Music student participation sliding fee for gatherings
$0.00
Pay what you can. We suggest $5-10 low income, $15-20 middle income, $25-40 high income.
An afternoon of Irish music & dance
Sun, Jan 28 at Maple Leaf Lutheran Church, 10005 32nd Ave NE, Seattle 98125
- Come to the downstairs garden entrance on 100th, near the big rock
Three ways to participate (or mix & match):
- Family dance with Alicia Guinn 1:30-2:30 (no registration required to dance)
-
Play in the dance band 1:00-2:30 (experienced players; pre-registration required)Registration for the dance band is now closed, unless a student has exceptional agility and expertise with Irish music. - Tune session 2:45-3:45 (pre-registration required) Still open to join!
Details below!
About the dance
Enjoy a family céilí (participatory Irish social dance, pronounced KAY-lee), led by returning Fiddlesticks guest teaching artist and sean-nós dancer extraordinaire Alicia Guinn.
Who can participate? Kids of all ages and their families can participate in the dance. No unaccompanied grownups please; Fiddlesticks is a space for young people.
Registration? Fees? No need to register, just turn up! We'll pass a hat for free-will donations to cover the cost of the program, but there is no admission fee per se. If you are coming only for the dance, we recommend arriving a few minutes early in case we hit capacity!
About playing in the dance band
Learn some tunes in advance and play in the band for the dances, with Fiddlesticks founder Shulamit Kleinerman. Please come at 1pm to warm up!
Who can participate? Well-established players of treble instruments (fiddle, whistle, flute, etc) ages 8 to 18. Dance-band players need to be comfortable playing fast and even since we have to keep the dancers moving! You'll receive tune materials after you sign up, and you'll have to do some prep work at home to learn the tunes at the dancing speeds.
- I play another instrument. Can I participate? The short answer is maybe, and the long answer depends on what materials you might need from us to learn the tunes, and whether we can provide them for you. Please contact us to ask!
- What if I can learn some of the assigned tunes but not all five? That's okay! And you're welcome to dance on the other ones.
Registration? Fees? Sign up as soon as possible, below, to receive the learn-ahead materials. We recommend an as-able sliding-fee tuition payment of $10-$40 to play in the band and/or the session that follows. If this fee is a barrier, please just sign up and let us know you will attend with a full scholarship.
About the session
Play tunes together with Alicia and Shula! A session is about getting together to share tunes for the joy of it. This isn't a workshop where someone teaches you. Instead, you'll play along on the tunes you know already, and get some inspiration by listening in on any that you haven't learned yet.
Who can participate? Student musicians in elementary through high school grades are welcome, from near-beginner to advanced. Please do be able to play at least one Irish tune already so that you can experience the fun of playing with others. The first half hour or so is inclusive of all levels, so some kids will be done early (though they are welcome to stay and listen after that!). Experienced players take it further (and usually much faster!) for the second half. Parents are welcome to hang out and listen to the music, but the playing circle at all Fiddlesticks events is students and Fiddlesticks teachers/accompanists only.
- What instrument? Most returning participants play violin, and Fiddlesticks director Shula Kleinerman will be hosting the session and leading the tunes on violin. Other instruments are welcome — plucked strings, lower bowed strings, wind instruments — as long as you feel comfortable without a teacher modeling on the same instrument as you.
- What tunes? When you register, you'll gain access to our tune list, where you can request tunes you know and find out which tunes you might want to learn or dust off to play with the group.
- If you don't know an Irish tune yet, you could get started by learning this Fiddlesticks favorite at home to play at the jam. (Less-experienced players may find this slow teaching video helpful. And here's what it sounds like all together. When you register, we can send you notation if you want.)
Registration? Fees? Sign up as soon as possible, below, to see the tune list. We recommend an as-able sliding-fee tuition payment of $10-$40 to play in the session and/or the dance preceding it. If this fee is a barrier, please just sign up and let us know you need a full scholarship.
Register on one of these Google forms: