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 picking hand, as well as to develop fingering hand patternings and fretboard knowledge.

Zoom Classes! 

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 am structuring the next round of classes:

• Each series is comprised of 4 classes
  
• Classes meet every other week at the designated day and time (with occasional anomalies due to my travel)
  
• Classes are 75 minutes long
• Classes are grouped by level, and limited to 8 participants
  
• Recordings and transcriptions of tunes are provided well in advance of class
• All classes are recorded, so you can view the video if you miss a class
  
• $130 per series

SPRING 2024 CLASS SCHEDULE (see below for descriptions of levels)

ADVANCED BEGINNER:        

        Class CRENSHAW - Wednesdays 12:00 noon - 1:15PM Pacific Time
        Class Dates: March 20, April 3 & 17, May 1

INTERMEDIATE:

ADV. INTERMEDIATE / ADVANCED (three sections):

Class AVOCADO - Thursdays 12:30-1:45PM Pacific Time 
Class Dates: March 21, April 4 & 18, May 2
 
Class LARKSPUR - Wednesdays 4:00-5:15PM Pacific Time
Class Dates: March 20, April 3 & 17, May 1

 

TUNESDAYS!

          Tuesdays 5:00-6:00PM Pacific Time
         Class Dates: March 19, April 2, 16 & 30

        Price: The series of 4 TUNESDAYS - $100

Each Tunesday we'll spend quality time with a well-known tune -- one that I have taught in past classes or is generally known -- and explore it more deeply.  We'll listen to different versions and settings of the tune from different players and on different instruments, perhaps played in alternate keys or with modal shifts. We'll talk about what we hear -- pulse and lift, placement of ornaments, variations, chordal framework -- and how we might capture what we like best about we're hearing in our own playing. These classes will be an hour long, and are not limited in size like the other classes.

NEW CLASS OFFERING : SATURDAY SETS

I've received many requests over time to offer a class where we review sets of tunes that I've taught in previous classes, so that we can keep them fresh in our brains and in our session repertoire.  So I'm going to give it a try!  We'll meet on Saturday mornings (for me, that is!) for an hour -- 10:00 - 11:00AM Pacific Time, roughly every other week, for 3 sessions.  Each session we'll review a set of three tunes that I've taught in the past.  I'll post recordings of the tunes in advance of the class so that you can refresh your head.  This class is open to intermediate players and above.  This short 3-class session is $80.

     Saturdays 10:00-11:00AM Pacific Time

     Class Dates: March 30, April 20, May 4

:::::::::::::::

• 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 / Advanced 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. 

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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2024 Weekend Intensive Workshops -- Dates and Locations TBD

Weekend Intensives 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!

Here's the basic structure:

  * 9 group classes (75-90 minutes each) over two days

  * A 30-minute private lesson for each participant

Develop the necessary skills for playing Irish music on the mandolin...
We work on both picking and fingering 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!

By popular demand, I've added sections on understanding the modes used in Irish music, along with some tools for enhancing your playing with light chordal and contrapuntal accompaniment.

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

2024 Camps and Workshops!

We're still in hybrid mode -- a combination of in-person and virtual events -- and that may become an ongoing thing.  Many folks are finding virtual immersion experiences can still be highly gratifying, and make workshops accessible when they may not have been before due to schedules and the difficulty and expense of travel! Each workshop or 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.  Feel free to reach out if you want to discuss...and sign up early!

Virtual Lark                          February 2-4                                     virtual

Walker Creek Music Camp   April 11-14                               in person, Marin County, CA

Puget Sound Guitar Workshop August 17 - 23                      in person, Port Orchard, WA

SW Mandolin Camp              Oct. 24-27                              in person   Kingston, NM

Image Credits

Many Thanks