NEFS Summer Workshop Weekend 2024

NEFS Summer Workshop Weekend
Sat 29th & Sun 30th June 2024

***What a lovely weekend this was! Do look out for more information if you would be interested in joining us again next year!***

Following a lovely weekend of workshops last summer, we are looking forward to running another Saturday and Sunday of in-person fiddle workshops in June, with an informal concert and session on the Saturday evening.

Saturday 29th June: Ways into Dance Grooves
Sunday 30th June: Ways into Chords and Harmony

Join us for two days of folk fiddle workshops for adults with Stewart Hardy and Grace Smith. Each day can be booked separately or you can book both together as they will be complimentary but not dependent upon each other. There will be a shared evening on the Saturday with an informal concert by local string ensemble, Woolsington Strings, followed by a session for everyone.

If the Saturday workshop shows as Out of Stock, please get in touch by email or by using the Contact Form. If there are a few more enquiries, we will hire a second teaching room for the day.

Sat 29th June: 9.30 am – 5.00 pm @ Wylam Methodist Church.
Ways into Dance Grooves
Learn some great dance tunes with all the relevant fiddle technique for making them come alive and dance off the page. Grace and Stewart will each teach a tune, and look at bowing and any helpful ornaments to create a dance groove. We will explore what we mean by dance grooves, and will finish the day with a session of our core NEFS repertoire.

Sat 29th June: 7.30 – 10.30 pm @ Riding Mill Parish Hall
Evening Social
Join us for an informal concert by Woolsington Strings, followed by a session for everyone. All instruments welcome, so please tell family and friends. Free entry – donations on the door will be gratefull received.

Sunday 30th June: 9.30 – 4.00 pm @ Riding Mill Parish Hall
Ways into Chords and Harmony
One of the many wonderful things about folk fiddle is playing with other fiddles in harmony and the sound of massed strings! If you would like the chance to explore how to do this – how to play harmony lines, how to begin creating your own, how to accompany other players – then this is the workshop for you. Grace and Stewart will be teaching us tunes, and will bring suggestions for harmonies, as well as giving the chance to explore other ideas to create a wonderfully rich fiddle sound. We would love people to come and learn the tunes and will need tune players as well as harmony players, so whatever your experience of harmony lines there will be something for you.

All workshops are aimed at competent beginner to advanced players, but won’t be suitable for absolute or early beginner players.
Full notation and audio files will be provided for all workshops and sessions.
Tea and coffee is included, but please bring your own lunches.

Each workshop is £47 and includes all tuition, full resources and refreshments in the breaks (lunch is not included)
Book both workshops for £90.
Saturday evening: Free Entry – donations gratefully received

If sold out, please contact Ali by email or the Contact Form to be placed on a waiting list in case of a cancellation, or in case we get enough enquiries to hire a second teaching room for the Saturday workshop.

Venues

Wylam Methodist Church, Chapel Lane, Wylam NE41 8AA

Riding Mill Parish Hall, Millfield Rd, Riding Mill NE44 6DJ

Lifts to Wylam Methodist Church can be arranged from Wylam station if you plan to come by train, and Riding Mill Parish Hall is less than 5 minutes from Riding Mill station. Car shares may be possible from various localities.

Outline Timetable

Saturday

Wylam Methodist Church

Time	Event
09:30	Welcome
09:45	Physical warm-up
10:00 – 11:15	Workshop 1
11:15	Break
11:45 – 13:00	Workshop 2
13:00 – 14:00	Lunch
14:00 – 15:15	Workshop 3
15:15	Break
15:45 – 17:00	Session

Saturday evening

Riding Mill Parish Hall

Time	Event
19:30 – 20:15	Informal concert by Woolsington Strings
20:15	Session for all instruments
22:30	Close

Sunday