The distinctive ring of fiddle music fills the small, one-room 1888 schoolhouse near Junction City, Oregon, as musicians tune up and prepare to jam.
But before an outburst of jigs and reels gets toes tapping, a few preliminary instructions from organizer Amy Burrow are in order because this is a jam session lesson.
Amy, a music teacher and fiddler from nearby Eugene, used grants to fund a quarterly jam session for students ages 8 to 18. Her goal is to teach the next generation of fiddlers how to participate successfully in a traditional jam session.
“What I want is that kind of language of knowing 50 to 100 tunes that they can go sit in on a jam almost anywhere in Oregon and call a tune with confidence,” Amy says. “Start it at a tempo that they can manage. Get everybody to play along and know how to finish it.”
The 21/2-hour lesson and jam includes learning new tunes and practicing the etiquette surrounding playing with a group.
Students learn “Dry and Dusty” and “The Snake River Reel.” The tunes are taught by ear. Amy plays a phrase, and the fiddlers do their best to play it back to her. Once they have a section down, Amy moves on to the next until the music reaches their fingers.
The real fun begins once notes are memorized. Now, the musicians are free to add their own flair to the tune. They may slide certain notes or add staccatos—quickly played notes—or use other fiddle techniques that add character to the music.
Sapphire Rain, 14, from Monmouth, Oregon, has played fiddle for about two years. She loves fiddle music because the structure allows her to experiment.
“It’s the freedom,” she says. “You can do what you want with it. I have always wanted to play fiddle since I was 4 or 5.”
Tristan Lulay, 15, from Scio, Oregon, loves the feeling of a large group playing together.
“When everyone is playing, it all comes together,” he says. “Even if everyone isn’t a great player.”
Old-time fiddle music is perfect for dancing, so students set down their instruments and pair up for a circle dance as the adult musicians play. The simple circle dance uses moves common to square dancing to mix and move the dancers around the room. It ends with the dancers raising their hands in the center together with a loud whoop and big smiles.