2025 Workshops

Check out our workshops for the 2025 Fiddle & Jam weekend!  Workshops are for adults and suitable for older kids, age 5th grade and up.

We have 4 separate time slots with workshops for you to choose from! Registration is required; scholarships are readily available. Some workshops have a prerequisite skill level; others are for beginners.  Please read below for details.

There is a registration fee of $5 for each workshop (but there are discounts if you sign up for more than 2!)

Use this online form to register or request financial assistance. 

Use this link to pay online 

Session #1: Saturday at 12:45 pm  
Pick one from this session. 

Learn Illinois Fiddle Tunes, with Charlie Walden

For fiddlers, mando players, or guitar players who can already play their instrument.  Charlie will demonstrate and teach some of his favorite tunes from Illinois and you’ll get to go home with new tunes to play!  He teaches by ear, and provides sheet music as well. 

Fiddle from Scratch, with Robin Kearton

Never held a violin? Don’t let that stop you! Learn the very basics of playing and be ready to jam on a very simple tune by the end of the session! Bring a violin if you can; we have a few to loan. 

Banjo Group, with Tom Faux

For clawhammer banjo players who already have some skill playing and can bring their own banjo. Come learn tunes, grab licks, and enjoy a delightfully raucous banjo jam! 

Session #2: Saturday at 2:00 pm

Only one session for everyone to enjoy!

Learn about Black Midwestern Fiddlers and Their Music: Second in a series of lecture-demonstrations with Aaron Albrecht. 

Aaron will present historical materials (pictures, etc) on influential Black midwestern fiddlers and share audio/video examples of their influence in the more mainstream midwestern fiddling tradition.  He will also describe the influence of other Black musical traditions like ragtime and early jazz on midwestern fiddling tradition. 

This presentation will build on last year’s by highlighting influential Black fiddlers and presenting examples of archival photographs and audio/visual materials.  Aaron will discuss ways that mainstream midwestern fiddle traditions interacted with and absorbed influences from Black musical traditions, making the mainstream fiddle tradition more vibrant and diverse, and giving it the resiliency to survive as a living tradition in the contemporary world. 

Session # 3: Saturday at 3:15 pm 

Pick one from this session

Learn Missouri Tunes, with Charlie Walden & Aaron Albrecht

Charlie and Aaron will follow up on the lecture with some great tunes from Black Missouri fiddlers! They’ll teach by ear and have sheet music available. You should already now how to play your instrument to participate in this session fully.

Slow Jam, with with Robin Kearton & Tom Faux

For beginners and people who are not used to playing by ear. Instruction will be given as needed, and you can have access to PDF versions of the tunes you learn. This jam is geared toward fiddle, banjo, and guitar players, but everyone is welcome! 

 

Session #4: Saturday at 4:30 pm

Introduction to electric violin, with Andreas Ruiz and Genevieve Knoebel

A casual discussion and demonstration for people who are curious about electric violins.  This workshop will kick off C4A’s fall electric strings workshops!

 

Registration, payment, financial assistance:

Register for workshops or request financial assistance using our online form. 

Pay online here