This is the last day for Sarah’s students who are on the school year calendar. Make sure you sign up for summer lessons at the beginning of May!
This is the last day for Sarah’s students who are on the school year calendar. Make sure you sign up for summer lessons at the beginning of May!
We will gather outdoors in Sarah’s yard and share tunes and jam with family members and friends. Picnics and snacks will be encouraged. Enjoy the park across the street for Frisbee, Tennis, or the playground!
We will be hosting a very informal jam session and musicale on my yard between 2 - 4 pm (or other time TBA depending on family feedback). Rain date will be Sunday, June 7. Here is what you need to know:
1. Please RSVP so that I know you plan to come. If I don't get enough 'yes' confirmations, I'll need to cancel or modify so I do need to know if you intend to come for some or all of it.
2. You may arrive any time during the event but I will plan sort of a rough outline of a schedule:
2:00 Sharing of tunes either individually or as a group (whoever can play the tunes). All ages and adult students welcomed. Bring a picnic if you like!
3:00 Slow Jam for anyone interested!
your instruments
music stand and book for group tunes
a picnic if you would like, or snacks and beverages
blanket to sit on or lawn chairs
sun protection for your skin and eyes and shoes required for your safety
Organic Mosquito repellent (please no DEET or chemical repellents which I and others are allergic too!) Spray yourselves away from the group in either case, thanks!
anything else you think you need!
The park across the street has porta potty, too. and a playground if you need to take restless children over there.
Please stay only on the back yard at my house and do not explore in the woods or other side of the house as there could be things unsafe for children like broken glass in the woods, or gas tanks and fishhooks by the boat for example.
There is likely to be soccer across the street which will take up parking places in front of our house. You may need to park a distance. If anyone will be with someone that needs to park close let me know so that I can make room in my driveway for them.
If I think of anything else I'll let you know! Let me know if you have any questions.
—Sarah
This year The Back Row Gang will be returning to perform at the Burlington Farmer’s Market at 11:00. John will also apear with one of his students at 1:15. One of Sarah’s students and many former students and one of John’s students will also be performing later that evening in the final Young Touring Group concert of the season.
Check here for details!
Final Update at 11:30 am 3_21_26: All looks good for proceeding. I won’t be checking back here from this point on so if you can come, please arrive by 2;30 to ensure we haven’t stopped early if attendance is low. If you end up unable to come, no need to get in touch. We will just proceed with whoever shows up. See you later! Thanks! —Sarah
This will take place at Burlington Friends Meeting House at 173 North Prospect Street in Burlington. Check here for updates even on the day of the event. Our weather does look good, though. Though an RSVP isn’t required, it is helpful for planning purposes and so that I can be sure to get in touch if there is any need to cancel or adjust. There will not be an online link as there has not been expressed interest in that so it will all be in person for the slow jam. A private link has been provided for the first portion of the event. Thanks!
Schedule as it is evolving:
1:00 - 1:45 (roughly) Musicale with Sarah and John’s students. Arrive at 1:00 for a 1:15 start time (unless you are at the intermediate Fiddleheads level with Maeve—those students can come at 1:30 or so). Each child will play their tune pick of something they are working on and present it to the group. Afterwards, if there are others who would like to play along, we will play the tune together a few times and then move on to the next tune. Please bring a music stand if your child does not have their tunes memorized. If you don’t have one, I will have one extra.
2:00 - 3:30 (arriving at 1:45 is fine and we may even get to start a little early!) Slow Jam Participants will present or request a tune, and Sarah will lead or facilitate. We will play each tune two times slowly and then one time more moderately. A few of Sarah’s students will be leading the first tunes which are mainly from the current Fiddleheads Session repertoire . Other tunes will be announced on Saturday. Currently students are preparing Humors of Tulla, Red Prairie Dawn, Granny Will Your Dog Bite, Haste to the Wedding, Coleraine, Crested Hen, and Bint El Shalabiya (after Fairuz).
Anyone who would like is welcome to bring cookies or snacks as there is a kitchen area as you enter the building. I will bring tea/coffee fixings if I can.
Donations to offset the cost of renting the building and my time will be accepted but are not required to participate. I will have a jar there for that. Anything between $1 - $10 will be welcomed. Thank you!
The building is the one in the back of the lot. Please plan on street parking and do not park in tenant spots. If you need to drop someone off close up there is a space to do that before you go and park.
Get in touch with me if you have any questions! Thanks! —Sarah
No lessons from Saturday, December 20 through to Tuesday January 6. Spring Semester begins Wednesday, January 7, 2026.
Our annual CD making project will commence this week. Students who have made recordings during the year will be putting them in chronological order and providing artwork and design elements. Sarah possesses both CD making and printing software.
Our youth students (and sometime adults!) look forward to this annual event. Each child takes one home usually on the second or third week of December. Additional copies as gifts may be purchased by families if desired for $5 a piece to cover time and costs.
If students would like to provide their own artwork, parents can send photos or scans. A square shape is best for the front cover. Individual photos of your child are great, too. If you take photo of their artwork, make sure you get it without shadows and in good lighting. I can crop an image if need be. Also, if your child doesn’t want to do artwork I have lots of graphics to choose from so that’s fine! Please get in touch with questions. CD’s will be designed during their lesson the first week after Thanksgiving so make sure you get us the images by that time!
NO LESSONS THIS WEEK for the Harvest Break
Sarah’s students will perform with Presto. This is a free concert and very short so it is an excellent one to bring your young children to!
Halloween Lessons will be scheduled as usual but let me know if you need a rescheduling option!
I will be out of town in order to attend my nephews wedding. No lessons. See you next week!
Fiddleheads is a very important group for our students to participate in. It is the best training ground for learning to play in a jam and learning tunes by ear in a group setting. It is also prep for later participation in the Young Touring Group. Please ask your teacher if this is an appropriate group for you!
Fiddleheads and The Back Row Gang (Some of Sarah and John’s students) will be performing!
SCHOOL BREAK NO LESSONS THIS WEEK!
SCHOOL BREAK NO LESSONS THIS WEEK!
Located at the Pickering Room in the Fletcher Library on College Street in Burlington.
Anyone may share their “work in progress” at any time, but I recommend that we start with the younger children and their families and save the second half for older students and adults, and Slow Jam participants to finish out the event. This event is free. Anyone who would like can make a donation to the Fletcher Library, but this is not at all required! If participants need sheet music it is recommended that you bring your own music stand. We encourage trying to learn by ear in the Slow Jam way. Mistakes will be expected as this is a learning experience for everyone.
I would like to emphasize this as a sharing of our work with others and the community, so that they we can inspire others to consider trying an instrument. We don’t have to think of it as “performing” though there will definitely be an element of that.
Participants should let me know if they are coming. If there is bad weather or other issue check back here or check your email in order to get updated on the day of the event. Seating is limited and families of performers will be given priority, but if there is room, the general public will be invited in. If the event must get cancelled due to a snow storm, we may provide a zoom option, TBD.
Thanks! The latest update of the schedule is below! —Sarah
TUNES OUR STUDENTS ARE SHARING (get in touch if you need a copy of the tune. Many of these tunes are in the Slow Jam Google Drive, or on NATUNELIST. I have made a link if it isn’t in the google drive, except for Twinkle Little Star:
Shoe the Donkey
Granny Will Your Dog BIte
Mairi’s Wedding
Humber to Winooski by Peter Clayton
Blue Star Polka by John Mowad: Slow Jam Tune #1: BlueStarPolka by John Mowad. Great Fiddle Tune for Beginners! - YouTube
Pwt Ar Y Bis (Welsh)
Twinkle Little Star (May be in G)
Birds at the Feeder by Susan Reid: Birds at the Feeder* – North Atlantic Tune List
Hunting the Hare (Welsh)
White Buffalon by Fatty Moran: White Buffalo – North Atlantic Tune List
Sandy Boys (it might be in G so down two strings to go with the banjo)
Hunt the Squirrel
(maybe not this one) Goat on the Green Some of this version should fit: The Goat On The Green (jig) on The Session
The Butterfly
OTHERS TO BE Determined at the event.
SCHOOL BREAK NO LESSONS THIS WEEK!
SCHOOL BREAK NO LESSONS THIS WEEK!
Our annual CD making project will commence this week. Students who have made recordings during the year will be putting them in chronological order and providing artwork and design elements. Sarah possesses both CD making and printing software.
Our youth students (and sometime adults!) look forward to this annual event. Each child takes one home usually on the second or third week of December. Additional copies as gifts may be purchased by families if desired for $5 a piece to cover time and costs.
SCHOOL BREAK NO LESSONS THIS WEEK!
Members of the Back Row Gang have been invited to perform during the break at the music nights at Owl’s Head Farm which start around 6 pm. The group will play sometime around 7 pm for about 15 minutes!
The Back Row Gang put on a stellar performance at the Owl’s Head Blueberry Farm during Hot Pickin’ Party’s break. Thanks Rachel, Waylon, and all your family for inviting us and thanks to Viva, Morgan, Henry, Tai, Waylon, and Arin for your wonderful musical gift to the audience! Photo by Christine White
Beautiful view from the stage! Photo by Christine White
You have to come out to Owl’s Head Farm on one of their concert nights and enjoy the exceptional experience of being able to dance to incredible music while you pick berries!
Old Time on the Onion is an all-acoustic, very informal, mostly non-performance gathering – all jams, all day, and all night for the exceptionally vigorous. Come for the whole weekend to camp or for a day to jam, listen, and take workshops.
The Music: It’s mostly old-time, but all traditions (Irish, Scandinavian, Indigenous, Baltic, Balkan, Blues, etc.) are welcome.
The Food: There will be a Saturday evening pot-luck under the big tent. “Hook and Peel” is our food vendor.
The Dates/Times: Arrival at 2:00 pm or after on Friday July 19 with camping through 3:00 pm Sunday July 21. RVers who want to arrive before July 19 can contact the campground at (802) 426-3233. Be sure to tell them you want to stay over for OTOTO weekend, and let R.D. know as well so that you can be assigned an OTOTO RV site.
The Location: The Onion River Campground is located at 61 Onion River Road, Plainfield, VT (located in Town of Marshfield, VT). The campground offers access to the Winooski (aka Onion) River with plenty of tenting space on the main field or in the overlooking orchard area.
The Cost: $35/weekend, $25/Saturday, $20/ Friday or Sunday when you arrive. For RV sites with power and water, we take reservations or advance payment by cash or checks for an extra $15. We strongly advise that you reserve in advance by contacting R.D. Eno at rdeno@fairpoint.net.
This is a fun annual event in Winooski. John and Sarah have performed with them many times. We won’t be this year but plan to go! Not sure about this years music but Ann Whiting will be there to teach some clogging steps!
Summer lessons will be on Thursdays and Fridays. 9:30 am to noon and 3 - 6 pm. The schedule will be made available in early May, though there will likely be open spots all summer. This is a great time for special summer enrichment for those who are new to the fiddle and banjo and would like to try it out just for the summer! Since spots are limited in the fall, and in high demand, priority will be given to those enrolled in summer lessons for fall spots, so it is especially important to keep going over the summer! We will work around your vacation and camp schedule!
Sarah and friends join the Vermont Fiddle Orchestra’s performance in Jeffersonville, VT at the Visions of Vermont Art Gallery Opening.
