In this class for beginners, we will be exploring ways to play banjo to accompany songs and dance tunes. Starting with basic right hand down stroke and some easy one or two finger chords you’ll be playing along with the fiddle from the first lesson! Later in the course we will introduce some other traditional styles. Even if you don’t own a banjo yet loaners are available by request.

Whether you’re new to fiddle, or you’re ready to experiment with different genres such as Bluegrass, Celtic, Cajun, Swing and more, this class will bring up your performance level and fine-tune your ear (no music reading is required). Beginners will learn to make confident bow strokes, keep time, and use basic scales in easy keys with simple tunes. If you’ve already mastered those skills, you’ll move on to harmony, double stops, playing in higher positions, and developing your own interests and personal style. If you’ve never picked up a fiddle, or any musical instrument, we’d recommend an “intro to fiddle setup and tuning” workshop that we will customize for new students. Please check the box you’ll see on the registration form to let us know that 1) you’ve never played fiddle before or 2) you’ve never played any instrument.

If you’ve never, or almost never, played guitar, this is the place to start. You’ll learn the essential chords in the most common keys, and how to use Nashville numbers to play in different keys (Note reading is not required). You’ll leave the class with an understanding of rhythm so you can play easily with others, and you’ll have a few basic strum patterns. You’ll be able to play along in our Second Half jam the very first night!

In this Level 2 guitar class, you’ll learn basic picking patterns for familiar tunes that will make it easy to get your thumb and fingers moving over the strings. Then, as these first patterns become comfortable, the course will build your picking pattern repertoire, and you’ll be able to play some of the songs that are well-known for their natural-sounding picking patterns.

Fingerpicking allows the player to emphasize alternating bass strings as well as alternating string choices for the fingers; just a change of one string over for the fingers can change the voicing of a song quite a bit; someone may ask “how’d you do that?”

What you learn in this class can be transferred to other instruments such as Ukulele, Mandolin etc.

Pre-requisite: You should be comfortable making timely chord changes in the keys of G, D, A and E.

Wanna have fun jamming? We will be using the flatpick to accompany others and to play lead. In this class you’ll learning how to accompany melodies and also to play them while developing your musical vocabulary for creative expression.

We’ll play songs like Flop-eared Mule, Big Sandy River and Salt Creek, learning both from ear and from music. You’ll also become comfortable with the Nashville Numbering system to help organize your mental picture of songs.

A willingness to have fun is the biggest requirement for this class.

If you are familiar and comfortable playing melody and accompaniment with boom chuck’n bass runs, this is your next stop. We’ll hone the skills we picked up in Guitar 2 Flatpicking and play tunes that are great to sing to and pick. And….we will trade pick’n roles between the players adding an “organic” musical narrative filled with dynamics and textures. Let’s go!

If you want to explore 12 bar blues, early 60’s styles, and Rock and Roll, this class is for you. Students should be comfortable playing, singing, and making chord changes in the keys of E, A, D, and G. We will be learning new chords and chord shapes to expand your chord vocabulary and learn the basics of improvising. Come have fun playing guitar and remembering your “Rock and Roll” days.  

If you already know the basic open chords in the key of D, G and A, you are ready for More Mandolin. We will learn new strum patterns, cross-picking, and some simple melodies, all while learning in a group setting, in a fun and sharing environment.

The bass is a welcome instrument in any musical gathering. Even the simplest bass line adds drive and fullness to the sound. It is also one of the easier stringed instruments to learn on a basic level, especially if you already have a background in guitar. In this class you will learn basic technique and how to play along with songs in several keys.  The class is intended for upright bass (but call us to discuss if you have an electric bass). Want to learn on upright but don’t have one? Check online – they are available for monthly rental by several music stores in the Atlanta area.

Like all our classes, our introductory ukulele course trains you by ear. You’ll learn basic chords, and strumming and picking patterns. You’ll be able to sing and play folk tunes, and begin to hear chord changes, so you can learn on your own, too.

The ukulele (Hawaiian for “Jumping Flea”), commonly known as the uke, is one of the most accessible and fun instruments to play. It was popular in the 1920’s and many songs of the period were accompanied by it. The songs of the Roaring Twenties are particularly suited to it as well as the Hawaiian Hapa-Haoli songs (written by American popular songwriters). It sounds great at the beach. The songs are fun to play and ukes sound good together. Tunes such as “Mister Sandman”, “Five Foot Two”,and Hawaiian favorites such as “Lovely Hula Hands” and “Little Grass Shack” are lively and pleasing. It’s a part of Americana that fits in the tradition of what we now call folk music. Students should know basic chords, I, IV and V in C, G, D, A, and E, and a few 7 and minor chords.

Supplies: Please, no taps for this intro class. Comfortable oxford/derby shoes with no tread are best (un-painted leather soles preferred). For the sake of protecting the floor, please avoid black or painted soles, or shoes that otherwise would scuff the floor.

Ages: 10 to 210. (Dancers 7-9 welcome, accompanied by an enrolled adult)

Description: Get ready for an Appalachian dance party! American Clogging has evolved with a standardized language that allows dancers from all parts of the U.S. (and beyond!) to share choreography and participate in common “fun dance” events, led by a caller.

The first clogging teams emerged from square dance competitions at the Mountain Dance and Folk Festival (founded in 1930 by Bascom Lamar Lunsford) in Asheville, North Carolina–as a percussive method of executing a square dance ( they were trying to win the competition!). As tourists and other square dancers grew interested in learning Western North Carolina’s exciting and athletic new style of dancing, places like Fontana Village, NC, began to offer lessons and developed names for step sequences to make the style teachable and cue-able—and they introduced clogging line dances (dancing without partners or figures). Our class will mostly focus on these line dance skills and routines. Today, the hoedowns and figure dancing continues, but people also enjoy line dances to all genres of music including country, bluegrass, old time, hip hop, show tunes, and music from various decades.

You will be surprised how much you can pick up! Dance experience (of any kind) is not required. Rhythm and coordination ARE skills that can be practiced and developed. Clogging is a “family” affair—and participants of all ages are encouraged.

Do you count your steps? Imagine clogging to your favorite songs for exercise.

In the class, we will introduce you to clogging “cue sheets” and how to read (or even write!) them—this is our method and language for writing down dances to share with others, which will give you access to volumes of choreography—free and online!

Irish Session Tunes – Appreciation and Learning for Melody Instruments

You can certainly play Irish music by yourself (and you should, at least for practice!) but there’s nothing more enjoyable than a good Irish music session with folks who play at your skill level. In this class you’ll not only learn some starter tunes but you’ll learn the difference between simply playing the notes of a tune and playing a tune “Irish style,” how Irish sessions function, how to find or start the right session for your ability, session “etiquette” and more. Melody instruments only: fiddle, penny whistle, flute, concertina, accordion, mandolin, harp etc. Guitars and bouzoukis are fine if you want to learn to play melody lines – we won’t learn accompaniment in this class. Participants must have at least moderate abilities on their instruments.

Do you love old-time dance tunes?  Do you have the basics of your instrument down and are you looking for a class to help build up your repertoire?  Look no further, because this is the class for you! This is class will be based entirely on old-time instrumental tunes played for contra and square dances.   Some examples of tunes we might cover are: “Shove that Pigs Foot,” “Fortune,” “Take Me Back to Georgia,” “Sandy Boys,” “Flop-Eared Mule,” “Old Grey Eagle,” “Soldier’s Joy,” and “Big Sciota.”  We will also cover a handful of waltzes if time allows. Although some of these tunes may have verses that we may include, the emphasis will be on learning the instrumentals, bringing them up to a rollicking dance tempo, and refining the group dynamics.  You’ll end the term with several new old time tunes under your belt and be ready to go help everyone else kick up their heels!

Students of rhythm instruments (guitar, ukulele, mandolin, bass etc.) should be familiar with the following chords: C, G, D, A, and Em.  Although we will play pieces at a moderate tempo, students should be able to change between these chords comfortably while maintaining a steady rhythm.  Advanced mandolin students may also choose to join the fiddles on the melody.

Students of melody instruments (fiddle, mandolin, whistle, concertina etc.), should be comfortable playing in D, G, and A.

Students of the banjo should be comfortable with three major chords of both the “Open G” tuning and the “Double D” tuning, and should be comfortable with the basic “bum-ditty” clawhammer stroke.

This course is designed for the emerging player who has gained a fundamental fluency in his/her instrument and is ready to put those skills to work in an ensemble setting.  We will focus on listening, playing, and performing together. We will listen for the interplay between the instruments, employ musical technique to enhance our playing with nuance and inflection, and work up a collection of songs to a level of comfort where our joy of playing and sense of camaraderie comes across clearly to an audience. Families welcome.

NEW LOCATION: A student’s home in Toco Hills area (Jody Lane).
You’ll receive the address upon registration.
NEW TIME: 1-2:30pm
This course is designed for the emerging player who has gained a fundamental fluency in his/her instrument and is ready to put those skills to work in an ensemble setting.  We will focus on listening, playing, and performing together. We will listen for the interplay between the instruments, employ musical technique to enhance our playing with nuance and inflection, and work up a collection of songs to a level of comfort where our joy of playing and sense of camaraderie comes across clearly to an audience. Families welcome.

Join us for a musical journey around the world as we explore various styles of song and dance melodies such as Calypso, French musette, tango, polkas, Gypsy tunes, and some you may suggest from your own heritage!

We will learn pieces together in folk ensemble style, with no notation required.
This course is open to all levels and instruments to enjoy.

Glen hails from Wichita, Ks where he studied with the great Craig Owens and other accomplished composers and teachers at Wichita State University. He started teaching in 2004 and quickly found joy in helping others find their musical voice. Whether he’s playing in his band, The Pour Downs, or helping someone else get it together, Glen is grateful to share a musical experience with you.

Eryk Fisher began his musical journey with a harmonica and a songbook in the early 80’s. It didn’t take long to tire of commercial radio and discover local stations playing a variety of music that was culturally diverse, and to step into Atlanta’s blues scene. After playing at some open jams, he began performing in bands; regular stage performances coupled with mentoring from seasoned musicians formed the core foundation of his music education. Putting in countless hours of listening, playing, reading, writing, teaching, recording and wood-shedding expanded and continues to add to his musical knowledge.

Max’s first love is traditional American music. He has led workshops on worksongs and other call-and-response songs at colleges, farms, and community centers all over the northeast, including Sheepscot General, Whitefield ME; Williams College; Full Plate Farm Collective, Ithaca NY; Common Ground Farm, Beacon NY; Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation, Williamstown MA; SUNY New Paltz; and Billings Forge Community Works, Hartford CT.  He has also taught worksongs and old-time fiddle at the Folk Music Society of New York Spring weekend 2014.

Max’s vision is to give his students the tools they need to play by ear, play with others, improvise, and teach themselves. He makes it fun and easy for people learn together by using a call-and-response teaching method that develops a strong connection between ear, voice, and instrument. Then it’s natural to learn new music and join in with any group, and to play or sing well, too!

Max regularly performs in Atlanta at Freedom Farmers Market at the Carter Center, Grant Park Farmers Market, East Atlanta Farmers Market, Root City Pop-up Markets, and The Pullman in Kirkwood. Max’s essays on worksongs have been published in Taproot (Issue 13) and on Bennett Konesni’s worksongs.org.

Facebook pages for Max’s current projects:

Max and Maggie

Max Godfrey (Solo performance, lessons, writing, and workshops)

The New Millennium Jelly Rollers

Sourwood Honey

Max teaches Old-time American fiddle styles, clawhammer banjo and country-blues and folk guitar privately. You can contact him about lessons at mgodfrey218@gmail.com, or maxgodfrey.me or 404 218 4707.

CLICK HERE FOR FRANK’S BIO

John Harvey has played in musical groups ranging from his high school marching band and multiple ensembles to a weekly house-band and even a samba school. He has also led local jam sessions. Originally from Austin, Texas, John has made the Decatur area of Atlanta his home for the past 9 years. Since discovering the Frank Hamilton School last year, he has volunteered as an assistant teacher and joined the FHS Band as a regular performer at festivals. Recently he launched a community jam session program for the school. John brings to the school experience teaching English as a second language and coordinating music workshops. When he’s not training non-profits to use software, John spends as much time as possible singing and playing guitar and mandolin with other music lovers.

Andy Howard
Director, American Racket Cloggers
Director, Florida Clogging Festival

Andy Howard is a sixth generation Floridian currently living in Atlanta. He earned a Masters of Arts in American Dance Studies from Florida State University, authoring a thesis on the history and social origins of American Team Clogging. He also earned a Masters of Arts in International Business from the University of Florida. He is a leader in the clogging community, a regular featured instructor at C.L.O.G. national conventions and regional events throughout North America. His troupe, American Racket, has performed throughout the U.S. and in South Korea, Brazil, Canada and Costa Rica.American Racket has shared stages with Bill Cosby, Ted Koppel, Wayne Brady, Sister Hazel, Sugar Ray, Dane Cook and others. Andy is an active performer, judge, instructor and conference presenter. His professional career focuses on marketing, art direction and public relations for companies including Orlando Opera Company, Orlando Repertory Theatre, the University of Florida College of the Arts, the University of Florida Department of Recreational Sports and (currently) the Georgia Tech Research Corporation in Atlanta. He has taught credit-earning dance courses in tap, clogging and world dance at Florida State University and Santa Fe College, worked as an entertainer at Walt Disney World Resort and has been a regular instructor for the University of Florida’s Dance for Life program which involves researching the impact of movement and dance on people with Parkinson’s Disease and their caregivers. Andy enjoys traveling, performing and outdoor photography, including underwater photography documenting Florida’s extensive network of pristine fresh-water springs. He holds a Group Exercise certification from the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA). He was inducted into the All American Clogging Team in 2002, the Clogging Team of the Decade in 2010, and the Florida Clogging Hall of Fame in 2015.

An Idaho native, David Robert King now lives in Decatur, GA with his wife, Marita. David’s songs have been in the top 40 on both the Americana and CCM Charts. He has shared the stage with Josh Ritter, Tim O’Brien, Darrell Scott, Mary Gauthier, Over The Rhine and Loudon Wainwright III. He has also been a featured performer at the legendary Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, TN. David has studied songwriting with the very best: Emily Saliers (Indigo Girls), Mary Gauthier, Darrell Scott, and Jonatha Brooke. David also has a Master’s degree in education from Lesley University in Cambridge, MA.

Mick Kinney enjoys fiddling a variety of styles including Appalachian, Cajun, Celtic, Blues and Swing. A professional musician since 1978, he has played the 1982 World Fair, McCabe’s, House of Blues, Bluebird Cafe, Rendez vous des Cajuns, and NPR’s Mountain Stage. Mick has performed with John Hartford, Victoria Williams, Michelle Malone, Atlanta blues man Frank Edwards, and 1920s recording artist Stranger Malone. Recent collaborations as a folklorist have been with the Smithsonian New Harmonies exhibit, Georgia Humanities Council, Carpetbag Theater, Dust to Digital Records and Northwest Georgia Textile Heritage Trail. Currently, Mick appears often with Elise Witt, jazz clarinetist Dub Hudson, and the Kinney family old time dance band “The HickHoppers.” He has been an instructor at Swannanoa Gathering, John C. Campbell Folk School, Mars Hill College, Alabama Folk School, and Festival of American Fiddle Tunes. His class will focus on traditional fiddle technique and musical concepts such as scales, modes, and harmony.

John put down guitar and took up penny whistle as a young lad in the 1970s after realizing there were just too many Jimmy Page, Ace Frehley and Doc Watson wannabes to compete with. After meeting the great Chicago uilleann piper Joe Shannon, he added the pipes and Irish wooden flute to his instrumental arsenal and set off on a lifelong musical journey. In the late ’70s/early ’80s John was keen to destroy a few good tunes with fellow beginners at whatever establishment or street corner would be fool enough to have them.

But by the mid ’80s he found his way and started The Buddy O’Reilly Band, for many years the big cheese of the Atlanta Irish/folk music scene. “The Buddies” have produced 3 albums and a whole lot of great music and fun!

John has since gone on to a solo career and participate in many bands and collaborations. His latest venture is with the music and dance trio, Ah Surely. And he’s been involved with productions big and small. He created and produces Atlanta’s annual Celtic Christmas concert, celebrating 27 years in 2018.

He’s a leader at The Marlay House Trad Tuesday night in Decatur – 10 years of trad music!

John’s been teaching Irish music workshops and privately for about half of his 58 years.

And he discovered, though he couldn’t quite match Jimi Hendrix’s guitar on uilleann pipes, he could at least come close to his soul!

Barbara grew up in Atlanta in a musical family from Copperhill, TN, a copper mining town on the GA/TN line. Her fiddling grandfather, John B. (“Uncle Bert”) Panter played for house dances, barn raisings, and other community gatherings, often alongside Fiddlin’ John Carson. After surviving a mine cave-in where his brother was killed, Barbara’s grandfather declared that no son of his would work in the mines. Thus the whole family including Barbara’s grandparents, parents, and all but two of her father’s siblings moved to Atlanta in the 1940s after WWII, providing a large extended family. Barbara’s father, John Panter Jr., one of 7 brothers and 2 sisters, was a fine singer with a beautiful tenor voice and a keen sense of harmony. Some of Barbara’s earliest memories are of falling to sleep at family gatherings listening to gospel singing with beautiful harmonies. At the age of 3 Barbara began playing piano and singing and strumming her little ukulele and sang her 1st solo in church at the age of 4. Her grandfather gave her his fiddle when she was 8 years old and told her he expected her to become a fiddler, further setting her on course for a lifetime of music. Barbara has played with several bands and performed throughout the southeast, in the northeast, southwest, British Isles, and even Serbia. She played and sang for over 40 years with her late husband, Whit Connah, in the band, Hurt Dog, that began in the 70s as an acoustic hillbilly, honky tonk, old time, Cajun band that evolved into Hair of the Dog with drums, and electric guitar, bass, and pedal steel; and continues with her son and daughter-in-law John and Audrey Ferguson, among others. Barbara is currently a member of The Rosin Sisters with Ann Whitley and Jan Smith, three fiddling “sisters” who love playing fiddle tunes and singing early country songs, with close attention to harmony! Barbara loves teaching and facilitating others to find their way on fiddle or guitar, and delights in guiding harmony singing in a supportive fun environment. Barbara, with the Rosin Sisters, has had considerable experience leading harmony workshops at Blue Ridge Old Time Music Week at Mars Hill, NC; at Bear on the Square Festival in Dahlonega, GA, and the Dulcimer and Old Time Festival in Palestine, TX.

Jeff has been playing music since taking up the trumpet in middle school.  Highlights of his four years in the high school marching band include a stint on tuba and meeting his wife.  Jeff also began playing guitar in high school.  When Jeff’s children were younger, neighbor Frank Hamilton recommended the ukulele for them.  The kids didn’t learn the instrument, but Jeff did.  The ukulele led to banjo and then a return to guitar.  Over the years, Jeff has spent countless hours sharing music with school-aged children and adult peers.

Jeff approaches music lessons as a collaboration between teacher and student. By nurturing a rapport with his students, he can shape his classes to satisfy the individual tastes and goals of everyone in the group. In his class you’ll develop not just as an instrumentalist, but as a musician; learning by ear will give you the both the ability to play the songs you’ll learn from Jeff, but the capacity to play along with songs you don’t know!

Pat grew up listening to Broadway show tunes, classical piano, and ‘60s rock ‘n’ roll. After brief encounters with piano and trombone, Pat began playing guitar at age 18. He later added mandolin, ukulele, and bass to his repertoire. He enjoys many kinds of music, but is especially fond of popular songs from the 1920s and 1930s. He performs often with local Old Time string bands at festivals, dances, parties, and other events. Pat, a retired federal employee, teaches guitar and ukulele to refugee girls at the Global Village Project school in Decatur. He also volunteers at The Carter Center, Historic Oakland Cemetery, Literacy Action, Atlanta Legal Aid, and the Furkids cat shelter. He concurs with Albert Schweitzer’s dictum that there are “two means of refuge from the misery of life – music and cats.” The ukulele is a sweet, welcoming, and accessible instrument. Simple material can be learned quickly on it, yet it offers infinite complexities to the advanced player. The ukulele can be a gateway instrument to the more physically challenging guitar, or a wonderful primary instrument in itself, worthy of lifelong study. And it fits neatly in the backseat or overhead bin on your vacation/business trip. Pat would be delighted to help you begin your journey with the ukulele.

Fritz has played and taught guitar for over 40 years and has performed folk music and “songs of the heart” in halls, coffee houses and bars for about as long as a singer/songwriter. He has taught private and group lessons in local music shops. Fritz loves to kindle the light of musical passion in his students, and his warm, relaxed teaching style reflects the pleasure he takes in bringing people and new music together.

Fritz studied classical guitar and music theory with Lyster Bass (Lyster currently teaches at Maple Street Guitars in Atlanta). During that time he played in the master class seminar at Emory University.

Fritz also enjoys playing ukulele, octave mandolin, mandola and harmonica. His luthier work includes restoring and repairing acoustic stringed instruments in the violin, guitar and mandolin families.

Shelley Satonin-Hershkovits loves to take beginners on the adventure of discovering music. She learned to play violin in elementary school and eventually played in the Flagstaff Symphony. She then worked on the administrative staff of the San Diego Symphony. After a hiatus from classical music and some dabbling in other genres and instruments, Shelley played violin in a cover band in the late 90’s. This led to her teaching music classes and summer camps for small children, and taking training in the Suzuki method. In the next 15 years of full-time teaching, she saw so many people who thought they or their children had no “talent” experience the joy of the core Suzuki philosophy: anyone who can speak their mother tongue can learn to play an instrument well. Having completed the first Suzuki teacher training in classical guitar, Shelley realized she wanted to share a style of playing that was more accessible and popular. The opening of the Frank Hamilton School was the answer to her call.

Payton Scott started playing the banjo at the age of 14, and soon added the guitar, mandolin, bass, accordion, and dulcimer. Payton has studied under Steve Martin Banjo Prize-winner Jens Kruger, world renowned guitarist Uwe Kruger, and the wonderful Frank Hamilton. Payton performs in a folk duo with Sara Grace Carmical called The January Duo. He also performs regularly with his father, Christopher, at markets, festivals, concert halls, and private venues. Payton lives in Newnan, Georgia and is studying to become a lawyer in Atlanta.

Mike Simpson has been a leader in the Atlanta Irish music scene for 25 years.  In the early 90s he wrote what was for years the web’s leading tin whistle tutorial, and taught slow sessions in the late 90s and early 2000s.  He has played in numerous bands and ensembles over the years including Caislean, The New Road, and The Long Drop, and anchored Atlanta’s longest-running traditional music session from 1993 to 2013. In 2004 he went to Dublin and obtained the T.T.C.T. certification for teachers of Irish music (on fiddle), and in 2009 he released a self-produced CD entitled, “Other Forms of Magic”. He currently anchors a weekly session at The Wrecking Bar, and performs for contra dances and special occasions.