Is the Fiddle Tunes gathering appropriate for children?

You bet. The workshop is an inter-generational gathering, and we welcome musicians of all ages and abilities to participate. Last year there were more than 25 full-time participants under the age of 21, another 45 in the teen track, and 60 players in the Kids Track.

The Kids Track

Fiddle Tunes programming has annually evolved to meet the needs of very young musicians, and we devote considerable resources to this end. The Kids Track is a morning-only program geared towards people from the ages of five to twelve, running from 9am to noon, Tuesday through Friday, and a performance on Saturday. It has two parts:

9:00 – 10:30am: Fiddling for Kids. (On Tuesday this class meets from 10:30 -12)
Young participants will be broken into groups based on ability, starting at the VERY beginning (“here’s how to hold a bow”). Every effort is made to integrate the more advanced groups with the styles of music of the faculty at Fiddle Tunes.

10:30 – 12:00: Play Party Games or Kids Band Lab (this class does not meet on Tuesday) 
Kids have two choices in this time slot: either play party games, or joining the Kids Band Lab. The Kids Band is directly aligned to one of the faculty members’ styles, and will play for a dance and in the band lab concert at the end of the week. All instruments are welcome in the Kids Band Lab – fiddle, piano, guitar, banjo, saxophone, etc.

Participants who are registered in the Kids Track receive free admission to all performances, public and private, and are welcome at the evening dances as well.

The Kids Track is only available to children of registered participants, or to kids with a local zip code (98368, 98339, 98358, 98365, 98325). There is a limit of 50 Kids Track slots. Parents considering registering their child in the Kids Track should be prepared to check in their child between 8:45 and 9:00, and check out their child at 12:00 noon.

The Teen Track

The Teen Track is designed for players age 13-18. All abilities are welcome. This track is intended for players who want to learn with their peers, or for players too advanced for the Kids Track. Teen Track tuition includes admission to everything – workshops, in-house concerts, dances, etc., and great seats at all public performances. The schedule looks like this:

Tuesday, July 4:
9:00 – 10:00: All camp orientation in McCurdy Pavilion. All the Fiddle Tunes faculty will be introduced, play some music to demonstrate their style, and talk about what they’ll be teaching during the week.
10:30 – 12:00: Fiddling for Teens (exclusive to the teen track)

lunch

1:30 – Public Performance in McCurdy Pavilion
7:30 – Faculty Showcase Concert

Wednesday – Friday
9:15 – 10:15: tutorials – technical instruction on fiddle, banjo, guitar
10:45 – 12:00: Fiddling for Teens (exclusive to the teen track)

lunch

1:15 – 2:30: choice of workshops (experience other styles!)
3:00 – 4:30: Teen Band Lab (exclusive to the teen track)
4:45 – 5:45: wild card workshops (optional)

On Tuesday and Thursday: 7:30 – Faculty Showcase Concerts in Wheeler Theater

On Friday: – Public Performance in McCurdy Pavilion time TBD

Saturday
9:30AM – Band Lab Concert (including Teen Band) in Wheeler Theater

1:30 – Public Performance in McCurdy Pavilion

Teen Track participants (under 18) must be accompanied by a registered adult with the following exception: if you are local and your teen won’t be staying at Fort Worden, you may come in to the Centrum office and sign a waiver.

If you have any questions, call Peter McCracken at 360-385-3102, x127, or email peter@centrum (dot) org.