Greg Jowaisas Posted June 23, 2011 Posted June 23, 2011 It might be my advancing years, but summer seems to be flying on by. It won't be long until July 31st is here and we all assemble at Marydale for Noel's Midwest camp. I wonder who'll be attending this year? Always fun to visit with old friends and see and meet new faces. Greg
richard Posted June 23, 2011 Posted June 23, 2011 (edited) Hi Greg I am excited to join you all at the midwest NHICS. I have attended the west coast class for a number of years and have really enjoyed the wonderful people and camaraderie, and the peaceful and pretty Tilikum retreat.This year I thought I would shake things up, venture out, meet more concertina players and set foot in Kentucky for the first time. See you there. Richard Edited June 23, 2011 by richard
RP3 Posted June 23, 2011 Posted June 23, 2011 I'm coming back for my annual thrashing! Wish I'd taken up the anglo before I turned 49! This makes #16 for me. Looking forward to seeing new and old faces as well as trying out some different 'Tinas! Ross Schlabach
CaryK Posted June 23, 2011 Posted June 23, 2011 Wish I could be there. Attended several years ago and then two years later attended the East Coast school. Both sessions were fantastic. I'm afraid it may be another year or two though before I can make the time to be there. Best o'luck in KY to all who are attending.
boxplayer57 Posted June 23, 2011 Posted June 23, 2011 Greg, I'm coming back for a second time. Last year was spent learning "the system". Hopefully this year I'll be able to spend more time learning new tunes and techniques! If you can, please bring your tubaphone you described to me last year. I'd love to give it go! Jay Sewell
Lorie Tracey Posted June 24, 2011 Posted June 24, 2011 Hello Greg I just registered today. I am really looking forward to meeting so many people with a love for the Anglo. Lorie Tracey
Greg Jowaisas Posted June 24, 2011 Author Posted June 24, 2011 Greg, I'm coming back for a second time. Last year was spent learning "the system". Hopefully this year I'll be able to spend more time learning new tunes and techniques! If you can, please bring your tubaphone you described to me last year. I'd love to give it go! Jay Sewell No problem, Jay. Usually a competency crisis occurs about Wednesday, sometimes as early as Tuesday. It's nice to get out the banjo and be competent no matter how poorly my anglo playing is going. Happy to share. Greg
Greg Jowaisas Posted June 24, 2011 Author Posted June 24, 2011 Hello Greg I just registered today. I am really looking forward to meeting so many people with a love for the Anglo. Lorie Tracey Welcome to Noel's Midwest, Lorie. I can remember how nervous and awestruck i was my first year in 2003. The Midwest group helped to put all those fears to rest and were most gracious: "Here, try my Jeffries." "Don't worry, we all have trouble playing in front of Noel." "you are doing great! Hang in there." Some of the faces have changed but the same spirit prevails. Great group. Oh, yes, Noel is most gracious as well. And what a teacher and player!! We'll have fun. Greg
Lorie Tracey Posted June 24, 2011 Posted June 24, 2011 Greg When I spoke with Linda today she stated that the group was small. I wonder if it may be attributed to the concurrent camp being taught by Edel Fox in Ontario that same week?
Wheezer Posted June 24, 2011 Posted June 24, 2011 Hi Greg! It's less than 6 weeks before camp! Looking forward to seeing everybody, new and old friends. This will be our 3rd yr. Dan will bring his guitar and homework too. Susan and Dan
Greg Jowaisas Posted June 24, 2011 Author Posted June 24, 2011 Greg When I spoke with Linda today she stated that the group was small. I wonder if it may be attributed to the concurrent camp being taught by Edel Fox in Ontario that same week? Smaller class sizes can be a plus. Noel likes to check on each student's progress every class. The up side is that you get more individual attention. The down side is that there is no place to hide! Definitely more choices for summer instruction than there used to be 5,10 or 15 years ago. Elkins, East Durham, Goderich, Black Mountain and some even go to Ireland for Willie Week! I'm sure the slow economic recovery and travel expenses also factor in to the when where and who of choosing a music camp. Greg
Lorie Tracey Posted June 26, 2011 Posted June 26, 2011 Good Morning Greg Our Session group "The Falling Rock Jammers" did a short concert for the Munising Bay Art Festival yesterday, mostly blue grass tunes and a couple of Traditional Irish tunes. Now that I have that out of the way I was wondering how best to prepare for camp. What should my focus of practice be? I have a couple of tunes that I have been trying to perfect for the last several months with some limited success, which are much more of a challenge. I am very eager for camp and want to feel that I am doing something that will better prepare myself for .......? I attempted to attach a picture of the group. The concertina player is the one with the yellow shoes. BTW we each received 15 dollars for our efforts, am I now a professional. Thanks Lorie /Users/stephentracey/Pictures/Aperture Library.aplibrary/Previews/2011/06/26/20110626-000934/VKOIY8jUSGK%pUSqpwAzMQ/DSC03278.jpg
david_boveri Posted June 26, 2011 Posted June 26, 2011 hey Carey, hope to see you in a few years! hope all is well. i can't wait to see everyone again and meet new people. this year is a big year for me, lucky number 7! Susan, I definitely like your new user name, hey lorie, the picture didn't load. we only have your local file path. try again!
CaryK Posted June 26, 2011 Posted June 26, 2011 hey Carey, hope to see you in a few years! hope all is well. i can't wait to see everyone again and meet new people. this year is a big year for me, lucky number 7! Susan, I definitely like your new user name, hey lorie, the picture didn't load. we only have your local file path. try again! Nice to hear from you David. Job constraints prevent me from coming this year and next year may be travelling to Colombia in the summer so my daughter can see her birthplace. But lots can happen between now and then, so we'll see. I do want to get back to the Midwest workshop as soon as possible though.
Greg Jowaisas Posted June 26, 2011 Author Posted June 26, 2011 Good Morning Greg Our Session group "The Falling Rock Jammers" did a short concert for the Munising Bay Art Festival yesterday, mostly blue grass tunes and a couple of Traditional Irish tunes. Now that I have that out of the way I was wondering how best to prepare for camp. What should my focus of practice be? I have a couple of tunes that I have been trying to perfect for the last several months with some limited success, which are much more of a challenge. I am very eager for camp and want to feel that I am doing something that will better prepare myself for .......? I attempted to attach a picture of the group. The concertina player is the one with the yellow shoes. BTW we each received 15 dollars for our efforts, am I now a professional. Thanks Lorie /Users/stephentracey/Pictures/Aperture Library.aplibrary/Previews/2011/06/26/20110626-000934/VKOIY8jUSGK%pUSqpwAzMQ/DSC03278.jpg Lorie, Noel has spent 40 years exploring how to play Irish Trad on the anglo. He has a "system" which he feels is the best way to approach button choice and bellows direction. (I feel it is a very, very good way to set tunes on the anglo) I'll pm you a G scale to practice but in a nutshell use your LH push high 'd' and your RH pulled low 'b'. Don't worry, while Noel is very adamant about following his system he is very patient with newbies. (It's us old hands he can get annoyed with!) Greg
Dowright Posted June 27, 2011 Posted June 27, 2011 (edited) I will be there. I have only missed two years from 2002 onward--one year, I missed because of a work assignment, and one year because my appendix was being removed (emergency or I would have scheduled the operation for later). (As I recall, the work assignement was the more painful.) I have two obligations that require my being there. My first obligation is sprinting from the classroom and copying Noel's music for distribution to the students. Noel himself will tell you that I am not so much of a concertina player, but I am one of the great photocopiers. My second obligation is to absorb Noel's chastisement about my slow progress on new tunes, as well as other assorted chides. Attention first time particiapants: Be assured that Daiv and I will be honored to be the recipients of all or most of our instructor's chiding. I look forward to meeting new attendees and to seeing all the regulars--Ross, Paulette, Larry, Jenny, Daiv, Greg, Wally, .... (Laura, Mike, Peter, Steve...will you be there?) Attention potential participants: The Marydale Center is in a lovely pastural setting, the interior of the Center is very comfortable and plenty spacious for our purposes, the food is real good, and the staff members are real nice--all that without even mentioning the wonderful learning experinece under the guidance of the Irish Musician of the Year, who has decades of experience teaching Irish concertina. Randy Edited June 27, 2011 by Dowright
RP3 Posted June 27, 2011 Posted June 27, 2011 Randy, I'm shocked! You were brought low by a little olde appendix? I wouldn't have thought your devotion to photocopying would have allowed you to miss class -- even for an appendix! Glad you'll be there -- minus appendix! I second Randy's assessment of the facilities. Marydale has been the MidWest NHICS home for number of years and is a delightful and relaxing place to learn concertina. Each participant has a nice quiet room to sleep in and a separate one to practice in. It works out great. The grounds are pleasant for those who need some walking exercise or prefer to practice outside. (Beware, Noel sets a wicked walking pace!!) And there is a large, comfortable lounge for tunes, conversation, and beverages. The airport is not even 5 miles away so getting to and from flights is no problem. It's nicely air conditioned too! Hope we'll see You there. Ross Schlabach
Dowright Posted July 7, 2011 Posted July 7, 2011 A Message for Potential First-Time Participants: From the above chat, you may get the idea that this is a gathering of a bunch of concertinists who have known each other for some time. It is true that there is a group of "regulars". But the "regulars" are very welcoming to the several new participants. You will be a full-fledged member of the "NHICS Club" in a flash. On another point: Do not think of it as a week of learning. Think of it as a year. You will receive enough material to keep you busy over the long winter and until Midwest NHICS 2012--which you will want to attend, of course.
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