May 26-28, 2017
Workshops • Concerts • Coaching Sessions Jamming • Singing • Dancing
• A fun & friendly weekend of playing & hearing folk music
• Warm, welcoming, and fun
• Pick up an instrument and rekindle your love of music
• Plenty to do for musicians of all levels
• Lots for non-musicians, too
A Special Weekend
Folk College was founded to help more people learn to play music together. It is a non-competitive environment where you can kindle—or rekindle—your love of playing through folk music. Each year the staff includes nationally known musicians and wonderfully nurturing teachers from a broad spectrum of folk styles. Within one weekend, you’ll have a choice of workshops ranging from old time to Celtic to blues to international, and you’ll get to sing, dance, play, and listen.
Easy to Participate
Many workshops, with subjects like “Learning to Jam,” “Tunes that are Cooler Than They are Hard,” and “How to Play by Ear” are designed to encourage musicians who have been “stuck in their living room,” haven't picked up their instrument since high school, or maybe just wanted to play an instrument but never dared!
Full of Gems for All Levels
In addition to workshops geared toward beginners and non-musicians, there's plenty of interest for the intermediate and advanced musician. Folk College participants return year after year and many are teachers and performers in their own right. Whether you explore a new genre, take home a new concept, or jam with an erhu, musicians of all levels will discover many gems at Folk College.
Student Bands: Coached by Pros
Culminating the weekend’s activities is the Student Bands Concert. You’ll choose from an eclectic list of options and be coached by a professional musician in that genre. Or if you're attending Folk College with your own band, you can request to be coached together. Most participants agree that the Student Band experience is what makes Folk College unique, and certainly an audience of your peers is one of the most appreciative you'll ever have!
Concerts, Jamming, Dancing
Each evening features a staff concert followed by staff-led jam sessions that many people have said are the best jams they've attend all year. Saturday after the concert, there’s a contradance with an open band. And the finale on Sunday is the Student Bands Concert – so you’ll go home with a warm, fuzzy feeling.
Read On
So go ahead and browse these pages and be sure to check us out on Facebook. You'll get a sense of how people feel about Folk College, and you'll understand why they keep coming back. We hope you'll join us!
Folk College is a project of Simple Gifts and the Huntingdon County Arts Council, supported in part by a grant from Pennsylvania Performing Arts on Tour.
And If You Love Folk College . . .
Mark your calendar for:
Greenwood Furnace Folk Gathering
September 15-17, 2017
Join us for a weekend of music workshops, jamming, concerts and dancing at Greenwood Furnace State Park in Central Pennsylvania. Musicians of all levels as well as non-musicians who wish to listen, try an instrument or pick up a dance step or two, are invited to participate in workshops designed and led by professional instructors.
The Greenwood Furnace Folk Gathering, now in its 14th year, is organized by the same people that bring you Folk College, though it tends to be smaller and more informal. A special focus of the Folk Gathering is Pennsylvania's musical traditions, and each year we honor a Pennsylvania Heritage Musician to celebrate their contribution to the musical heritage of our area.
Want More Information?
Our Folk College booklet has all of the information in one handy publication: schedule, faculty info, background and more. Booklets will be mailed in March. To request your copy, send your name and address to:
Spread the Word
If you are a Folk College fan, help spread the word by printing and passing out the Folk College 2017 flyer. We appreciate your support!
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