Porch Time sessions will be held in a regular music classroom; see the schedule for specific days/times:
Porch Time with Rolly – Come learn about “Great American Songbook” music of the 1930s-1950s.
Porch time with Isa – Have you always wanted to play the fiddle? Come to this “intro. to the fiddle” session to learn more.
Porch Time with Kate – We’ll use this time to consider simple musical “hooks” (licks) that make the song work.
Porch Time with Rich – “Dreams of the San Joaquin”
A moving and important ballad for the migrant farm workers of the Central Valley. I’ve created a mandolin arrangement that serves as a good lesson in doublestops and transforming a guitar arrangement into mandolin. Written by Randy Sharp and Jack Wesley Routh, it has been covered by Linda Ronstadt, Kenny Rogers and most recently by Michael McDonald, Willie Nelson and David Hidalgo. Their release is to benefit RAICES and Untied Farm Workers of America.
Porch Time with Chris – Muscle Memory, Making It Work For You, Not Against You
Chord shapes and scale patterns can help you to play stringed instruments such as the guitar, mandolin, guitar, and ukulele, but you may encounter many common traps and stumbling blocks along the path of learning. There are times to engage and disengage muscle memory. It is important to know your goal/target first in order to know where muscle memory will help or hinder your learning. We’ll spend an hour learning fun and deceptively simple ways to learn chord shapes, change chords, play with efficient pressure in your fretting hand, strum at all dynamic levels, connect your ears with your hands, balance the force between both hands, and stop wasting time when you could work easier and get more! Useful for players of all instruments.
Porch Time with John and Trish – Percussive Dance to live music – plan to dance along with Trish, or play along with John.
Porch Time with Joel –TIME OUT FOR UKULELE! How to make the little uke sound real BIG? Use chords with FOUR different notes! A one-hour ukulele class: We’ll play a couple of old easy jazz/swing standards using real jazz chords! Don’t worry, most of these chords only take one or two fingers (a couple of ‘em use three). It’s easy — really! The songs: “Sweet Sue (just you)” 1927, “My Blue Heaven” 1928. Lyrics sheets with chord diagrams provided using standard C tuning – GCEA. (Sorry, baritone ukes are on their own.)
Porch Time with Eddie – “John Henry” – Learn, and learn about, this classic song from a master guitarist.
Porch Time with Charles – Our voice is our personal musical instrument, and our challenge as singers is to stay out of the way and let it shine forth. Come learn how!