Friday Harbor Irish Music Camp Report

[Bruce McCaskey]

The 2010 Friday Harbor Irish Music Camp was held the week of March 8th through the 13th. It was in a new facility this year and I think it was by far the best of the several Friday Harbor Camps I've attended. With almost 100 people present (including the staff) I think it might have been the largest turnout to date too.

 

The short report is that the location was great, the people friendly, and perhaps most important to this group, that Florence Fahy is a very good instructor. Those of you interested in reading my detailed report of the camp will find it here.

[Molly Roberts]

Bruce,

Thanks so much for posting your photos and narrative of the week! I'm still savoring the experience, and the tunes play non-stop in my head. Florence's instruction was so focused and practical that, for the first time, I chose to ignore the sheet music and learn by ear. Mind you, I'm very happy to have "the dots" to take home to share.

 

We enjoyed a beautiful new venue and an exciting group of master teachers without losing any of the feeling of fun and family that have been the hallmark of the Friday Harbor Irish Music Camp. I'll definitely be back!

 

Cheers,

Molly

[Azalin]

Yeah thanks for the report Bruce! I'm really interested in getting a lesson from Florence Fahy one day, and hopefully next year I'll be able to make it there. Tell me, were there lot of places to have some private sessions? Like, hotel rooms or some other semi-private rooms? Also, did you get a chance to hear/see Justin, the fiddle player who was 'resident' this year? He's a great fiddler, cool guy I met a few years back in upstate New York.

[Lawrence Reeves]

Hey Azalin, with the great prices of airfare on Air Canada come on down to Atlanta for the tionól, Florence Fahy, and sessions.

[Azalin]

Hey Azalin, with the great prices of airfare on Air Canada come on down to Atlanta for the tionól, Florence Fahy, and sessions.

 

Thanks, I would have loved to :-) But I'm already supposed to be going to the Comhaltas in New Jersey in april, and can't really get anywhere else after that for a while.

[Bruce McCaskey]

Yeah thanks for the report Bruce! I'm really interested in getting a lesson from Florence Fahy one day, and hopefully next year I'll be able to make it there. Tell me, were there lot of places to have some private sessions? Like, hotel rooms or some other semi-private rooms? Also, did you get a chance to hear/see Justin, the fiddle player who was 'resident' this year? He's a great fiddler, cool guy I met a few years back in upstate New York.

 

We had three "officially designated session spaces," plus I noted the hotel lobby in use some nights and there was a bar off the dining area that wasn't formally designed but was available. As to the rooms, we were spread across a wide area in a variety of accommodations. At least four of the concertina class people were in condominiums, three of those in one bedroom private situations. I could have easily had six people into my condo, and many of the others were in houses, townhouses, or cottages that would easily take in several people. I was never in one of the rooms in the historic hotel, but suspect they might not have been session friendly. I'm not trying to sell space for next year but take a look at this webpage, we were distributed across everything described on the page. If you've seen my photos of the "huts" I stayed in at previous Friday Harbor music camps you can appreciate what an upgrade this year was.

 

I did see Justin but didn't talk with him, he was quite good, as you say.

 

Edited to add:

 

I didn't mention it in the main text (I'll add it now) but Florence made herself available for private tutoring at a very reasonable rate, a great opportunity for someone looking for personal pointers and recommendations.

Edited March 18, 2010 by Bruce McCaskey

[Molly Roberts]

Bruce,

 

I quite forgot to mention that I had my first ever private lesson from Florence Fahy this past week. We've not had a concertina instructor who offered these in the past. A rare opportunity with a born teacher!

 

Molly

[David Levine]

I'd love to see a list of the tunes you guys covered and learned. Or tunes that were presented. Could somebody post them here, do you think?

Thanks in advance, all you lucky people.

David

[Molly Roberts]

I'd love to see a list of the tunes you guys covered and learned. Or tunes that were presented. Could somebody post them here, do you think?

Thanks in advance, all you lucky people.

David

 

Hi David,

Here's a list of the tunes I came home with:

jig set: Fairhaired Boy, Scatter the Mud, The Legacy

reels: Come West Along the Road, Kilmaley, The Laurel Bush

jigs: Port Patrick, The Town of Cootehill

slip jig - My Mind Will Never Be Easy,

waltz – Jacqueline Waltz

More reels: The Fairy Queen, The Plains of Boyle

 

There were probably some more - but that's a start.

Cheers,

Molly

[Azalin]

Lucky you guys, sounds like a great bunch of tunes by a great concertina player...

[johnobuttons]

Thanks Bruce,

What a great report. The pictures and story are wonderful, allowing me to re-experience the week with a different set of eyes (and ears).

I'm hoping to have Florence do a workshop in the Bay Area (San Francisco) if any one might want to make the trip here.

 

John Hamilton