What a violin is made of...

At our Tuesday night class, we got to see some spruce and maple wood and many of the pieces and tools that go into the violin-making process.  Fiddler-in-residence Michelle Kaminsky is also a luthier and shared with us what and how you study at violin-making school!

More photos from our visit with Jay and Molly

Fiddler-in-residence CD complete

You can check it out and hear clips here.

(http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/rachelpanitch)

Jay Ungar and Molly Mason at the Rhode Island Fiddle Project

A day after performing at the RI Folk Festival, Jay Ungar and Molly Mason led a two hour workshop yesterday for students of the RI Fiddle Project!  They performed tunes of many styles, talked about their experiences playing for more than one President of the United States, and taught Duke Ellington's C Jam Blues (in G).  Here's a clip of what we learned in an impromptu performance for parents.  It was an exciting and memorable afternoon for all involved!  Many thanks to Jay and Molly for their visit.    More photos to follow...

She Shines article

While it feels funny to post publicity about myself, this article is very much about the RI Fiddle Project.  You can see all of the She Shines articles by RI Foundation mentees and RI women holding office by downloading the most recent issue here.   The questions we were asked to write about were: "what is your concept of leadership? how are you enacting your power in the world?"

My favorite part was posing with the "Welcome to Pawtucket" sign in 30 degree weather in short sleeves with the violin (my idea)!  People driving by were wondering what was going on...