Country Dance and Song Society Folk Music Week at Pinewoods July 24 - 31, 2004

As of August 1, This week is over.

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Program Description Staff Class Descriptions & Schedule

Folk Music Week at Pinewoods July 24 - 31, 2004 Program Director: Andy Cohen Staff: Tina Bergmann Paula Bradley Beth Braden Larkin Bryant Pat Conte Roger Diggle Bill Dillof Jerry Epstein * Sue Goehring Tom Gibney Allen Hopkins * Bob Lewis Bob Malenky Will Noble Bryan Thomas Heather Wood * Advisors, plus: Steve Howe Dick Swain

Program Description: [Back to Top]

We are sorry to have to tell you that Frank Profitt Jr. could not come to Pinewoods this year. However, we are more than pleased to announce that we have persuaded Sue Goehring to come out from Brady Lake, Ohio to take his place. Sue, well known in Ohio as a member of the Red Mule String Band, is a smashing fiddler, hair-raising singer of the old ballads, graceful stepdancer, and a fine singer of Carter Family and like material.

We are also sorry to report that John Langstaff is unable to assure us he will be there. We are working on the alterest schedule now.

Look up our Adult Programs for some general information; here is more detail about this particular program and staff.

Employing source people, respected revivalists and 78 reissues, we've assembled a program that should be good for six hours in any reasonable Ethno program. You'll be able to choose among instruction in all stringed instruments (including both kinds of dulcimer), a combined string band/dance class, British music from ancient ballads to Music Hall, blues and gospel, American ballads, camper extravaganzas and the Secret Museum of Pinewoods, all in an idyllic setting, with dances every night and more food than you could possibly eat. Excepting some historical presentations, all classes are full-tilt participatory. There's a lot to choose from, so you might want to read the schedule over carefully and decide how you want to allot your time.

It may be possible to take a "passive" approach, that is, to do more listening than active participation; but the program is designed for more hands-on work. Given that people come to Pinewoods at different skill levels, there will be some adjusting in the early stages, and we'll take you as far as we can in the few days we have together. We're hoping that with the kind of exposure you'll get at Folk Music Week this year, you will be having insights into your chosen folk music for years to come.

Staff: [Back to Top]

Tina Bergmann has played hammered dulcimer since she was but a lass and has developed a national reputation on the instrument.

Paula Bradley will teach some piano in addition to her work with the string band/dance class.

Larkin Bryant, Andy Cohen's graceful and long suffering spouse, returns with him as dulcimer instructor, all levels, a skill for which she is rightly famous.

Andy Cohen, having taught at Pinewoods several times, now, as Program Director, tries to wrestle Folk Music Week, two out of three falls, to a draw. He will be assisting Pat Conte and Bob Malenky in the Blues/Gospel class.

Pat Conte, curator of the Secret Museum, will dust off Blues and Gospel gems from the old-time southeast. Major Contay will also give us some aural snapshots of world music from several centuries ago.

Roger Diggle, one of America's premier dance callers, will have you cavorting the whole week in terpsichorean ecstasy.

Bill Dillof, multi-instrumentalist veteran of Major Contay's Cane Brake Rattlers, will teach fiddle/mandolin, play first fiddle at the dances and, with Roger, Paula, Tina and Bryan, be part of a comprehensive dance and string band ensemble class.

Jerry Epstein returns with his renowned classes in traditional singing and as leader of a daily session on unaccompanied song.

Sue Goehring is trained in Museum Curatorship, for a number of years ran the folklife museum at Zoar, Ohio, now an Erie Canal ghost town. She plays fiddle and guitar, sings the old love songs a capella and Carter-style songs with accompaniment.

Ably backing Susie on the guitar, and singing with her in Carter Family sessions is Beth Braden. Beth and Susie have played together for years as members of the Red Mule String Band. Also a member of the Rhythm Gorillas and the Fullertones, Beth has been a stalwart in the northeast Ohio Old TIme Music and dance community for the past quarter century.

Tom Gibney is one of the most powerful and knowledgeable voices of tradition in the revival, as well as a superb instrumentalist.

Allen Hopkins, back again, leading the (stochastic) morning sing.

Bob Lewis, a marvelous source singer from Sussex, comes on his first trip to America with a great store of unaccompanied songs from his family and the older tradition of the South coast of Britain.

Bob Malenky, having taught guitar since the late Pleistocene, will pair with Pat Conte for a Blues & Gospel unit. Pat will do repertoire, Bob will help you actually play it.

Will Noble, the great Yorkshire singer, returns to Pinewoods after a 10 year absence with his great store of hunting songs, chorus songs and Yorkshire lore.

Bryan Thomas, classically trained on the contrabass, will do a theory class, coach bass and ground the dances.

Heather Wood will lead a session of all things British from the ancient ballads to the English music halls.

Folk Music Week at Pinewoods Tentative Schedule:
7:45 - 8:15 Breakfast
9:00 - 10:00
Unaccompanied Voice	Will, Bob L, Tom, Jerry, Heather, Sue
Music/Dance, Kids/Teachers	Andy
Hammer Dulcimer (Su/W)	Tina
Dance Piano (M/Th)	Paula
Dulcimer	Larkin
Fiddle	Bill
10:00 - 10:30 Morning Tea
10:10 - 10:30
Singing Gathering
10:30 - 11:45
Staff Presentation
11:45 - 12:45 Swimming, Bookstore staffed
12:45 Lunch
2:00 - 3:00
Blues	Pat, Andy, Bob M
String Band	Paula, Bill, Tina, Bryan, Sue, Roger
Traditional Singing	Jerry
Yorkshire Tradition	Will
World Music	Pat
3:15 - 4:15
Gospel & Sacred Harp	Tom
Dance Session	Roger
Fiddle	Bill, Sue
Guitar	Andy
Sussex Tradition	Bob L
Banjo	Pat
4:30 - 5:30
Songs & Monologues	Heather
Theory (Su/Tu/Th)	Bryan
String Bass (M/W)	Bryan
Elementary Guitar (Su/W)	Andy
Elementary Banjo (M/Th)	Pat
5:30 - 6:25 Swimming, Bookstore staffed
6:30 Dinner
8:00 - 9:00
Concert	Staff
9:15 - 11:00
Evening Dance Party
11:00 - ?
Late Night Song Circle

Class Descriptions: [Back to Top]

Song:

Music/Dance, Kids/Teachers -- Andy Cohen
If there is enough interest, Andy will invite guest stars to do neat things with kids over five days -- the kids are invited to this one.

Blues -- Pat Conte, Andy Cohen, Bob Malenky
Repertoire, sources and instruction in playing. All three of these characters are familiar with the length and breadth of prewar blues and gospel music, Black string band music and other oddments not usually covered in the intro courses on the subject, and all have had experience playing with source players no longer living.

Unaccompanied Voice -- Will Noble, Bob Lewis, Tom Gibney, Jerry Epstein, Heather Wood, Sue Goehring
Round table discussion and lots of singing from the great unaccompanied traditions. Will and Bob represent two strands of British unaccompanied tradition, Tom and Sue represent two strands of their Appalachian analogues. Our own Jerry and our own Heather are likewise expert in the roots, history and interpretation of these traditions.

Yorkshire Tradition -- Will Noble
Will, returning to Pinewoods after a lapse of too many years, presents one of the great singing traditions of Britain: the ballads, hunting songs and chorus songs of his native Yorkshire.

Gospel & Sacred Harp -- Tom Gibney
Learning to sing shape notes, you will experience the power of unaccompanied group singing. Tom will guide you through the complexities of Sacred Harp part singing, so that after a day or two, you'll be positively belting those Dr. Watt hymns.

Sussex Tradition -- Bob Lewis
Bob presents a part of the South Coast tradition, learned at his mother's knee. Since this is the tradition that produced the Copper Family's many centuries of continuous singing, we know it goes back at least four centuries.

World Music -- Pat Conte
A listening course. Pat will bring and explain taped examples of music caught from both preliterate and highly literate third world peoples. In an interview on CBS Sunday Morning a couple of years ago, Pat explained that at the moment this music was recorded on cylinders and 78s, it probably had not changed much from its origins in the distant past, so in that sense, this would be the deepest musical window you could ever look through.

Songs & Monologues -- Heather Wood
Ancient ballads to bawdy Music Hall fare is the aim of this class. Heather, who recently edited the searchable database edition of the Child Ballads, is about as knowledgeable an intro teacher as you could have to the breadth of British vocalizing.

Traditional Singing -- Jerry Epstein
All aspects of traditional singing, voice and style. Voices on, no lectures...

Instrument:

Hammer Dulcimer (Su/W) -- Tina Bergmann
Instruction at all levels. She'll help you through the initial nystagmus that comes with looking at all those parallel strings.

Dulcimer -- Larkin Bryant
Instruction at all levels. Larkin is famed for bringing people along quickly and easily, to the point that you'll be able to continue on your own after taking her class.

Dance Piano (M/Th) -- Paula Bradley
Instruction at all levels. It is recommended that you also take Bryan's Theory class if you take this one.

Fiddle -- Bill Dillof, Sue Goehring
Instruction at all levels, repertoire and style. This is recommended, not only for beginning and intermediate fiddlers, but for anyone wanting to fiddle in the String Band/Dance class.

Banjo -- Pat Conte
Repertoire and instruction: bring your burning questions about the banjo to this class and you (possibly also he) will be enlightened. Recommended if you're in the String Band/Dance class.

Elementary Banjo (M/Th) -- Pat Conte
Basic instruction in the clawhammer and "up-picking " styles that underlay the Banjo-istic part of the Southeastern repertoire.

Guitar -- Andy Cohen
Instruction at Beginner and Intermediate levels. The intent of this class is to save you ten years of fumbling around on the guitar, so that in six months you can be playing like a pro.

String Bass (M/W) -- Bryan Thomas
Instruction at all levels. Bryan has a degree in Composition, lots of experience as an arranger (among other things, for the Basie Band), and can do anything from Classically bowed bass concertos to riding on the doghouse whilst double-slapping it.

String Band -- Paula Bradley, Bill Dillof, Tina Bergmann, Bryan Thomas, Sue Goehring and Roger Diggle
Learn to dance, play and call in one swell foop. This is a new class, and somewhat experimental, but if you work hard and the moon is right, y'all will be running the Friday night dance. We will make several string bands out of the people in the class, each having one of the teachers as a member. It is recommended that if you take this class, you also take the instrument you play with the respective instructor (we have two fiddle teachers, Sue and Bill). Banjo players would work with Pat Conte. Also, everybody should take Roger's basic dance instruction class. For this class, he will coach you through calling a dance.

Theory (Su/Tu/Th) -- Bryan Thomas
In this class you will learn the rules by which music is constructed. Even if you don't read music, this class will help you understand it.

Dance:

Dance Session -- Roger Diggle
Learn the basics of square, round and contra dance with one of America's foremost teachers.

Program Description Staff Class Descriptions & Schedule Top

413-268-7426 FAX: 413-268-7471

Country Dance and Song Society 132 Main St/PO Box 338 Haydenville, MA 01039-0338 Office Hours M-F 9:30am - 5:00pm EST

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