September 2016

Posted by Ed Hicks on September 8, 2016

Remember remember now it’s September,
The nights they are getting more long,
With Music and dance, and a bit of good chance,
We’ll celebrate autumn with song.

Hi Everyone,

It’s hard to think how to start these e-mails but maybe a bit of rhyming is a good idea?  If anyone wants to submit a rhyme for the next one just send it over.

Here’s the headline news:

Flatfoot dancing start again on Monday!
The Finnish Fiddle Tunes workshop is now open to all instruments!
My Saturday Banjo classes start up again a week and a half on Sat 17th September
The Old Time Music Course starts again next week on Wednesday 14th
You can learn about Gaelic singing with James McDonald on Sunday
The new term of Sea Shanty Choir starts tonight!
There’s a Shantyokee party on Friday 16th September.
The Summer Camp was absolutely brilliant and we’ll be doing it again next year!

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Old Time Music Courses

First of all the flatfoot dancing classes start again on Monday at the Round Chapel.  Come along wearing flat soled shoes and learn to slide around on a dusty floor.

It must be Old Time season too cause there’s the Old Time Music Course starting next Wednesday at 14 Bacon Street (off brick lane).  It’s a six week mixed instrumental course taught by me.  Old time music is American string band music from the 1920s and 30s mostly played on banjos, fiddles, guitars and things like that.   This course is a really fun way to learn to play music with other people in a relaxed atmosphere.  It’s mostly for strings (banjos, guitars, fiddles, mandolins, basses etc.) but you’re welcome to come with flutes and other things if you want.

If you prefer to learn your American folk music from real Americans there’s also a one-off Sunday workshop by Hen’s Teeth (Nathan Bontrager and Jane Rothfield) coming up on the 5th of November so remember, remember.

Also in a week on Saturday 17th I’ll be starting up my Banjo classes at Cecil Sharp in Camden.  These classes have been running for years and it’s a really nice way to learn and instrument.  It’s all taught by ear and it’s nice to be in a building full of people playing music for the day. There’s loads of different classes that happen on that Saturday and I’m also running a mixed instrument beginners “folk band” so if you’re thinking of taking up an instrument come and join us.

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Scandinavian Stuff

The Sunday’s Finnish Fiddle workshop is now open to players of all instruments so if you’re into Scandinavian music and want to spend the afternoon learning from a master fiddler come down to the Harrison on Sunday 18th September.

If you want a longer course our resident Scandinavian Music Expert Esbjorn Wettermark will be leading a Six week mixed instrument Scandinavian Music course in the autumn.  So if you want to know the difference between a Polska and Scottische or find lovely harmonies to the beautiful fiddle tunes of Hälsingland then join us this November and December.

Summer Camp

The First ever Trad Camp 2016 was a big success!  We all had so much fun and we’ll definitely be doing it again next year.  We played banjos (thank you Hobgoblin Music) and Fiddles (thank you Chance Kellner!) and played the first ever game of Ceilidh-Step-Dancing-Water Balloon Rounders (thank you Pete Truin)!  It really was a magical week with themed lunches and dinners (Opera Lunch, Monk’s Lunch, Italy Under the Sea) and lots of music and singing.  It wouldn’t have been possible without our wonderful volunteers so thank you so much Ben, Daisy, Anna C and Anna T for making it all happen!  I’ll be putting up some nice pictures on the site soon and I’ll share them with you all.

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Sea Shanty Choir and Singing Courses

The choir returns to it’s weekly rehearsals from tonight at it’s new home in the Museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green.  The choir have a pretty amazing touring schedule these days with two international tours under their belt and the picture of our trip to the Aland islands (shown above) reminds me of an 80s yacht rock music video video but with folk music in it.  If you’re coming to the rehearsal tonight please remember that we’ll be using the entrance at the back of the musuem.

If you prefer your shanties mixed with Karaoke then come along for a big party on Friday 16th September on Battersea Barge for a night of Shantyoke.  It’ll be a rollicking night of live band karaoke, rip-roaring sea shanties from the Trad Academy Sea Shanty Choir, followed by some banging tunes into the night from DJ Captain Gruin.

Finally, if you want to sing something other than shanties come and join James McDonald for his Gaelic singing class this Sunday at the Harrison pub.  It’s going to be a mega-long four hour session and James really knows his stuff about traditional singing.  Hopefully this will be the first of many more!

Right, that’s it.  Thank you for reading to the end!

See you all soon,

Ed

Flatfoot Dancing – September and October 2016Mondays ∙ 7:00pm – 8:30pm ∙ 12 September 2016 to 17 October 2016
£10 a session or £45 for all six weeks (email us for information about concessions)
The Round Chapel
With Alice Cade
Please email us to reserve your place

Gaelic Singing Workshop with James McDonald

1:00pm – 5:00pm, Sunday 11 Sep 2016
£25.00 (email us for information about concessions)
The Harrison Pub, Kings Cross
With James McDonald
Please email us to reserve your place
Old Time Music Course September and October 2016

Wednesdays ∙ 7:00pm – 8:30pm ∙ 14 September 2016 to 19 October 2016
£45 for six weeks (email us for information about concessions)
No 14 Bacon Street
With Ed Hicks
Please email us to reserve your place
EFDSS Saturday Music Workshops
Classes in Banjo, Fiddle, Accordion, Folk Band, Melodeon, Guitar and Stepping Stone to Sessions.
Various Saturdays from 17th September onwards
£108 for nine weeks
Contact EFDSS for details

Sea Shanty Choir – September and October 2016
Thursdays ∙ 7:00pm – 9:00pm ∙ 8 September 2016 to 27 October 2016
Museum of Childhood, Bethnal Green
With Pete Truin
Please email us to reserve your place

Finnish Tunes with Suvi Oskala
2:00pm – 3:30pm, Sunday 18 Sep 2016
£10 for the workshop (email us for information about concessions)
The Harrison Pub, Kings Cross
With Suvi Oskala
Please email us to reserve your place

Scandinavian Music Course October and November 2016
Wednesdays ∙ 7:00pm – 8:30pm ∙ 2 November 2016 to 7 December 2016
£45 for six weeks (email us for information about concessions)
No 14 Bacon Street
With Esbjorn Wettermark
Please email us to reserve your place