[mplpost] Fiddle and Song workshops in North Ontario

[Pat Simmonds]

Hi Gang,
This came to me via Owen Sound

<<Hi Folks,
Will Henry here in Owen Sound.
Enda O'Cathain, a fine fiddler we met in Ireland during our stay there is
coming for a visit and as he has been teaching fiddle in Australia for the
last year has offered to do a one-day workshop.
I've been working with Lisa Butchart in Southampton, who has put together
fiddler workshops there through the art school. We hope to do something the
first Saturday in March.
Here's the message she sent out to her list. Please give it some thought and
get back to us. We'd need at least a few folks to make it work, obviously,
but it should be a fairly intimate crowd. Enda is a lovely player, who just
released a CD of solo Irish fiddle. He's also a very nice guy and a great
teacher.
Let us know soon if you're available, or if you know anyone who might be,
please pass this information on.
Thanks a lot,
Will Henry
...here's Lisa's message.....
Fiddle Folks,
I am pleased to relay the information that Enda O'Cathain will be in Ontario
in March.
Enda Ó Catháin's first fiddle teacher was his grandfather. From him he
learned to play and appreciate a wide range of Irish traditional music.
These include dance tunes as well as airs and more unusual, less often
played pieces not generally heard in a session setting.

Enda twice won Corn Uí Chrothaigh, a national senior fiddle competition
trophy and holds prizes at All Ireland level in both fiddle and singing
competitions. Brought up speaking both Irish and English, he has researched
and performed Irish sean-nós song and taught Irish language for a number of
years at the National Universtiy of Ireland, Maynooth.

He is currently travelling around the world and has spent over a year
playing and teaching music in Australia and New Zealand. While in Australia
he recorded a solo unaccompanied fiddle album at the National Library of
Australia. As well as having given workshops in Ireland, Scotland and the
US, he has more recently given workshops in Sydney, Melbourne and at the
National Folk Festival, Canberra.

General approach to teaching workshops:

1. Choose appropriate and appealing tune(s) according to the standard and
taste of people attending the workshop.

2. Teach tune(s) by ear and demonstration, incorporating some, or all, of
the following elements -

Background and context to the tune(s). This may be done in a number of
ways - giving title and composer if known, telling an associated story,
linking the music to a dance, providing English/Irish langauge lyrics which
may belong to the tune or by pointing out the relationship between the tune
and other versions which are played in a different key or rhythm;

Bowing techniques which may be used;

Ornamenting and varying tune(s) once basic tune is learnt.

3. Record tune(s) for workshop participants and provide staff notation
reference and/or hardcopy.

A workshop is tentatively scheduled for early March, perhaps March 2. It
will be a one-day workshop with evening session at the Walker House.
Preceding the workshop on the Friday night will be the student ceilidh. The
fee will be half the fall fiddle workshop fee as the workshop will be only
half as long. Please email me on suggestions/comments and if you are
interested in coming. Regards   Lisa Butchart >>


Is mise le meas,
Pat Simmonds.
Atlantic Ceilidh
www.ciut.fm
http://www3.sympatico.ca/kelly.hood
www.chrislangan.com
ICQ 67225277

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