Workshops

Click on the links below to read a preview of the workshops I teach.  More details, including handouts, are available at the links.   If you plan to take a workshop from me, download the handouts before class.  If you'd like me to present some of these workshops to your dulcimer group, let me know billtroxler@verizon.net

Arranging and Introduction to Harmony Theory
For intermediate and experienced players
Although this course is focused on the hammer dulcimer, the harmony theory offered here is applicable to any acoustic instrument.  This is a basic course and does not cover ensemble arranging.  Think of it as a "Just Enough Theory" course and you'll understand the content better.  The course can be offered in a weekend format over several hours or a week long format extending to fifteen hours or more.

Art of the Cadenza
For intermediate players who know chords

Cadenza is all about improvisation.  It’s tough to write about improvisation and even tougher to  read about it.  The workshop will clarify the subject and get you going on the path of creating beautiful openers, closers and transitions.  The act of performing a cadenza is not nearly as demanding as trying to notate one!  Come to the workshop!!!!

Art of the Funny Song
Humor in song is created by understanding context, contrast and timing. The class will explore the techniques used by masters of the art to rattle our funny bones and raise our awareness about significant contemporary issues.  The class is project-oriented and will include writing songs.

Beginning Hammer Dulcimer
A day long beginning workshop for those getting started on the hammer dulcimer.  Student need to have their own instruments.  The course is offered at Common Ground on the Hill over a five day period for three hours each day.  I teach with an assistant.  It's THE best way to get started.  To see the course description, click here.

Bodhran
A course in the fine points of "goat whacking"!  I teach grip, holding the durm, reel and jig rhythms, head care, making a cheap drum sound great.  It's loads of fun.

Celtic Laments, Airs and Ballads
A repertorie class for all traditional instruments
For advanced beginners and those with higher level skills

Composition 
Five tools to write your own music
For intermediate and experienced players

Contemporary Tunes
A repertorie class of tunes not ususally found on dulicmer play lists, such as Harlem Nocturne, Eleanor Rigby, Stand By Me, Over the Rainbow, etc.  For advanced beginners and those with higher level skills

Demystifying the Modes
This workshop can cover the six useful modes or focus on just one mode of intereset.  Sample tunes.  Chords that work in the modes.  Lots of specifics that will get you comfortable with the modes of hte diatonic scale.  The focus is the keys of D and G.  The workshop can be as short as about an hour or as long as 7 1/2 hours depending upon the depth desired and time available.

Drones
For advanced beginners and those with higher level skills

Ensemble Playing and Arranging
 

How to Listen for Music
The goal for How to Listen for Music is two-fold.  First, the lectures should broaden the listening horizon of students.  During the seven and one-half hours of class time, music from many centuries, cultures and continents will be heard.  The intention is to expand the types of music that students seek to hear.  The second goal is to provide students with a system by which music can be judged.  That is not to say that the course is about a set of rigid benchmarks of what defines quality in music.  Rather, the course will provide the tools by which students can make informed judgments about the quality and value of the music they hear.  At the end of this course, students will have a detailed template showing the structure of a quality critique of a live musical performance.  Class time will provide the listening and analytical experiences needed to apply the template to a live performance.

Overcoming the Din of a Dulcimer Classroom
All of us who have attended workshops and festivals have experienced the difficulty of hearing our own playing within a group setting.  The inability to segregate the tune or passage we are playing from the din of the group sound can be frustrating and detrimental to learning.

Page to Stage
Untapped and moving traditional music is readily available through many sources including Internet data bases, magazines, books and field recordings.  The task of the musician is to make this powerful and largely unknown music accessible and understandable for contemporary audiences.

Polyrhythms

Tin Whislte
This is a 2nd level course.  It assumes you already know the finger positions on the whistle and probably know a tune or tune.  The focus is on ornamentation.