Amy J
April 2010
Quick update seemed necessary...
My main goals right now are:
expanding my tune repetoire (listening, listening, listening)
cleaning up some of my messy playing habits
building the connections between the tune names and the notes (in hopes that I'll get to be comfortable starting more tunes)
collecting tunes that would be appropriate to build a sort of "beginners series" geared toward use in public schools by orchestra teachers that play but would like to teach trad but have no real idea where to start. hence my ridiculous amount of tunes in my tunebook.
Looking forward to heading back to the homeland this summer!
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August 2009
Currently back in southeastern Wyoming...not nearly enough tunes here, but was lucky enough to spend the summer playing in Ireland and Scotland again. After spending a year back home after the year abroad, it was a beautiful return.
Experiences from summer 2009 include: festivals that the directions to get there would be "each time you come to an intersection, take the road less travelled by" and you're there; experiencing my first Willie Clancy week; tunes with old friends; tunes with new friends; Edinburgh during tourist season; tunes, tunes and more tunes!
Plans for fall include playing around the southern Wyoming/northern Colorado scene and continuing to listen, listen, listen.
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September 2007
I'm a fiddler from Wyoming, taking a year abroad at University College Cork in Ireland this year (07-08). I'm greatly enjoying my time in Cork and have learned so much and met many incredible people and incredible players since my arrival.
Been playing Irish trad music off and on since I was about 13, more seriously since I started University four years ago (although because of my music education degree, I'm classically trained). Much of my technique for ITM is self-taught till recently - listening much, and learning tunes from the flute prof and a group of friends.
Just read a short thing on the idea of the "True Believer" (from http://www.rogermillington.com/siamsa/brosteve/meditation.html#truebeliever) and I think I'm in the obsession stage now...hardly a moment I don't have some sort of Irish or Nova Scotian trad music going and I'm sessioning around Cork at least 4 nights a week...up to 6. With three on Sundays. And it's brilliant.
My goal by the end of my time here is to have a 7+ day streak of sessioning. I've hit 6 days a few times now, but going a full week requires extra umph I haven't found quite yet. Most sessions I've experienced in one day is 5 (although, to be fair, at 2 I only listened, one because it was too crowded, one because the musicians ended about 20 minutes after my friend and I got there). I fear terrible reverse culture shock on my return home in a few months, so I am recording as much as I possibly can in case I have to "make" my own sessions for a while.
http://www.folkworld.de/frog/irlfst.html#apr
Discussions I don't want to loose:
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/16100
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/16150
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/16145
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/16351
Future/teaching of ITM:
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/15462
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/16732
Sound editing/recording:
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/15423
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/15379
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/15423
On bowing:
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/17308
On Education:
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/17341
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/17381
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/17756
Tunes in Amy J's tunebook: 96