Classes

Aubrey will present a variety of Anglo, Celtic and American ballads she has collected throughout the decades. These fascinating, often ancient, story songs leave no stones unturned when it comes to portraying the human experience with themes of work, family, the supernatural, history, societal boundaries, humor, love, loss, nature, betrayal, and more. Sessions are part…

This class is an opportunity to experience the unique joys and techniques of playing with others, utilizing two forms: 1) jamming, creating spontaneous group sound by diving in together, and 2) creating complete pieces of music with specific arrangements: devising particular song structure and roles for each instrument while exploring elements such as melody, harmony,…

Fiddling is an exciting ongoing journey! Using tunes from various traditions, such as southern Old Time, Cajun, Celtic and others, we’ll work on playing solid melodies and then adding chords, harmonies, variations, and rhythmic seconding. We’ll explore basic technique, including bowing, intonation, posture, and more. Participants can expect to receive positive personal attention in a…

Ah, the guitar, our joy and our conduit into all kinds of places and feelings and grooves! We will have a good time as we cover as much of the basics as we can, including pick hold, chords and chord families, a few scales, flat picking, and some basic fingerpicking. By the end of the…

We will explore the twangy world of country guitar, from Maybelle Carter’s Appalachian roots to the sophistication of Texas swing, and we’ll head all the way west to trace the echoes of the canyon in California country rock. For intermediate guitarists looking to expand their range of styles.

Okay, so you’ve learned a bit of fingerpicking: Maybe a couple patterns applied to your basic open position chords, but you feel limited…this class is meant to make the music more organic; more variety, fitting in some bass runs, learning which notes you can add to your chords to make things sound richer and create…

It’s an open secret that the guitar doesn’t have to be tuned to so-called standard tuning, but where to begin exploring alternatives? I will show you the two most commonly used open tunings, open G and open D, and provide examples that you can play from songwriters including Robert Johnson, Otis Redding, Keith Richards and…

Ragtime guitar, because it emulates the orchestral approach of the piano, is one of the most challenging and sophisticated styles of solo guitar playing. We’ll dig into both the blues side, as in the playing of Bill Broonzy, Blind Blake, and Rev. Gary Davis, and the “classical ragtime” style pioneered by Scott Joplin. This course…

Playing a guitar part that has a groove while also singing the song lyric requires a lot of coordination. When we play guitar, we often only look at one hand at a time: the chording hand, or the strumming/picking hand. What happens when we put them together, and then also sing? In this class we…

Double stops are one of the quintessential sounds of the Mandolin. We will get our fingers to learn the shapes and also explain the musical reasons they work, and where to use them. Learn a clear and simple system for locating and playing double stops over the entire fretboard. Learn to apply them in blues,…

A song I have taught for a long time says, “Begin the day with joyful hearts, the day ends well that joyful starts.” A SAMW tradition begun by our so-much-loved Lorraine Hammond, Morning Song embodies this very spirit. We will start the day briefly warming up our voices, bodies, and breathing and then we will…

The many possibilities of the mountain dulcimer are part of the beauty of this extraordinary American instrument. Moving at a comfortable pace, Aubrey will teach from a variety of angles: singing and playing chords, tunings, using the traditional noter, strumming, fingerpicking, and any other topics that may “happen” as a result of group chemistry. The…

I fell in love with music theory while taking piano lessons as a child. Music feels ethereal and magical, yet it’s grounded in concrete science—the way notes, keys, and chords relate to each other, how vibrations become audible frequencies, and how those connections shape what we hear. As much as I love singing, I love…

Take your vocal performance to the next level with this class! We’ll work on connecting to songs and lyrics in a genuine and personal way, using dynamics for dramatic effect, expressive vocal tone, and how to embody the story of a song. Bring a favorite song to sing/play to connect deeper to the material and…

Singing is one of the most natural things we do as human beings. But it’s easy to forget that, and fall into thinking we need to work hard at it. In truth, the hardest thing about singing may be getting out of our own way. In this class we’ll learn some tips for doing just…

DOLLY PARTON that is! Probably Kate Campbell’s first and biggest influence, Dolly has all the basics down—not always fancy, but good rhymes and singable melodies that carry the lyrics. Often, when stuck, especially on lyrics, Kate asks “What would Dolly do?” With that thought in mind, bring a song of yours to class that could…

There is a deep well of songwriting inspiration in the myths and legends of cultures around the world. Maura will be your guide in exploring some of those archetypal myths and will show you how they can be source material for your own songwriting. She’ll provide a selection of classic myths, legends and fairy tales…

Like DNA, our songs are made up of strands of music and lyric and meaning and memory – so much can happen when we change one strand. Do you have a song fragment that started strong and then somehow lost energy? Or maybe you have a line of lyric ? Or a bit of melody….

Bring songs to class that are essentially finished but may need tweaking— although perhaps you’re not sure what needs to be tweaked. Sometimes it’s about form, sometimes it’s about rhyme, sometimes it’s about melody. We’ll be talking about these and other ways to make that song everything it’s supposed to be!

We’ll explore together the rich bank of potential song ideas that you have already collected yourself over a lifetime. We’ll do daily writing exercises that may seem simple at first, but will guide your memory to places you may not have visited in a while, and will inspire you to write from your own experiences…

We will learn real-world sound skills and wander through some “big picture” theory without getting too technical. Much of what makes good sound is really basic: troubleshooting hums, buzzes and feedback, setting up the stage well, monitoring levels in the right places, and having good communication between the engineer and the performer. We will demonstrate…

Some of my favorite musicians Louis Armstrong, Mahalia Jackson, Fats Domino, Dr. John, and the Meters hail from the Big Easy. Spice up your ukulele playing this Summer- learn new songs, chords, rhythms, and runs that will make you move your feet and definitely smile. Everything will be taught in layers and ukulele players of…

In this class we will work with various fun and unique techniques and exercises to keep your voice healthy and strong! We’ll work on support and releasing tension to open up your voice to sing in a free and sustainable way!