Year-end Fiddling Celebration, June 12th

We've been busy! And our 5th Year Fiddling Celebration is coming up.  We'll be celebrating our 3 graduation seniors (!) and a wonderful year of fiddling on Thursday, June 12th at 6 PM. This year's celebration will be held at the Jeanne Jugan Residence, 964 Main St, Pawtucket, RI.

Sharing steps, tunes and stories with Armand Aromin and Penny Bossom-Seeger

On Thursday, May 22, we had a visit with Armand Aromin and Penny Bossom-Seeger. Armand is a terrific fiddle player and step dancer, who also is a violin maker. I met him when he was in high school, and had just started playing fiddle. I recently met up with him again at a party at the Bossom-Seegers.  Penny was one of my first fiddle students many years ago.  The three of us jammed for hours, along with Armand step -dancing when the spirit moved him. It was a treat to have Armand and Penny to come and share a few tunes and dance steps with our students. Alexander and Armand were able to trade some dance steps as well. I was thrilled for Armand to see how Alexander's modern dance style fits with traditional fiddle music. And also for Alexander to see what the old-style step dancing looks like live to the same tune.

Making music at the fiddle jam at Woodlawn Community Center

On a cold day in February with snow predicted, joyful music and new friends were made. It was a treat to share the RI Fiddle Project teaching style with folks from the larger fiddling community at the Woodlawn Community Center in Pawtucket, home for the RIFP. Two students, Meveline and Carl, played their fiddles in their first community jam. They had fun hearing the transformation of familiar tunes, and were able to use their skills to figure out how to jump into tunes they had never heard before.

Meveline said that the day was better than she expected. She didn't imagine that she would know the tunes that would be played, or be able to play along. When asked how she felt about the day.... she said it made her happy! She also really liked the French Roast concert, and thought that the musicians played really well. 

Thank you to George Touchstone for the photos.

Big Jam

Many thanks to graphic designer Nicky Nicktern, for her generous and awesome in-kind 

design donations (see above) to RI Fiddle Project!

We would also like to thank Joan Webb for her photography of our December Fiddling Celebration, posted here last week!

News about generous support for Fiddle Project

RI Fiddle Project has received continuing generous support over the past few months from both individuals and foundations.

Starting with our most recent news,

1. Rhode Island Fiddle Project is the recipient of a large grant from the Jubilation Foundation, which is part of the Tides Foundation.  This is the second time RI Fiddle Project has been chosen as a recipient by this foundation with a uniquely focussed mission to bring forth joy and well-being through music and movement!

2. We are delighted to announce that RI Fiddle Project is a third time recipient of a grant from the D’Addario Music Foundation.  D'Addario Music Foundation will also be providing in-kind support to the Project of strings and music notebooks.


3. The Carter Family Charitable Trust, in its focus on cultural and educational needs for children, has continued to be a lead supporter in funding the work of Fiddlers-in-Residence at RI Fiddle Project.
Rachel got to hear Letitia Carter speak at a YWCA event where Mrs. Carter was honored for her work as a 2013 "Woman of Achievement" award winner. Her advice for young women is posted here.  


4. In the fall of 2013, Rhode Island State Council on the Arts supported RI Fiddle Project with a matching grant through Woodlawn CDC.

5.  And because RI Fiddle Project is based at Woodlawn CDC, our students are also benefitting this year from the hearty food of RI Food Bank's Kids Cafe before our weekly group fiddle classes.

Photos of our December Fiddling Celebration!

Cedric Watson, Bijou Creole, and us!

After just barely getting started for the school year, we were invited by Kate Vivian and the Friends of The Towers in Narragansett, RI to a concert by Cedric Watson and Bijou Creole. Cedric is a Creole musician who has been traveling the world playing fiddle, accordion and singing with his band. I first met him when he was 17 and a scholarship student at the Augusta Heritage Center in West Virginia, where I was teaching Cajun fiddle-from-scratch. It was a treat to be able to connect with him with our students.

Kate welcomed us with pizza and we were fortunate to have a beautiful view of the sunset over the bay, from the balcony on the Towers. 

That's Cedric, on the right!

The concert/dance was fabulous. We had a great time dancing, and even got to play our fiddles on stage with Cedric and Desiree.  Cedric invited us to come back and play next time he's in town. Pauline, and Cochon were the tunes that students requested to come home and learn. What a great way to start of the year!!

-Michelle Kaminsky, Fiddler-in-Residence