Class Description

The banjo is such a versatile instrument to accompany old songs! We will be singing and playing banjo, exploring how frailing and two-finger style work for different musical styles and rhythms: blues, old-time songs with sustained rhythms, songs with a strong "pulse," etc. It will be important to be able to play banjo at an intermediate level for this class, but all levels of singing ability and experience are welcomed! We will also be working on phrasing and dynamics. Sara grew up in New Hampshire and lived in Scotland and England for 40 years before settling in Vermont. She heard a lot of mountain music in North Carolina and her love for the old time banjo music and songs developed from this experience. She has carried this interest into her adult life studying folklore and collecting and performing music from the various areas in which she has lived. Her mission is to gather the songs and pass them on to future generations so that they will have the pleasure of hearing and singing them just as she has. She has sung at most every folk club and arts centre in the United Kingdom and has performed and taught at many folk and bluegrass festivals.