TEACHING

For booking, info, lessons, or anything else at all, please feel free to shoot me an email at mfibish@gmail.com .

TEACHING

I teach private lessons on mandolin and mandola, in person (in Marin County, CA) and over Skype/Zoom/FaceTime, a well as group classes and workshops, online at Peghead Nation, and at many music camps.  Details on upcoming workshops, camps and class offerings are below, or drop me a line for more info at mfibish@gmail.com.

A bit about my approach to teaching, and how I get beginners started:

• My approach is based on aural and physical learning.

• I believe the first job on this instrument is to develop the physical motion of the picking hand to create the pulse of Irish music in its various meters, starting with even meters -- reels, barndances, hornpipes, etc.  We do exercises that develop this motion so that, over time, it becomes automatic, and continues to solidify as we add fingering.
  

• I use MP3 files as our primary sources - first of exercises, then adding simple tunes.  For those who have experience in reading music notation, and for those who wish to develop that skill, I will make reference to how what we are doing relates to what one would see in notation, but notation will not be our primary source.
  

• I ensure everyone has good basic positioning on the instrument to facilitate your playing and protect your bodies.

• And everything we do is centered around furthering your understanding of and love for the dance music of Ireland!
  

Classes:

Group classes are a fantastic way to learn more tunes and grow confidence, while developing a group of compatriots who know the same tunes you do! We cluster tunes into sets so that you'll have some ready to go when someone invites you to start a tune at a session. We work on developing skills as well as learning tunes - we do exercises together to develop a strong rhythmic right hand, as well as to develop left hand patternings and fretboard knowledge.

During our continuing Covid-19 situation, all classes are over Zoom! 

Though I have taught 1:1 over the web for years, it is only since the pandemic that I've held online classes. To my surprise I've learned that, though it's different and has it drawbacks, it also has a few distinct advantages -- participants really enjoy having the privacy to work on phrases or techniques during class without anyone hearing them, and you never have trouble hearing yourself because the person next to you is too loud! You also get plenty of practice time while others are playing for me, and the chance to hear your classmates individually has proved helpful and enlightening in surprising ways!

Here's how I've been structuring the classes:

• Each series is comprised of 5 classes
• Classes meet every other week at the designated day and time
• Classes are 75 minutes long
• Classes are grouped by level
• Recordings and transcriptions of tunes are provided well in advance of class
• $130 per series

Winter 2022 CLASS SCHEDULE (see below for descriptions of levels)

BEGINNER:
         Class CRENSHAW - Wednesdays 10:00 - 11:15AM Pacific Time
         Class Dates: TBD

Class AVOCADO will meet Thursdays 12:30-1:45PM Pacific Time 
Class Dates: Jan 13 & 27 Feb 10 & 24, March 10

Class LARKSPUR will meet Wednesdays 4:00-5:15PM Pacific Time
Class Dates: Jan 12 & 26, Feb 9 & 23, March 9

If you are interested in joining a class, shoot me an email at mfibish @ gmail dot com.  If you don't see a class below that addresses your skill level or interests, or want to talk about which environment might be best for you, let me know, and we'll figure out a path for you. Please include the following info in your email:

• your name
• your timezone
• your playing level, unless you are sure that I know it
• your available days & times, expressed (and labelled) in your local timezone

Descriptions of class levels:

Beginner 

This class focuses on the basics of getting started on the mandolin, laying the foundation for learning to play Irish music on the instrument (techniques learned would also apply to interest in other trad forms -- Old Time, European, etc., but not bluegrass or classical music). Emphasis is placed on exercises that develop fretting hand placement, dexterity and pattern recognition, while building on a solid rhythmic picking hand technique, and (of course!) learning a few tunes. 

Early Intermediate

Advanced Intermediate / Advanced

This class focuses on Irish tune repertoire building while expanding mandolin technique to add ornamentation and variation to your tunes, with focus on phrasing and musicality.  Participants will learn 6-8 tunes in the course of the series. Tunes are learned in sets to facilitate session playing. Recordings and transcriptions of the tunes are made available ahead of the class meetings.

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Weekend Intensive Workshops

Periodically I host intensive weekend workshops. These are a great opportunity for remote students to get in-person attention in the company of a small group of players looking to take their playing to the next level, and have some fun in the process!  I am hoping to be able to resume these in early 2022! Please contact me with interest or any questions - mfibish@gmail.com 

Here's how I have been structuring the workshops:

  * 7 group classes (75 minutes each) over two days

  * A 30-minute private lesson for each participant

  * Lunch, coffee, tea, and snacks on both days are included

  * Friday and Saturday night sessions

We gather on Friday evening for a session, followed by two full days of instruction on Saturday and Sunday.

Classes focus on understanding and developing techniques for playing the many forms of Irish dance music on the mandolin - jigs, reels, slip jigs, hop jigs, polkas, slides, hornpipes, waltzes and barndances. Recordings of tunes will be provided in advance so that we can focus on technique rather than on tune-learning.

Develop the necessary skills for playing Irish music on the mandolin...
We work on both right and left hand techniques to express the distinctive rhythmic forms, deliver the pulse of the music, and improve tone production and sustain. We'll highlight the unique things that the mandolin brings to the music.

Explore phrasing, ornamentation and variation...
We focus on musicality, how to give life and lift to the tunes you learn, how to take them from a series of notes into joyful, gratifying expression in Irish music!

Enrollment is be limited to 9 participants - intermediate level and above.

2021 Music Camps!

We're still in virtual mode for at least the first half of the year, but folks are finding virtual immersion experiences can still be highly gratifying! As a bonus, they can be attended without the difficulties and expense of travel!  Each camp is always a completely different musical experience - each wonderful in different ways. There is nothing like immersion in a music camp environment to really get you fired up about your music!  Please check out my events page for more info about each camp and workshop...and sign up early!

Here is what is confirmed so far for 2021:

March Mandolin Festival                         May 15-16, 2021                             *virtual*

Big Sur Fiddle Camp                               June 12-19, 2021                             in person!

Gulf Coast Cruinniú                               June 18-20, 2021                            *virtual*

California Coast Music Camp                 July 11-15, 2021                               in person!

Lark Camp                                            August 4-8, 2021                            *virtual*

Milwaukee Irish Fest Summer School      August 14-19, 2021                         *virtual*

O'Flaherty Irish Music Retreat                 October 21-24, 2021                     in person!

Southwest Mandolin Camp                      October 28-31, 2021                     in person!

Fiddle Hell Online                                   November 4-7, 2021                     *virtual*

Here are some events that are still up in the air, or will need another dark year:

Puget Sound Guitar Workshop                postponed until 2022                      Port Orchard, Washington

Walker Creek Music Camp                     postponed until 2022                      West Marin County, California

Fiddle & Pick Irish Music Weekend          November, 2021                             Pegram, Tennessee

Image Credits

Many Thanks