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2008 Friday Harbor Irish Music Camp

 Concertina Class

(Click on photo for larger view)

The 2008 Friday Harbor Irish Music Camp was another great event.  There were nine of us in the concertina classes with Gearóid Ó hAllmhuráin this year.  I didn't do a close count, but I think we left the camp with about a dozen new tunes; most were taught in class and a few were offered in a reduced speed demonstration format at the end such that all students would be able to learn them on their own.  While the lion's share of the tunes were matched to the theme of the camp, Gearóid also worked in a French piece and a Mazurka.  All tunes were taught "by ear" and with Gearóid's coaching all attendees were successful at learning in that format.

In addition to providing musical instruction and sharing his perspective on many related matters, Gearóid also spoke at length about Paddy Murphy, both in class and at a general presentation offered to the camp at large late one afternoon.  He included audio samples from the new Paddy Murphy CD and provided considerable insight into the man and his approach to Irish music on a concertina.

I found the Friday Harbor camp to be a very comfortable environment for learning concertina tunes and techniques.  The twice daily concertina classes moved at a low-stress pace and Gearóid recognized that camp attendees might be taking classes on other instruments in addition to attending evening events.  Depending on one's interests, ability and motivation, it was possible to attend classes on three different instruments at this camp and many elected to take classes on at least two.

There were lots of opportunities to play in session groups each evening, both large (15+) and small (2+) and I think everyone inclined was able to find a group that played at their comfort level somewhere within that mix.  Sessions were "officially" held in town at establishments licensed to vend suitable beverages two nights during the camp and a grand performance was put on by the camp instructors in the town theater on the last night.

The Friday Harbor Irish Music Camp staff this year included:

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