing, performing rights, pitching songs, how songs make money, and co-writing.

August 3, 2012- Friday – CRN – 70137
Length of Class – 1 day
Hours – 9:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Location – AFS, 51 Main Street, Lake Luzerne, NY
Tuition – $75
Ages – 10+

“Spit polish your Stage Skills…Adirondack style!”

Chris Shaw

Let Chris help polish up your storytelling, “body English”, and general performance skills in this hands-on workshop. Stuck on those song intros? Are you sometimes at a loss for words up there? Want to get your message across with more punch? This is the workshop for you! Chris will lead a half day action packed performance workshop. And later on, you can end the day with a “Storytelling Swap” around the fire at night with stories invited from the audience.

August 3, 2012- Friday – CRN – 70138
Length of Class – 1/2 day
Hours – 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Location – AFS, 51 Main Street, Lake Luzerne, NY
Tuition – $40
Ages – Teen & Adult

CONCERTS

“Song and Story Swaps” in the Adirondacks

Colleen Cleveland

This evening event will feature host Colleen Cleveland, an old time ballad singer and traditional musician. We will try and capture a bit of Adirondack music history, as all participants will be asked to share a song, story, or poem in a round-robin style, around a given theme. TAUNY (Traditional Arts of Upstate New York) hopes that even people who do not consider themselves “performers” will participate. With the permission of everyone present, TAUNY plans to record the evening and add it to their Adirondack Music website module. The evening will be comfortable, informal and participatory.

April 21, 2012 – Saturday
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Location – AFS, 51 Main Street, Lake Luzerne, NY
Admission – Free

Dan Berggren in Concert

Dan Berggren

Fresh, acoustic folk rooted in mountain tradition – songs about neighbors, lovers, and hard-working folks, written with wit, soul and great choruses. “Dan is a throwback to the old role of the folk singer . . . he’s articulating things that need to be said right now.” That’s how bestselling author and environmentalist Bill McKibben describes Dan Berggren. A concert the entire family will enjoy and one that will make you feel even closer to the Adirondacks.

July 24, 2012- Tuesday
7:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Location – AFS, 51 Main Street, Lake Luzerne, NY
$10 AFS member adults, $15 not yet member adults, children FREE