Read the course descriptions below or choose your class now.
Violin: Learn to Fiddle - Beginner I (Fall)
Support your practical studies with theory
Delve further into the language of music with Introduction to Music Theory. You’ll learn more about notation, key signatures, time signatures, intervals, chords, the workings of melody, harmony, and rhythm. You will improve your basic skills for reading music.
Whether you’re a complete beginner, or a music aficionado looking to explore favourite works across many styles and genres, you’ll gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of music.
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Can't keep your feet from moving when you hear that Celtic-Canadian fiddle?
If you have never touched a violin or fiddle (a violin is the same as a fiddle) but would like to learn, this course is for you! We will be starting with how to hold the fiddle, and we will end up with learning basic tunes. Some prior basic musical knowledge is helpful but not a pre-requisite.
Please contact the instructor, Rose Bolton, for more info or if you're not sure which level you should choose:
[email protected].
Violin: Learn to Fiddle - Beginner II (Winter)
Can't keep your feet from moving when you hear that Celtic-Canadian fiddle?
This is a beginner class is for those who have some musical knowledge. We will be continuing where we left off, from Beginner I, starting with basic tunes, and working towards playing simple jigs and other basic Celtic-Canadian tunes.
Please contact the instructor, Rose Bolton, for more info or if you're not sure which level you should choose: [email protected].
Violin: Learn to Fiddle - Intermediate I (Fall)
We will make "Maple Sugar" "Down Yonder" while the "Old Man and The Old Woman" enjoy a "Mug of Brown Ale" and the "Arkansas Traveler" has his/her Whisky Before Breakfast". (For those of you who are wondering about that last sentence, these are the names of well loved Celtic and Canadian fiddle tunes, and we will be covering them in this course!)
Engage in a comprehensive study of the history and performance of one of Canada's most enduring cultural forms while developing your musicianship and technical skills in a fun, easygoing atmosphere suited to the upbeat music under study. Slurring patterns, off-beat accents, ornaments and further exploration of the four main Celtic-Canadian rhythms feature prominently in the course work.
Prerequisites: For those who have played violin for at least a year, and done some learning by ear.
Please contact the instructor, Rose Bolton, for more info or if you're not sure which level you should choose: [email protected].
Violin: Learn to Fiddle – Intermediate II (Winter)
This class continues from where we left off in Learn to Fiddle - Intermediate I.
Prerequisites: For those who have played violin for at least a year, and done some learning by ear.
Please contact the instructor, Rose Bolton, for more info or if you're not sure which level you should choose: [email protected].
Violin: Learn to Fiddle - Intermediate III & IV (Fall & Winter)
This class is designed as an extension to the Intermediate classes (I and II) specifically for the group of students who took the intermediate classes in 2018-19, who have moved beyond the Intermediate course, but are not yet ready for Learn to Fiddle – Advanced.
Prerequisites: For those who have taken Violin: Learn to Fiddle – Intermediate.
Please contact the instructor, Rose Bolton, for more info or if you're not sure which level you should choose: [email protected].
Violin: Learn to Fiddle - Advanced I (Fall) (Old Time Canadian)
Tunes and Tech for the Don Messer/Ottawa Valley Old Time Canadian dance tradition. Waltzes, Jigs, Two-Steps/Reels, and Clogs/Schottisches/Rags/Foxtrots. They’re all here, played with great groove, variations, tone, smooth bowing with lots of lovely slurs, common and some not-so-common keys, i.e., A, D, G and C, Am, Em AND Bb, F, E majors. Some of the tunes may be familiar to you already, but we will be working hard on phrasing, interpretation, ways of going beyond just getting through the notes to a truly musical statement. Taught by ear, but music and recordings provided.
The Fall term will be taught online. This will change the class in some ways. I will ask students to learn the basic notes of tunes we are working on ahead of time, and we will work through tech exercises, rhythm improvement, bowings etc. together on zoom. I will also encourage people to play parts of the tunes individually for the class, or lead a tune that others can follow, but this will be your choice. Students will also be encouraged to submit recordings of themselves to me a couple of times over the term for individual feedback (cell phone recordings are fine). In this way, I think the online experience can be very fruitful.
Contact the instructor, Anne Lederman, for more info:
[email protected].
NOTE: Students who complete Advanced I or II Learn to Fiddle ((Scottish/French Canadian/Métis) can move on to
small ensemble Tamarack'er Down: Celtic-Canadian Orchestra.
Violin: Learn to Fiddle - Advanced II
This class is for those who have played for at least a couple of years and who want to delve further into the techniques and repertoire of a particular style of fiddling in Canada. The course alternates between Scottish, French-Canadian/Métis, Old Time Canadian and Irish, or a combination of them.
Contact the instructor, Anne Lederman, for more info:
[email protected].
Prerequisite: Learn to Fiddle – Intermediate II, or permission of the instructor.
NOTE: Students who complete Advanced I or II Learn to Fiddle ((Scottish/French Canadian/Métis) can move on to
small ensemble Tamarack'er Down: Celtic-Canadian Orchestra.