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Contemporary Folk Week Jim Magill Gathering

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Contemporary Folk Week Jim Magill Gathering JUNE 27 - 30, 2021 AT WARREN WILSON COLLEGE, ASHEVILLE, NC The Swannanoa Gathering, Warren Wilson College, PO Box 9000, Asheville, NC 28815-9000 phone/fax: (828) 298-3434 • email: [email protected] • website: www.swangathering.com shipping address: The Swannanoa Gathering, 701 Warren Wilson Rd., Swannanoa, NC 28778 For college admission information contact: [email protected] or 1-800-934-3536 WARREN WILSON COLLEGE FOUNDER’S AWARD President Dr. Lynn M. Morton Dr. Douglas M. Orr, Jr., President Emeritus – 2006 Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Jay Roberts Vice President for Administration and Finance Belinda Burke Vice President for Advancement Zanne Garland Vice President for Applied Learning Cathy Kramer ADVISORY BOARD Vice President for Student Life Paul Perrine Interim Vice President for Enrollment Brian Liechti David Holt Tom Paxton Fiona Ritchie Dougie MacLean Barry Poss Tommy Sands David Wilcox Si Kahn Art Menius Mick Moloney John McCutcheon Billy Edd Wheeler Jennifer Pickering THE SWANNANOA GATHERING Director Jim Magill Operations Manager Kimberly Ann Clark Logistics Coordinator Katie Henderson Selph Housing Coordinator Melissa McCormick COVID-19 & THE SWANNANOA GATHERING Dorm Host TBD The Swannanoa Gathering experience encompasses two equally Coordinator, Fiddle Week Julia Weatherford Coordinator, Mando & Banjo Week Jim Magill essential components: musical instruction and musical community. Coordinator, Traditional Song Week Julee Glaub Weems Until the threat from Covid-19 is well behind us and we can again Coordinator, Celtic Week Jim Magill sit beside each other, playing and singing together an old favorite tune ‘knee to Coordinator, Old-Time Music & Dance Week Erynn Marshall knee’, that community will not be possible – and neither will the Swannanoa Coordinator, Guitar Week Greg Ruby Coordinator, Contemporary Folk Week Jim Magill Gathering. However, musical instruction is still possible online. So, for 2021, Coordinator, Children’s Programs Melissa Hyman we present a new, digital alternative to our usual in-person musical instruction: Coordinator, Work Exchange Crew Wesley Johnson SGOnline Sound Technician Weogo Reed MASTER MUSIC MAKER AWARDS SGONLINE Ralph Blizard — 1996 Phil Jamison — 2008 This new initiative by the Swannanoa Gathering and Warren Wilson Tom Paxton — 1996 Alice Gerrard — 2010 College consists of courses of live-streamed classes presented during the dates Margaret Bennett — 1998 Al Petteway — 2013 of our usual week-long workshops. The Mando & Banjo and Fiddle Week Fiona Ritchie — 2000 Liz Carroll — 2016 programs will again be paired, as will Contemporary Folk and Guitar Weeks, David Holt — 2001 Martin Hayes — 2016 since many of our attendees during those weeks prefer to take classes in both Jean Ritchie — 2001 John Doyle — 2016 John McCutcheon — 2001 Robin Bullock — 2016 programs. As much as possible, we have kept to our usual schedule, offering the Séamus Connolly — 2002 Tony Trischka— 2016 same classes in the same periods we had scheduled them for 2020. However, Mike Seeger — 2003 Mike Marshall — 2016 some classes, like shape-note singing, dancing, etc. are not possible to teach Billy Jackson — 2004 Ginny Hawker virtually, and some instructors were unavailable for 2021, so some classes may Stranger Malone — 2005 & Tracy Schwarz — 2016 Cover: Jim Magill 1 now have substitute instructors or be missing from the schedule entirely. Classes ference for the optimal experience of a Zoom meeting. Poor service from your will be live-streamed Mon.-Fri., and, as usual, students are free to take a class internet service provider (ISP) or a weak signal in terms of distance to your wi-fi in each period. On the Sunday evening which begins each Program Week, we router will directly affect remote connections, particularly for virtual private will present an Orientation which will lay out the plan for the week, followed network (VPN) systems. As a general guideline, a download speed of less than by brief greetings from the Program Coordinator and instructors. There will 12 megabits per second (Mbps), an upload speed of less than 3Mbps, or high be ‘Sessions’ in the evenings, in the form of instructor-led virtual song circles latency will result in a negative experience. You can use tools like SpeedTest. tune swaps and socializing to give students the opportunity to interact with net to verify your device’s capacity. To maximize your available bandwidth each other online. On Friday evening at the end of the week, we will present a during a Zoom call, many have reported better performance when all other virtual concert featuring that week’s instructor staff. browser windows and tabs are closed. We encourage you to review Zoom’s recommended minimum requirements for virtual meetings: https://support. zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362023-System-requirements-for-Windows- macOS-and-Linux. CLASS INFORMATION Each class meets for an hour each day for five days. These class meet- Founded in 1991, the Swannanoa Gathering is a continuing educa- ings will be recorded and made available for review by students enrolled in those tion program of Warren Wilson College. Contact: [email protected] classes for an additional four weeks after the program ends. or 1-800-934-3536 for college admission information. This year we offer over 200 classes, all of which will be live-streamed. Each class is a five-day course of study. Students are free to create their own curriculum from any of the classes in any programs offered for each week. Students may list a class choice and an alternate SKILL LEVELS for each of our scheduled class periods, but concentration on two, or perhaps three classes is strongly recommended, and class selections are required for Our students come from all backgrounds and skill levels. Some registration. After the first class meeting, students have until 6pm on Monday class descriptions define required skills in detail, but when the following of that week to switch into another open class if they find they have made an terms appear, Beginner refers to those with no experience at all, or those who inappropriate choice, and are then expected to remain in those classes. This year, play some but are not yet comfortable with the basics. Intermediate students our usual default class limit of 15 has been suspended. Check the class descriptions should have mastered basic skills, and be able to tune their instruments, keep for more information. Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. Look time, play the principal chords and scales cleanly, and know how to play a few for updates and any corrections to this catalog on our website. tunes with confidence.Advanced students should be very comfortable with Each week commences with a virtual Orientation session and their instruments and able to focus on style, arrangement and ornamentation. greetings from the week’s staff. Live-streamed classes will meet for morning Please assess your skill level carefully in order to derive the greatest benefit from or afternoon sessions, Monday through Friday. Friday evening’s virtual Staff your classes. Roman numerals after a class title indicate a difference in focus or Concert will conclude the week. Check the program descriptions for details. skill level of the same subject, while capital letters denote different sections of the same class. Many classes may include musical notation, tablature or other Our program’s ‘open’ format, which encourages students to take handouts, though in general, we emphasize learning by ear. several courses a day, allows a breadth of understanding of our folk traditions seldom found in workshops of this type. For example, a fiddler may take a class in her instrument in the morning, then, after lunch, a dance class that uses tunes from her fiddle class, and a folklore class in the afternoon describing the cultural context in which both tunes and dances developed. This may then contribute CONTENTS to a more complete grasp of the nuances of the style during her practice time, and a more authentic fiddle sound. We encourage all students approach the Program Information .......................................................... Inside front cover workshops with an open mind and a willingness to try something new. Contact Fiddle Week ................................................................................................... 3 our office or visit our website for the latest program updates or corrections. Mando & Banjo Week ................................................................................... 9 Traditional Song Week ................................................................................... 16 Celtic Week ................................................................................................... 22 INFO FOR ONLINE CLASSES Old-Time Music & Dance Week .................................................................. 30 Guitar Week .................................................................................................. 37 This year, SGOnline will be using Zoom as our streaming platform. Contemporary Folk Week ............................................................................ 43 While not required to join meetings, we recommend downloading and install- How to Register .................................................................... Inside back cover ing the Zoom app. It’s free. Your device should have speakers, a microphone and a webcam. The quality of your internet connection makes the biggest dif- 2 TUITION Tuition
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