About Accordion Camp
Whether you’re an experienced accordion player or just starting out, you are invited to join the fun, camaraderie, and inspiration of a camp setting from the comfort of your own home. The day will feature an afternoon of workshops culminating in a meet-the-artist-style concert with camp staff. You will have the opportunity to learn new skills and expand existing ones in our multi-level Zoom classrooms, with topics ranging from repertoire-building to bellows control to techniques for the left hand. Your instructors, inspired by our mutual isolation and our desire to foster community with fellow accordion players, are excited to offer varied approaches that will appeal to a broad spectrum of learners.
Accordion Camp was founded in 2020 by Rachel Bell, Alex Cumming, Jeremiah McLane. Read more on the website, and get connected on Facebook.
The Virtual Set-Up
Karen Tweed's Workshops:
How to Make a Simple Tune Sing!
This is all about "Keep it simple, sweetheart" in terms of melody, prep, conscious-breathing/movement and SLOW so that you can make any tune your own - basically how to simplicate and add lightness to your music and sense of lyricism.
It's All Bass and Bellows - leaving the oompah style at home for a while. (more advanced)
So you know how to play tunes, add simple accompaniment. Then what? Faster tunes and how to get them to swing - methods to simplicate and add lightness to your music and sense of lyricism.
Alex Cumming's Workshop: The Singing Accordionist
Join Alex in a workshop exploring the work of Accordion Singing. Singing with a giant heavy instrument strapped to your chest is not always that easy, so we will look at ways to help improve and practice breath control, posture and positioning as well as look at fun arrangement ideas for how to accompany yourself singing. Open to all, though this will be aimed at singers who play accordion (or accordionists who sing!)
Rachel Bell's Workshop: The Bal Folk Scottish (Schottische): Old and New (more advanced)
Don't be fooled by the name! While many versions of this dance exist in a number of different parts of the world, we'll focus on the one that's part of the French bal folk scene, We'll explore an old tune in contrast with a more contemporary composition, applying stylistic ideas, rhythmic concepts, and left hand techniques from one to the other. We'll think about how to play both tunes in a way that emphasizes the dance steps, and we'll work on phrasing that fits the tradition.
The Faculty
Karen Tweed is a piano accordionist from London, England. She began to play the piano accordion at the age of 11, studying from button and piano accordion virtuoso John Whelan. She regularly teaches on the BA and MA courses at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance at Limerick University and at the BMus Degree in Folk and Traditional Music at Newcastle University.
Rachel Bell, accordionist, performer, tunesmith, and music educator, is based in Brattleboro, VT but in demand throughout North American and overseas for concerts, contra dances, French bal folk dances, English country dances, music camps, and festivals. Rachel is a masterful composer of tunes, drawing inspiration from Celtic, French, English, Quebecois, and New England traditions, while still deeply respecting and loving the melodies that have been around for hundreds of years.
Alex Cumming is a traditional Singer, Accordionist, Pianist and dance caller hailing from Somerset, England, now living in Greater Boston, MA, USA. He performs songs and tunes from across the United Kingdom and America with a great depth of knowledge of the tradition.
Jeremiah McLane is a composer, accordionist, pianist, and educator with a diverse musical background including blues, jazz, Celtic, Québécois, French and other roots influenced music.
Read more of their bios here.
The Cost
Workshops: $65.00
Concert: free but tips encouraged!
To help support those with lost income during the Covid-19 crisis who still want to attend this event, we have created a pay less category. Please use these ticket prices if they would be of help to you. If you are in a position to pay a little more to help support this, we would also appreciate it. You will find an option at checkout to add a little more to your ticket price. Thank you.
More details available here.