Appalachian “Old Time” Songs & Tunes for the MD (Intermediate) Learn 3-4 simple, not-so-familiar, Old Time Appalachian songs/tunes and their background. We’ll also focus attention on timing, rhythm & singing. Start in DAD (Instructor: Norm Williams)

BACH Dulcimer Ensemble (Advanced Intermediate and above) Johann Sebastian Bach was one of the most prolific and creative composers ever, writing for most instruments, in most forms and styles of his time.   In this workshop, we will work through an ensemble arrangement for “one of the most beautiful of melodies” - Air on the G String from his Overture in D Major. (Instructor: Mack Johnston)

Basics for Beginners (Beginners) Starting with the instruction “First, You Put It on Your Lap,” this workshop will gently guide rank beginners to get started right! (Instructor: Mark Willingham)

Basics I Wish I Knew When I Started (Beginner) A lot of bad habits that are hard to “unlearn” later can be avoided! This workshop is about basic principles and techniques on the mountain dulcimer that will get beginners started right. Simple basics will inform your playing for years to come! While this workshop is geared towards beginners, it offers a nice review for more experienced players just in case they missed some of the basics when they started playing. (Instructor: Joe Collins)

Harmonics and Other Embellishments (Intermediate) Harmonics add beautiful spice to music. Come learn about natural and artificial harmonics. We will talk about how to create them, practice them and when to use them.  Once we finish with harmonics, we will talk about hammers, pulls, bends and tremolo. (Instructor: Melanie Johnston)

Hymns from the Sacred Harp (Intermediate-Advanced) Sacred Harp, or shape note songs/tunes/hymns were typically written in the diatonic (do, re, mi…) scales lending themselves to play nicely on the mountain dulcimer.  We’ll explore two or three tunes and tunings, and also touch on the power and beauty of these old songs. NO capo required but prepare to re-tune. - Starting in DAD. (Instructor: Norm Williams)

Jam Training Wheels (Advanced Beginner-Novice) Playing music with others is one of the most fun things you can do!  At first it can be difficult to keep up and learn so many new tunes when attending clubs or festivals. In this workshop we will give you some tools and tunes to get you started! (Instructor: Melanie Johnston)

Learning by Ear, “Knee to Knee” (Beginner/Novice) For many, playing by ear is a daunting task.  We’ll demystify this idea and discuss and practice ways to play tunes you don’t have music for “by ear” using the time-honored tradition of repetition, repetition, repletion (Arlo Guthrie calls it “the Bor-In Method”).  We’ll start with a few simple & familiar tunes and then try a couple that you probably have not heard before. Bring a recording device/phone.  Come tuned to DAD. (Instructor: Norm Williams)

On Practicing (Novice and above) We play dulcimer for many reasons, but we all want to play well.  To play well we must practice well – practice effectively, practice efficiently.  This course will address the structure and approach necessary for improving one’s playing. In class, we will apply the structure to some new music. (Instructor: Mack Johnston)

Put that Tab in your Tablet (All skill levels) In this class we will specifically work with a popular program – forScore - specific to iPad. Class will cover getting your music into your tablet, annotating, creating setlists and using some of the other tools forScore offers. It will change your musical life!  Equipment Needed: No dulcimers required for class. Optional - Bring your iPad with forScore installed. (Instructor: Melanie Johnston)

Rhythm! (Beginner-Novice) Rhythm is everything! Whether playing solo or in groups, if your rhythm is not correct, this can disrupt the music and stand out more than a wrong note. In this class, we will build rhythm skills, find our “inner clock” and use some fun techniques and tools along the way. (Instructor: Mack Johnston)    

Scottish Laments, Volume 1 (Advanced) A repertoire workshop of beautiful Scottish Laments. They are often played on bagpipes, especially in the Highlands, for funerals or as commemoration of some great loss. The fingering is not terribly difficult, but we will be focusing on capturing the haunting mood of  these songs on the mountain dulcimer. This set includes “Lochaber No More,” “Farewell to Whiskey,” and others. (Instructor: Joe Collins)

Shape Note Hymns Ensemble (Novice and above) This will be a playing class.  We will play several hymns from The Sacred Harp, one of the major sources for Shape Note singing.  Students will have opportunities to play more than one of the harmonic parts. (Instructor: Mack Johnston)

Two Waltzes by Peter Ostroushko (Intermediate – Adv) Peter Ostroushko was an Emmy Award winning composer. His primary instruments were violin and mandolin. In this class, we will work on two of his beautiful waltzes, "Mallard Island Hymn" and "Heart of the Heartland." (Instructor: Melanie Johnston)

What’s That Weird Thing on Your Fretboard? (Beginners-Novice) A workshop on how to use a capo effectively on your mountain dulcimer. If you do not have a capo, there will be plenty at the festival for you to borrow or buy. (Instructor: Mark Willingham)

Whiskey … All Over Your Dulcimer (Novice – Intermediate) Using the tune, “Whiskey Before Breakfast,” we’ll focus on the use of the capo, alternate tunings, and playing across the fretboard, playing it in 4 different keys with 5 different tunings. We’ll also get to know the tune and strengthen your rhythm.  This class is designed to help you better understand the breadth of this “simple” instrument. Starting in DAD. (Instructor: Norm Williams)

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The Foothills Dulcimer Club want our workshops to meet the needs of all workshop attendees; therefore, we try to provide for players with a wide variety of skills. The definitions below are rough estimations of what we mean by each designation.

     Beginner: I'm brand new to the instrument or I'm so new that I still need more practice and instruction in basic playing skills.

     Novice: Still relatively inexperienced, but I know how to play a few songs and know how to figure out how to play a basic song with tablature. I am in the process of learning chords and expanding my ability to vary my strumming and/or picking to match the song I am playing.

     Intermediate: Pretty proficient at using tablature and/or playing by ear to learn a variety of music. Understand and can apply chords relatively easily in my playing.

     Advanced: Understand and can apply chords and often adapt different chords to music. Feel comfortable flatpicking, strumming, or finger-picking in a wide variety of rhythms, speeds, and dynamics.

You are free to sign up for any workshops you desire, even one that is above your present skill level. However, please realize that the instructors will be teaching each workshop assuming that students have skills at the designated level for that workshop.

	Norm Williams is co-founder of The Pocono Dulcimer Club and the Pocono DulcimerFest in East Stroudsburg, PA; a co-founder of the Maiden Creek Old Time Music Festival, and current president of the non-profit, 501(C)3, Folk Arts Consortium, an organization supporting traditional folk arts in all its forms.  Norm began teaching in 2002 and has been faculty/performer at festivals throughout the Northeast since (including the DAA Mountain Dulcimer Music Fest, New England Dulcimer Days, French Creek Music Retreat, Maiden Creek Old Time Music Festival, Ashokan Music & Dance Camps & others). He offers private, personal instruction in person or via ZOOM.  In addition to mountain dulcimer, he plays guitar, ukulele & banjo. Norm is a lover of Old-Time music and performs solo as well as with the bands, Wayfarers & Company, Tom & Betty Druckenmiller, and the Dulcimer Boys (with Cliff Cole & Rob Yoder). He has several recordings and is a volunteer radio host at WDIY 88.1 FM in Bethlehem, PA. He is currently retired from “real work” and resides with his wife, Erin, in Emmaus, PA.   Norm’ Website: https://www.awayfarer-normw.com/
	Joe Collins began playing the dulcimer in the late 70s and has been a popular instructor/performer in festivals around the country for decades.  He has seven recordings and fifteen popular tab books to his credit as well as several championships, including the 2007 National Mountain Dulcimer Championship.  He plays various genres of music but is best known for his chordal/melody style on the dulcimer. He considers himself a folksinger who plays the dulcimer although he does both well. Joe is a professor emerita of Religious Studies at Gardner-Webb University. He still loves teaching and finds the opportunity to do so in the dulcimer world and in a couple of Bible studies each week. Links:  Joe's Website
	Melanie Johnston has been playing Mountain Dulcimer since 2001. She and her husband Mack co-founded the Northeast Dulcimer Orchestra and the Connecticut Mountain Dulcimer Gathering. Since moving to Asheville, NC in 2017, they have had extensive teaching and performing experience and have founded the Black Bear Dulcimer Gathering and the Asheville Dulcimer Orchestra. Melanie is a graduate of the Dulcimer University/Western Carolina University certification program for teaching the Mountain Dulcimer. She teaches private students, classes and festival workshops in the New England, New York and North Carolina regions and virtual. In addition to playing and teaching dulcimer, Melanie has written TablEdit for Mountain Dulcimer Arrangers, Dulcimer Jam Training Wheels and Catskill Mountain Waltzes and Airs, available through Folkcraft Instruments.
	Mack Johnston plays dulcimer, mandolin and guitar.  He and his wife Melanie have 15 years’ experience with founding and directing dulcimer orchestras: the Northeast Dulcimer Orchestra (2009-2014), the Asheville Dulcimer Orchestra (2016 – present).  Mack is a graduate of the Dulcimer University/ Western Carolina University certification program in teaching Mountain Dulcimer and teaches private students, classes and festival workshops in the New England and North Carolina regions.  Mack and Melanie perform on dulcimer, guitar and mandolin in the Asheville area as Heartstrings, and with the Arbor Trio at the North Carolina Arboretum. Together they have written Dulcimer Jam Training Wheels. The book contains quarter note versions of many popular jam tunes.
	Mark Willingham is a dulcimer player as well as a builder from Charlotte, NC. He built his first dulcimer in college and has been hooked on the instrument ever since. In past years, he has helped lead the Charlotte Dulcimer Club and has performed at the Billy Graham Library, the Southern Christmas Show, Festival in the Park, and various church and club events. In addition, he has taught several dulcimer-building classes through the Charlotte Woodworkers Club. As "Dulcimer Doctor" at this event, he will be available to help with minor repairs/modifications, string changes, questions, etc.