Helping other Communities
Item Posted: Tuesday 1st November , 2005
Jamie Laval widened the world map when he travelled from Seattle to play on Skye as part of his Highland tour. As a past US Scottish fiddle champion the audience expected some good Scottish tunes. These he played with panache, and then, with a slide of the hips and glint in the eye, he would lurch towards Appalachia, to Cape Breton, or Brittany and a touch of hoe-down. Tunes were bounced back and forth from fiddle to the delicate guitar playing of Hans York - you could see the beam of connectivity between their eyes in their precise and intricate harmony playing.
Jamie said he looked forward to talking to the audience in the interval. This musical conversation continued at the end and then across the road over a late meal and a session with one of Scotland's new young fiddlers and someone else, who just 'happened to be passing' with their fiddle. Meanwhile Hans was discussing astrophysics with a step-dancer.
Music is global, Scottish music especially so, especially when played by two Americans of French and German extraction to an enraptured Skye audience. Duncan MacInnes for SEALL Arts, Skye
Jamie led a masterclass of 12 people for the evening, with a small audience in addition, and all participants found his teaching very useful. Instead of teaching a tune, Jamie instead focused more on technique. This was ideal as it meant that participants of all levels were able to join in, and even if some found it difficult to learn a tune quickly, this did not matter. We learnt how to get our tunes sounding "cool" and to get a groove going when we play. At one point we were all up on our feet, learning how to use our bodies to their full potential in keeping a solid rhythm going. Jamie focused a lot on bowing techniques, and taught us how to play using "back-bowing" (putting the accent on the 2 and the 4 in a reel, instead of the 1 and the 3). This simple tip can transform you from a player who merely plays the notes into someone who has real rhythm and lift in their playing.
Jamie also gave us lots of hints on how to practice, by breaking down tunes into one bar segments and focusing on one bar for half an hour! It is this attention to detail that makes Jamie one of the most accomplished players in the U.S., and although it sounds tedious, maybe we should all be practicing a bit more like this in future. It was just a shame that we did not have longer with Jamie to really get stuck in to all his advice and try it out.
During the interval, Jamie gave a short recital which showed why he is such a great competition player. The set he played contained many different styles of tune, all linked effortlessly together and played to perfection. I am sure he inspired many people that night to get practicing.
Fiona Cuthill, Glasgow Fiddle Workshop
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I can’t let any more time pass without expressing the gratitude of the whole educational community on Islay and Jura for your facilitating this visit.
As you know, the isolation factor is a telling one anywhere in Argyll and Bute, thanks to the tortuous geography of the area, but our island schools have the added difficulty of a lengthy, expensive ferry journey to and from the mainland, which usually means that Arts visits are not viable, the combination of travelling time and costs proving too much for both schools and artistes/companies. These factors prevent our taking parties of children to mainland venues too, as school budgets can seldom stretch and supervisory requirements are almost impossible to meet. Yet music making is very much alive on the islands, with a substantial percentage of the population - young and old - playing a wide variety of instruments and participating in ceilidhs and concerts.
You can imagine that the opportunity to have musicians of the calibre of Jamie and Hans in our schools was greeted with great enthusiasm and we determined to find the cash to allow as many children as possible to benefit. Everyone contributed to the expenses, including the Gaelic College, which hosted the evening Concert for the public, with an audience of between sixty and seventy - an excellent turnout for a very wet and windy Monday night in October!
During the two day visit to our schools, Hans and Jamie entertained and educated around 260 pupils from all five Primary schools and the High School, all of whom sat enthralled - or clapped with great gusto during the sessions. ‘I wish they could stay all day’, ‘Will they really come back?’ and ‘They were great!’ were common comments from pupils AND staff. These visits were valued by everyone who met these talented musicians, who charmed us all with their inspirational playing and desire to communicate their music to us.
Obviously we can’t plan on a return visit, as the tour was subsidised, but even a single opportunity like this was a great treat for us. Your help was invaluable and is appreciated by us all. I hope we might work together again in the future, to bring more music to a needy population, should the opportunity arise. Christine Darroch, Head Teacher, Keills Primary School, Isle of Islay
SCHOOLS
Apart from arranging the Fiddle tuition in four local schools, we have done all we can to bring music into as many schools as possible. The following primary schools have had the benefits of free recitals, concerts, come and try sessions and even author events – thanks to the efforts of the Workshop.1150 children have at least had a taster of what we offer!
Lochgoilhead
Strachur
Kilmodan
Tignabruaich
Dunoon
Inveraray
Lochgilphead
Ardrishaig
Kilchrenan
Furnace
Keills , Islay
Balfron High and
Inverness Royal Academy
Other Community Groups we have worked with
The time spent networking with other groups has been substantial this year, but we believe it will be of benefit to both parties. By the end of the year we will have linked with a large number of groups in Cowal, Argyll and elsewhere in Scotland to put on events. This has been very expensive in volunteer time, and has only been because of the ongoing support of ScottishPower renewables that we have been enabled, for instance, to arrange tours. Many venues are having traditional music for the first time as a result of their link to us.
In the earlier part of the year we put on events linking with
Cairndow Arts Promotions
Mid-Argyll Arts Association
Loch Fyne Food Fair
Dalriada Fiddle and Accordion Club
Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama
Cowalfest
The 24 gig Scottish tour we coordinated for Jamie Laval and Hans York led us to links with the following groups, as well as a number of schools.
An Tobar, Mull
Plockton School of Excellence
Plockton VillageHall
Lochalsh Arts Network
Applecross Inn
The Ceilidh Place, Ullapool
Ceol Bas
Promoters Arts Network
SEALL Arts
MACK and MAGS, Tarbert
Get Reel, Balfron
Glasgow Fiddle Workshop
Columba Centre, Islay
Portsonnachan Village Hall
Scottish Fiddle College
Sabhal Mor Ostaig, Skye
Penicuik Arts
Leith Folk Club
Edinburgh Folk Club