| Randal Bays - teaching | ||
| I enjoy teaching Irish fiddle. When youÕve devoted as much time and energy as I have to understanding something, itÕs a great pleasure to share it with people who really want to learn. As any good teacher will tell you, one of the benefits of teaching is that it makes you learn more yourself, and IÕm grateful to all the students IÕve worked with over the years. | ||
Friday Harbor Irish Music Camp For years I dreamed of creating a music camp in the Pacific Northwest with a similar feeling to the Willie Clancy Summer School in Miltown-Malbay, Co. Clare. In 2001, my old friend Dan Paulson and I co-founded the Friday Harbor Irish Music Camp, which takes place every March on beautiful San Juan Island, off the coast of Washington State. We bring great teachers and musicians from Ireland and North America, and get serious about Irish music and having a good time. Check out the camp website for more information, photos, registration information, etc. |
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Workshops Between touring with FINGAL and my other concerts, I end up travelling quite a bit and often teach fiddle workshops in the towns I visit. I also give occasional workshops in the Seattle area. Usually my workshops are anywhere from 2 to 4 hours long. The content varies depending on the level of those attending, but the focus is always on style, rhythm, bowing and ornamentation, and I try to leave people with ideas for furthering their music. If I'm performing in your area but you don't see a workshop listed on my calendar, send me an email and we'll try to get one organized. |
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Private Lessons I teach private lessons, all levels, either here at my home on Whidbey Island or (Sept. - May) once a week at a music store in Seattle. For more advanced students, I usually focus on bowing, ornamentation and style. For those just starting out, the main thing is to establish good habits in terms of holding the instrument and using the bow... it's much harder to "fix" these later than it is to get them right in the beginning. I'm a strong believer in the ability of adult beginners to learn and make rapid progress, given the right combination of effort and attitude (and time!). Call or email if you'd like to discuss taking private lessons. |
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Study Irish Fiddle with me on Whidbey Island Some people have come to Whidbey Island, where I live, about an hour from Seattle, to study Irish fiddle for a few days or a week. One student recently spent a week here studying with me, funded by a grant from her state's arts commission. It's a beautiful place to visit, and it's a good way to do some serious musical work while getting away from life's mainland concerns. Let me know if you're interested in this kind of study, and I can help with finding lodging, transport, etc. Also, I'm hoping to offer an occasional weekend "fiddle retreat" for small groups of musicians starting this fall. These would be Friday-Sunday events, with classes, private lessons and hopefully a session or two in Langley. The venue would be a lovely old restored farmhouse that's been converted into a conference center.
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