fiddlekids 2013

Now in its sixteenth year, fiddlekids is a unique, fun-filled summer day camp devoted to traditional fiddle music. We welcome young violin students and fiddlers, ages 7 to 14, with at least one year of playing experience. No previous fiddling is required. Camp is divided into four skill-based groups of roughly 15 fiddlers, and each child attends classes with three of the camp's fiddle instructors.

The fiddlekids experience

Our camp is a great opportunity for children to explore and learn a wide range of traditional fiddling styles—bluegrass, American old-time, Appalachian, Irish, Scottish, jazz, swing, and blues—through tunes, songs, dance.

Boasting a superb teaching staff and a wonderfully supportive atmosphere, fiddlekids has introduced hundreds of youngsters to the lively and delightful fiddle repertoire. We’ve also inspired many of our alumni to enjoy a life-long relationship with their instrument, traditional fiddle music, and folk music culture.

By learning to memorize tunes on-the-fly without music notation, kids learn the traditional aural style of sharing and learning fiddle tunes. This skill points many kids on a new trajectory, preparing them to participate in folk music camps, jam sessions, and fiddle workshops, where playing by ear is expected. Ear training also provides a new level of confidence and performance proficiency, particularly for those who struggle with reading music. Read more about learning to play fiddle tunes by ear ...

In addition to fiddling, the camp offers dance and art classes in age-based groups that provide good old-fashioned fun and deeper connections with traditional music.

The fiddlekids instructors

As usual, we have a wonderful staff of fiddle teachers. Same crew as last year!

• John Blasquez — American old-time, bluegrass, and Celtic fiddle
  
• Julian Smedley — Swing, blues, and jazz fiddle and improvisation
  
• Caroline McCaskey — Scottish, Irish, Cape Breton, and Appalachian fiddle
  
• Karen Celia Heil — American old-time and southern fiddle

Our staff also features:

• Evie Ladin — Dance
• Deanne Burke — Art

In depth staff biographies available here.

Class assistants

In addition to one of the instructors above, each class has two assistants—most of them skilled fiddlekids alumni! The assistants bring our student/teacher ratio to roughly 5/1 ... and they can be relied upon in any sort of fiddling emergency. These young fiddlers love their craft, they've acquired a high level of proficiency, and they're invaluable role models for the campers.

A day at fiddlekids summer camp

• Morning fiddle: Class I
• Recess (10 to 15 minutes)
• Morning fiddle: Class II
• Dance/Art — half the camp goes to each activity
• Lunch and lunch-time recess
• Art/Dance — the kids that had art now go to dance, and vice versa
• Afternoon fiddle: Class III
• Recess, snacks, and pickup
NOTE: Each activity (fiddle, dance, and art) is roughly one hour long

The fiddlekids concert — free admission

Camp culminates with the fiddlekids recital, an exciting public performance on the Freight & Salvage stage. This lovely show highlights the kids' accomplishments across a wide range of fiddling styles. The show starts at 11:30am, Saturday June 29. And it's free!

By the end of camp most kids have memorized three to six tunes, and they'll fiddle most of them at the concert. The performance also showcases dances learned from Evie Ladin.

We'll have the kid's beautiful artwork, created under the guidance of instructor Deanne Burke, displayed in the lobby, along with photos of "the camp in action."

Camp materials

When camp starts we'll email a link that provides access to the collection of instructor-made recordings for this year's camp. The collection includes fast and slow recordings for most tunes.

Please encourage your young fiddlers to listen daily, at home and/or during the commute to camp. They'll learn their fiddle tunes faster and more easily with repeated listening.

A brief nightly review will yield a much deeper grasp of the material, and a head start for the next day. Many parents say, "This is the first time I've seen my kid come home after any class and want to practice!"

After camp each fiddlekids family receives music notation for all fiddle tunes taught, plus some tunes that were recorded but untaught, usually about 24 tunes in all. The notation allows the kids to review the music, to understand it from another perspective, and to work on favorite tunes that the other kids learned.

Registration

Please contact Andrea at the Freight & Salvage for registration information, 510 859 1127 or andrea@freightandsalvage.org

Registration deadline is May 24th, 2013. We offer an "early bird" special price of $480 if tuition is paid in full by April 19, 2013. (Please inquire about our sibling discount.)

Camp tuition includes:

• a fiddlekids t-shirt (please wear daily at camp ... AND at the concert!)
• recordings of this year's fiddle tunes (provided after camp)
  
• a fiddlekids water bottle
• healthy daily snacks
  

Location

The fiddlekids camp weekday classes are held at:

Berkwood Hedge School
1809 Bancroft Way, Berkeley, CA.

The Saturday concert is at the Freight & Salvage Coffeehouse.

Camp founder and history

Bobbi Nikles founded and ran fiddlekids single-handedly for 12 years, later continuing as director for an additional two years after fiddlekids became a program of the Freight & Salvage Coffeehouse. John Blasquez became fiddlekids program director in 2012, and Bobbi graciously continues to provide input and guidance.

Registration materials • 2013 Instructors
Previous fiddlekids instructors & fiddle resources

fiddlekids preview video

— fiddlekids® is a trademark of the Freight & Salvage Coffeehouse —