Does anyone have an opinion on these? Are they a good use of time, or do they just interfere with practice and crack.
I would appreciate any insight from veteran workshoppers.
Thanks
Byron
Augusta Mini-classes
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johnkerr
- Posts: 1001
- Joined: Wed Apr 17, 2002 6:00 pm
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- Location: Falls Church VA USA
It's been a few years now since I was last at Augusta, but I doubt that much has changed since then regarding the mini classes. They are good if you have a real interest in the subject being taught, but given their short timeframe (only an hour or so per day) you're only going to be able to dip your toe into the subject, not even really get your feet wet. But what else would you be doing at that time of day (late afternoon or early evening) if you don't do the class? Yes, you could use that time to practice for your main class or take a nap, but there's not much crack going on at that time of day. Anyone who's not taking a mini class or practicing their instrument will most likely be taking a nap. The real crack doesn't happen until later in the evening. By the end of the week (Thursday night) it will be much later in the evening, perhaps all the way until dawn. Hence the nap at mini class time!
The Ceili Band class can be lots of fun if you're at the level where you have a fair number of tunes under your belt or you can pick up new tunes quickly. Playing for dancers is an entirely different experience than playing in a session, and it's something that everyone who plays the music ought to do at least some of. Matt Shortridge, who teaches this class, is a friend of mine and he has loads of experience playing for dancers which he's very good at sharing with the class. By the end of the week, the Ceili Band class is usually ready to provide the music for all or part of the Friday night dance, and is usually the final act of the Friday student showcase. If you want to end the week feeling like you've accomplished something or been a part of something, the Ceili Band class is a good way to do that. (BTW, when I say you need to have a fair number of tunes, if you've got most of the common tunes from the 100 Essential series of tunebooks, that's really enough. Tune selection for the band is usually made by consensus, which means these least-common-denominator tunes are the ones that emerge. But be aware that the dancers will need lots of polkas and slides in addition to reels and jigs, which is a broader tune focus than you usually find at sessions.)
The Ceili Band class can be lots of fun if you're at the level where you have a fair number of tunes under your belt or you can pick up new tunes quickly. Playing for dancers is an entirely different experience than playing in a session, and it's something that everyone who plays the music ought to do at least some of. Matt Shortridge, who teaches this class, is a friend of mine and he has loads of experience playing for dancers which he's very good at sharing with the class. By the end of the week, the Ceili Band class is usually ready to provide the music for all or part of the Friday night dance, and is usually the final act of the Friday student showcase. If you want to end the week feeling like you've accomplished something or been a part of something, the Ceili Band class is a good way to do that. (BTW, when I say you need to have a fair number of tunes, if you've got most of the common tunes from the 100 Essential series of tunebooks, that's really enough. Tune selection for the band is usually made by consensus, which means these least-common-denominator tunes are the ones that emerge. But be aware that the dancers will need lots of polkas and slides in addition to reels and jigs, which is a broader tune focus than you usually find at sessions.)