Welcome to the web page for Wallowa Fiddle Tunes Workshop, in Wallowa, Oregon, sponsored by the Wallowa Valley Music Alliance.

Photo ©Dwain Vermilyea

Ours is a week-long, small, inexpensive and family oriented music workshop focused on traditional string instruments, begun in 2005. Week-long classes are $85 with early registration. There is a country family dance on Thursday nights for which the workshop participants provide the music.

Classes are held in the elementary wing of the Wallowa School, from 9 am till 3:15 pm Monday through Friday, learning tunes chosen by the instructor. There is plenty of time for practice and jam sessions. On Friday afternoons, classes perform for each other.

After classes there will be optional short workshops taught by volunteers.

Workshop participants under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or responsible adult chaperone. Curfew is 11 pm; all workshop participants under 18 must be in their own camp after 11. No alcohol, drugs, or weapons permitted on school grounds. Please bring your instruments and accessories such as spare strings. Instructors may provide tablature, music notation, chord charts, etc. so bring a music stand.

Free camping. On-site tent and RV camping (no hookups) at the Wallowa School. You may arrive on Sunday, July 11, after 3 pm. (We advise people NOT to camp too close to the basketball hoop!) Camping areas must be vacated by Saturday, July 17, by 11 am. Showers (often warm or hot) are available in the school's locker rooms (bring your own towels etc.). For those who do not wish to camp on school grounds, motels and RV parks are available (see http://wallowacountychamber.com). The MINGO MOTEL, about a block from the school, is offering a 15% discount to WFTW participants (541-886-2021).

Downtown Wallowa is about 2 blocks from the workshop site with cafes, library, and grocery store.

You can register online for Wallowa Fiddle Tunes Workshop classes and lunch service, using PayPal to pay for classes via PayPal or credit card. You may also register online, and mail a check for payment. In this case your registration will be Pending until we receive payment. Or, you may register offline if you prefer, using the mail-in registration form (right click and save as to download).

Register here on the Wallowa Valley Music Alliance website

2010 Workshop

Again this year we have a FAMILY DISCOUNT. If you register four people from the same family, you get a 20% discount.

Again this year we will offer lunch service for $40 for 5 days.

Classes and instructors

Connie Dunnington, beginner fiddle. This class has TWO sections, but will combine some during the week.

Section 1. A part-time preschool class for ages 4-6 that meets from 9:00 am to 9:45 am each day, as well as 1:00-1:45 Monday through Thursday. Parent or guardian must be present in the room with their child. $50. A fiddle book and CD with simple children's fiddle tunes will be provided. Singing and performance skills will be practiced along with the tunes. Make sure your child has a fiddle their size that is playable.

Section 2. A class for ages 6 and up. We will be learning beginning old-time fiddle tunes. Teaching materials include a beginning fiddling book and CD with the songs played at slow speed and normal speed. The class will go over tuning your instrument, basic scales, instrument placement and bow hold. The tunes will be taught by ear, or if you prefer, using very simple tabulature or written music from the book. You don't have to know how to read music. The class will be flexible daily, moving along according to the skill levels of the students, paced so that every fiddler is getting what they need out of the class. Bring a music stand. Meets 9:45 am till noon, and 1:45 to 3:15 pm.

Connie began learning to play the fiddle as an adult. She was the 2009 Beginning Fiddle instructor for Wallowa Fiddle Tunes. Each year she teaches beginning and intermediate fiddling classes for Hood River Community Education as well as private students. Currently, she is teaching two fiddling classes, grades K - 4th grade for the Whitson Elementary after school program in White Salmon, Washington. She enjoys attending fiddle workshops, competing in fiddle contests, performing with her husband Rich, and continuing her education through private lessons. Their website here. Connie has a degree in Early Childhood Education.

Andy Emert, lower intermediate fiddle tunes Prerequisite: Some experience playing the fiddle, and the desire to learn more. Andy will teach up to a dozen common tunes, some of them for the dance on Thursday night.

Andy Emert began his fiddle playing odyssey 20 some years ago in Salem, Oregon. While learning the Suzuki method in primary school he stumbled upon fiddle playing at the local community center. After discovering the fun to be had while playing fiddle and guitar Andy has been attending contests and festivals ever since. Andy is a former Oregon State Fiddle Champion, and has judged at Weiser. Andy currently teaches violin and fiddle at the Community Music Center in Portland, Oregon and works at David Kerr violin shop.

Midwest fiddle tunes with Robyn Freatman Robyn will offer a new class this year at Wallowa Fiddle Tunes: Old-time Fiddle in the Midwest. A course designed for the intermediate fiddler, learning by ear is the primary source. At least ten tunes, mostly from Illinois, Missouri, Minnesota, and Wisconsin will be taught. Expect a couple waltzes and polkas, along with hoedowns, all appropriate for dancing. We will focus on the fiddle--tunes collected from living sources--some reaching back to early in the second half of the 19th century.

Instructor Robyn Freatman was born and raised in rural Wallowa County, on a farm. Playing fiddle and violin, along side her brother and sister was a chief means of passing time each day. In college, Robyn found the love of teaching and has been at it every since--spreading the joy of music to young and old. Currently living in Red Wing, Minnesota, Robyn has had a chance to learn Old-time fiddle tunes and styles from Midwest musicians.

Jeanine Orme, intermediate or advanced fiddle. Each day of the workshop we will learn two or more new songs at an intermediate or high intermediate level. Most learning will be done by ear with sheet music and handouts provided. Most of the songs will be contest style fiddle tunes but we may also learn some Western Swing, Irish, Scottish or bluegrass tunes (especially if these are requested by the students). Each day we will do warm ups that include basic music theory related to workshop songs. We will also work on following chord progressions, rhythmic chords, developing harmony parts, basic improvisation and 12 bar blues.

If we have extra time we will learn songs from Jeanine’s newest book Texas Style Fiddlin’ Workshop, Mel Bay Pub. It is suggested that participants have a copy of the book as well as a recording device. The book is available at www.fiddlinworkshop.com, www.melbay.com, or will be available at the workshop for $19.95 (no shipping fee). If registered participants have requests for songs to learn prior to the workshop please contact Jeanine: jrorme at comcast dot net or through http://www.fiddlinworkshop.com.

Jeanine Orme is a past Utah State Fiddle Champion and 2009 Oregon State Adult Champion. She has been a fiddle performer and teacher for over twenty-five years and is an author for Mel Bay Publications, Inc.

Bob Webb, intermediate mandolin. For those who know the basics of mandolin playing and are looking to learn new tunes and techniques. Learn backup techniques for a variety of styles, and how to get better tone out of your instrument. Bob Webb, of Charleston, West Virginia taught mandolin at the 2009 workshop. He has played mandolin for over 20 years. He was a key member of the house band for the syndicated radio show Mountain Stage, where he accompanied Odetta, Tom Paxton, Shawn Colvin, and Arlo Guthrie.

Intermediate guitar with Isaac Callender This class will focus on developing backup techniques and styles including how to form bass lines, find and use passing chords, right hand techniques as they apply to different cultural styles, odd metered (crooked) tunes, and moving chord progressions around the neck of the guitar. We will also briefly cover lead (melody) playing in the flatpicking style and chord substitutions. The intermediate student should already posses a basic knowledge of open chord forms and applying them to backup as well as have a basic knowledge of music theory (i.e. being able to find the I, IV, V chords).

Isaac Callender has spent the last several years touring with the April Verch Band as guitarist, and plays fiddle and mandolin as well. He owns and operates an instrument repair shop in Pendleton, Oregon, and teaches privately. http://www.isaaccallender.com

Linda McAllister, swing guitar (mornings only, 9 am to noon).

Whether you just want to learn to get your feet wet in the swing genre or want to dive in, this class is designed for both entry and intermediate level swing players; therefore, we will be playing simple and complex versions of each tune. Linda has taught this class dozens of times with the feedback consistently being that the techniques shown made learning swing surprisingly easy. You will learn Linda’s favorite dozen swing chord shapes and how to move them using all the neck and making flat keys easily accessible. This class will be fun! There will be small groups within the class for part of the sessions to accommodate different skill levels. Topics such as reading and simplifying chord charts and how to jam tips will be covered. Students will come away with some great swing and western swing songs to play and new techniques to make the most of what they already know. Knowing how to play swing rhythm back up for vocals and instrumentals is a great skill for any guitar player to have in his or her bag of tricks. Included will be a swing guitar instruction book and CD.

Linda McAllister, formerly of Wallowa, has been performing and teaching for more than 30 years in the Northwest. As well as solo work, she has also performed in many bands including Swing Crew. Linda has taught workshops at Weiser, Puget Sound Guitar Workshop, Silver Falls, Stevenson Bluegrass Festival, Simcoe Retreat, Columbia Gorge Community College and Hood River Community Ed.

Mountain Dulcimer class with Heidi Muller. New this year will be a dulcimer class with Heidi Muller, who will teach a variety of tunes and songs on Appalachian mountain (lap) dulcimer in DAD tuning. Beginners and experienced players are welcome. The dulcimer is a great instrument for any level of musician, because you can start out with one-finger melodies and branch out into chording, flatpicking, fingerpicking, rhythmic back-up and song accompaniment. New students will learn the basics of chord/melody playing, strumming and jamming. Experienced players will explore techniques to bring out the best in their fast tunes and put more heart into pretty slow tunes. We’ll play in D, G, A and some minor keys on fiddle tunes, waltzes, folk songs and some West Virginia favorites. We’ll make some time for individual attention and split the class into skill levels as needed, with time for group and individual practice.

Heidi Muller has played and taught mountain dulcimer for 25 years. She is also an award-winning songwriter, singer and guitarist. A Seattle resident for almost 20 years, her song “Good Road” is the theme song of the Inland Folk show broadcast widely on Northwest Public Radio. She now tours with Bob Webb from their home in Charleston, WV. She has released six CDs and published several songbooks. For more information, please visit http://heidimuller.com, http://myspace.com/heidimullerbobwebb or http://wallowasong.com.

Daily Lunch served in the cafeteria by our caterer. $40 for five tasty and nutritious lunches. Vegetarian options usually available.

Register here on the Wallowa Valley Music Alliance website

Scholarships

We do have a few scholarships available, particularly for students at Wallowa School and residents of Wallowa County. Note that families registering three participants get a fourth registered for free. To use this option, you must submit paper registration forms.

Questions? You may email coordinator Peter Donovan: peter at wallowa dot net or call him at 541-263-1888.

Mini-workshops

In addition to our regular class offerings, workshop participants often offer free hour-long mini-workshops in the afternoon. Some, such as the rhythm workshops led by Kodria Haddock, meet more than once.