Jan. 9, 2004, 7:58 a.m. (Message 37488)
This is not a workshop for playing for Scottish Country Dancing, but I thought it might be of interest to other listmembers, since a number of members are musicians, and the workshop is highly applicable to developing small dance band playing skills, whatever the genre of dance. http://www.simplegiftsmusic.com/cfc/ If this URL does not show up in the posting, google "simple gifts clarion folk college". This is an annual weekend for folk musicians and wanna-be folk musicians held on the campus of a small state university in Clarion, Pennsylvania, USA, a small town that is far from everywhere, even everywhere else in Pennsylvania. It is held after the end of the semester, so participants may stay in the dorms. May 21 - 23, 2004. Browsing the website will give you a complete picture of the activities, but to summarize, participants will have the opportunity to play with many other musicians of all levels in a multitude of settings, as well as to attend formal workshops dealing with the various aspects of ensemble playing. It is friendly both towards the musician who plays by ear as well as the one who must read. I should reiterate that it is not an SCD connected event; there will be no SCDancing, but there have been a number of people who have attended, including me, who play for SCD, as well as a greater number of people, also including me, who play for ECD and contradancing. It is a very relaxed, friendly, and yet learning-filled environment.
Jan. 9, 2004, 3:06 p.m. (Message 37499, in reply to message 37488)
Clarion is about an hour from where the Music Makars are based. Yes, it's out in the middle of nowhere, but anyone willing to make the journey out here is certainly welcome to come and visit us for pointers on ensemble playing and playing for SCD. Etienne Ozorak Music Makars