LEGACY, LIVING TRADITION, LESSONS
Offering private instruction, group classes, workshops as well as solo or small ensemble performance
MANDOLIN, TENOR (4-STRING) BANJO, FIDDLE, AND PENNYWHISTLE
For over 35 years I have found joy and growth in the community connections fostered by folk and traditional music
The enchanting repertory of dance tunes from Ireland are themselves perfect teaching tools. This old and still evolving music is a rich field of study that for me has filled decades
I'm also a collector and singer of old ballads handed down to us from Ireland, Scotland, and Appalachia
More about me is below and also at TEACHING and PERFORMANCE. Thank you for reading on. Please get in touch with me at CONTACT. Even to chat, share your story with me, and ask questions.
I'm excited about my new Western home in Fort Collins. And about bringing my music and experience to the Front Range region. I left the Washington DC area late in 2017 and moved with my husband to spectacular Northern Colorado. I’ve embarked on an exhilarating new chapter of my [now long!] life. Behind me are almost four decades of music making among various folk and traditional music communities.
The musical exploration started first while living in New England and later my home state of New Jersey, playing for contra and square dancers via a widely varying tunes repertoire: Southern Mountain 'Old Timey', French Canadian, English, Scottish, Irish, and Early American. My focus transitioned to Irish music and really took off with my 1982 solo 6-month bike odyssey with my mandolin in Ireland. The passion has never faded. 28 years raising our two [now grown] daughters near the nation’s capital, a city with a rainbow array of vibrant folk music and dance communities, was the period I became an Irish dance musician, singer, performer, and educator. It was the Irish arts community there that brought me this gift.
I hang with people who ‘speak’ Irish music. But it’s all woven of the same tapestry. Same as when Old Time players meet in Tennessee – or NY and Philly. Or when the dance music of Quebec happens in Montreal - as well as Boston, Amherst, or San Francisco.
My Navy widowed mom would have liked if her kids had become doctors or lawyers. In the end she was happy to see the joy it brings me to engage with people who dance and play music together. In Ireland the saying goes “When you have the music, you have friends wherever you go.” Some have a church. Instead I have music communities. I plan to foster and nurture more of it for years to come. Pay it forward, you might say. It’s all about two main things. The Music. The Folks doing it. Please join me if you’re interested to dip your toe in the sweet waters.
