What to Expect
This course is aimed specifically at classical violinists who want to start fiddling, or at people who have been trained classically, have been working on fiddle for awhile, but still feel like they’re kinda just faking it. If you’re someone who is already well-acquainted with the instrument, then becoming a fiddler really isn’t that hard. It’s just a combination of removing some very ironed-in classical habits (and having someone give you permission to do so), and adding just a few cheap tricks. And then of course… practice!
Over the course of these 5 days, you're going to go through 5 days of lessons that will focus either on removing old habits (which can be retrieved of course, any time you need them), and adding cheap tricks. The first two days will be removing habits, and the last three days will be adding cheap tricks.
About your Instructor
Aurora Bowers is a classically trained fiddler who has been playing bluegrass and old-time fiddle music for 25 years. She got her start in Fairbanks, Alaska, in a musical family with deep roots in the Alaskan traditional music scene.
Aurora’s musical tastes and experiences have taken her from an eclectic teenage fiddle band called “Slightly Askew” to a study of jazz and jazz theory at Whitman College, and then on into a deep dive into traditional music in ETSU’s Old Time, Bluegrass, and Country music program. Most recently, she has played and recorded with The Norris Bowers Band, The Hannah Yoter Band, and Ryan Bowers and the Brain Trust. Her most bizarre claim to fame is that she recorded on the soundtrack of a Las Vegas slot machine game called "Lucky Clucks."
She has been teaching music for about 10 years, through many different avenues. She has been teaching private lessons, both in person and online, for about 5 years. She has also been a teacher with Dancing with the Spirit, a program that teaches traditional fiddle music in remote parts of Alaska, for about 7 years. Through that program, she has traveled to many different Alaskan communities for week-long workshops, as well as teaching group classes online. She is a certified secondary special education teacher, and in 2019, founded a fun and informal group called Pickers in Training, which is aimed at demystifying the "rules" of bluegrass and old-time jamming, and making jamming more accessible for musicians of all skill levels.
Inclusiveness is one of her main guiding principles when it comes to music and teaching, and one of the main reasons she started this online fiddle school. She loves working with students of all ages and ability levels, and is especially interested in figuring out the quickest route possible for every student to start having FUN with music!
