Concertina in Kansas City or Eastern Kansas?

[kspete]

Hello all,

I'm anxiously waiting delivery of my first concertina and would appreciate any information on concertina activities in Eastern Kansas and or the KC metro area. I've been a string player for many years but new to the concertina and would really like to find some local or regional instruction and sessions to get me started on the right track.

Best wishes,

Pete

[Bruce McCaskey]

Hello all,

I'm anxiously waiting delivery of my first concertina and would appreciate any information on concertina activities in Eastern Kansas and or the KC metro area. I've been a string player for many years but new to the concertina and would really like to find some local or regional instruction and sessions to get me started on the right track.

Best wishes,

Pete

Pete,

 

I see you've had no replies and I hate to see a question like this go unanswered. I'm making the assumption that you're looking for instruction on an Anglo or English concertina and not one of the larger instruments that are popular in the Midwest for polka music. I fear I know zero about the area you mentioned, but an Internet search turned up a few possibilities.

 

First, I noted a website for a Kansas City School of Irish Music. I'm not sure how current the web pages are but there appear to be a few good leads there (the instructors named) for people to contact for aid in locating concertina instruction. You might also try contacting the person that runs this website.

 

Then I found a couple of references to Irish Music sessions in the area. Here's one and here's another. My thought is that you might be able to turn up someone at one of the sessions that either plays concertina or knows of someone in the area that does. Also ask about other sessions and check with the people there. If you can't turn up a direct link, try looking into folk music and fiddle music venues and asking around. Also check with any established music teachers in the vicinity and see if they know of anyone. If you're willing to travel you might be able to get into one of the Noel Hill summer session classes, a week there will give you a great start. You may be aware of the learning opportunities listed on Concertina.net here.

 

Also, you might explore some less obvious opportunities. For example, a friend recently reported that they received their first formal concertina instruction from Gráinne Hambly (an All Ireland winner) at a Seattle area harp workshop. They asked, she had time open in her schedule so despite being onsite for harp purposes she did an hour of concertina basics with him. The lesson here is to research who's going to be performing in your area, the instruments they play and if you see potential, explore the possibilities of getting some time with them. I suspect that most people on tour would be willing to do instruction for cash if there is time in their schedule, especially if you can work it out in advance. Beyond that, you'll have to consider DVD's and various tutor books. You can no doubt get some recommendations from this site if you pursue the latter course.

 

If none of my suggestions pan out, don't be afraid to do some more Internet searching, try multiple search engines and be a bit inventive in your search terms. I only explored the "Kansas City" options, so you could try searching on other cities in your vicinity. And even if your interests don't run to Irish music, don't be afraid to take a few lessons from an Irish player to at least get oriented to the basics of playing, no matter what type of music you prefer.

 

Good luck,

 

Bruce

[MollieS]

Hi Pete,

Did you ever find any concertina players in the KC area?

Mollie

[gcoover]

Hi Pete - there used to be some slow sessions in KC for Irish music, don't know if they are still going or not.

 

Probably the best bet for concertina would be the Old Pal Concertina Weekend in Palestine, Texas, on March 24-26. There are usually about 15-25 concertina players, lots of concertina workshops and sessions, and it's a great chance to meet other players and try other instruments.

Gary