Joe Val Master Classes

We are pleased to announce the 2008 Joe Val Master Classes and Bootcamp, to be held on Friday, Feb. 15^th, right before the festival begins. We have an exciting lineup of classes this year, including a mandolin bootcamp for beginners, and three vocal classes! Here is the lineup. Please scroll down the page for more information on the classes, fees and registration.

Skip Gorman

Mandolin Master Class
Level: Intermediate to Advanced
2 – 5 PM

Rich Stillman

Bluegrass Banjo Master Class
Level: Advanced Beginner-Intermediate
2 – 5 PM

Seth Austen

Mandolin Bootcamp
Level: Beginners
2 - 5 PM

Stacy Phillips

Dobro Master Class
All Levels
11 AM - 5 PM

Lorraine Hammond

Singing for Beginners/Nonsingers
3-5 PM
Level: Beginning

Beverly Woods

Breath, Sound and Movement for Singers
Level: Beginning to Advanced
2–3:30 PM

Michael Cleveland

Fiddle Master Class
All Levels
11 AM - 4 PM

Beverly Woods

Traditional, Old Time and Early Bluegrass Singing Styles
Level: Beginning to Advanced
3:45 PM-5:15 PM

Michael Cleveland, five times International Bluegrass Music Association Fiddle Player of the Year will be teaching fiddle techniques to beginning, intermediate and advanced fiddle players to improve overall fiddling fundamentals and skills.

He will be answering any and all questions playing some fiddle tunes and having a good time. Come and join him and don't forget to bring a tape recorder or video camera to capture your lesson.

Skip Gorman Mandolin Master Class
Level: Intermediate to Advanced
2 – 5 PM

This intermediate/advanced class will work on both oldtimey and bluegrass styles of playing with a focus on fiddle tunes (hoedowns and waltzes) along with some practice in accompaniment and singing. Tunes will be learned by ear by breaking them into sections and playing them over and over again slowly until they become part of us and we lovingly become part of them. Please feel free to email with any questions

SKIP GORMAN has has been playing the old time bluegrass and oldtimey styles of mandolin for 46 years. During this time he has worked to capture the essence of the older roots sounds of American rural folk music. His accomplishments as a fiddle player and singer of southern ballads and ballads of the early American West have helped guide his mandolin interpretations. For the past two years Skip has been an instructor at the International Bluegrass Museum's "Bill Monroe Mandolin Camp" with Roland White, Mike Compton and Frank Wakefield . He has also taught mandolin and fiddle at Augusta Heritage, Swanannoa and Old Time Music Camp North with Mike Seeger and Sam Bush; and has appeared on workshops with Ronnie McCoury, Chris Thiele, Butch Baldassari, Norman Blake and Rhonda Vincent. As a teenager, Skip was fortunate enough to have played on several occasions with Bill Monroe. An early member of Utah's Dsert String Band, Skip continues to perform old time bluegrass with Richard Starkey as part of the duo "Rabbit In A Log." He has several award-winning recordings on the Old West, Rounder, Folk Legacy, No Part A Nothin', and Columbia Legacy labels. Skip has appeared on Garrison Keillor's "A Prairie Home Companion" and Ken Burns has used Skip's music in two of his documentary films. 2-5 PMLevel: Intermediate to advanced $45 early bird (until Feb 1), /$55 after Feb. 1, $5 discount for BBU members

This class, aimed at players at an advanced beginner to intermediate level, will cover methods for improving technique and getting more familiar with the instrument. Depending on the level and interests of the group, this class may include practice techniques, developing breaks and finding melodies, backup technique, a little chord theory, discussion of specific tunes, styles and licks, banjo setup and tone, or other topics of interest to the class. Please feel free to email with topics you would like to see covered. Email Rich at

RICH STILLMAN has been a banjo player-about-town in the Boston area for many years. Among other acts, he founded and led the progressive bluegrass band WayStation and played and recorded for Adam Dewey and Crazy Creek, The Bogus Family and currently Southern Rail. His banjo playing has appeared on a number of studio releases by other bluegrass folk and acoustic artists as well. He is six-time winner of the bluegrass banjo category at the Lowell Fiddle and Banjo Contest, and winner of the 2002 and 2003 New England Banjo Championship held at Maine's Ossipee Valley Bluegrass Festival. Rich is currently teaching at The Music Emporium, Minuteman Music, Phillips Academy in Andover and at his own studio. He also teaches Internet lessons through Skype, with students in four countries, and teaches private lessons at several New England bluegrass festivals. Rich is a regular faculty member at Banjo Camp North and taught the 2006 Joe Val banjo master class. 2-5 PM $45 early bird (until Feb 1), /$55 after Feb. 1, $5 discount for BBU members

Mandolin Bootcamp is geared toward beginners or advanced beginners, no previous mandolin experience required. Possible topics to be covered include: chords on the mandolin, learning to play fiddle tunes by ear, song accompaniment, intros and fills, alternate picking technique, an introduction to improvisation. 2-5 PM. To register, email Seth at:

SETH AUSTEN plays mandolins, fiddle, acoustic guitar, banjo and dulcimer, and has performed concerts, coffeehouses, festivals and taught workshops at some of the best-known acoustic music camps. Seth plays various styles from traditional old time Appalachian, blues, bluegrass, Celtic and New England contradance music to eastern European Klezmer, Balkan and Scandinavian. Seth has produced, engineered and played on over 30 recordings by other acoustic artists, three of which have won Indie Awards from NAIRD, and has released 5 solo albums. Seth has composed music for PBS documentaries, written guitar and mandolin instruction books for Mel Bay Publications and numerous other musicians have performed and recorded Seth's tunes. In 1981 Seth was a triple winner at The Walnut Valley National Flatpicking Championships, Winfield, KS in fingerstyle guitar, mandolin and fretted dulcimer. Website: sethausten.com. 2-5 PM $45 early bird (until Feb 1), /$55 after Feb. 1, $5 discount for BBU members

All Levels. Specific techniques will be discussed: Picking patterns, slants, playing in all keys, licks and how to vary them, building solos out of scalar patterns, incorporating rolls into solos, playing in minor keys, using open strings in all keys, string pulls, how to "fake" solos at jam sessions. Stacy will teach at least one tune and will be prepared to discuss the dobro in bluegrass, blues, swing, Hawaiian, and country-folk. The topics covered can be decided by the attendees so email suggestions to Stacy at: or call 203 389 6468. Teaching will be done by ear, with handouts at the end of the class. 11AM – 5PM (1:30 – 2:30 lunch)$75 (through Jan. 21 then $85; $5 discount for BBU members)

STACY PHILLIPS is an internationally acclaimed resonator guitarist and violin player. He has performed with the top acoustic musicians over the world. He has three solo albums and is featured artist on the Grammy award-winning album The Great Dobro Sessions. Stacy is the author of over 25 books and DVD's on various aspects of his chosen instruments.

Level: Beginning. Shy about singing in public? Skittish about singing at all? Come loosen up and let it out! These vocal warm-ups and easy techniques will last you a lifetime and we'll test drive them with some traditional songs. Make the jump from seeing yourself as a nonsinger to singing with confidence!

Lorraine is an expressive singer and songwriter who also plays old timey banjo and Celtic harp, and is a contemporary master of the Appalachian dulcimer. She brings the sensibility of a tradition bearer to her music, influenced by traditional musicians from the rural community where she was raised. She has taught singing for the last several decades. 3-5 PM $30 early bird (until Feb 1), $35 after Feb. 1, $5 discount for BBU members. Please write to to register.

This class is geared for singers from beginning to advanced. Improve your tone and resonance and free your voice. As singers, the way we inhabit our bodies can have profound effects on our voices. In this class we will engage in a variety of techniques utilizing breath, sound and movement. Our goal is to increase fluidity and ease of breath and movement, and explore new territories of resonance. These techniques can have amazing results on how you sound! Loose clothing is recommended if possible. 2-3:30 PM $20 early bird before Feb. 1, $25 after Feb. 1^st, $5 discount for BBU members. To register, email Beverly at

We will explore some of the singing styles employed in the music that became bluegrass. Traditional Appalachian ballad singing, shapenote, gospel, Carter Family style and others have a variety of vocal techniques and characteristic harmonizations. This class will explore these with input and examples from students; individual attention will be offered, and we'll also do some singing together. 3:45-5:15 PM $20 early bird before Feb. 1, $25 after Feb. 1^st, $5 discount for BBU members. To register, email Beverly at

Beverly Woods has been in love with music since early childhood, when her mother sang ballads and introduced her to guitar, Appalachian dulcimer, and autoharp. She has played piano since age 5, and in college studied balladry and oral tradition along with classical voice and choral training. Beverly has been performing professionally since 1972, singing traditional and contemporary songs and playing an eclectic and ever-growing collection of acoustic instruments. She teaches singing classes in New Hampshire, and is known for her teaching of vocal resonance and techniques for improving vocal production. Beverly has released a number of recordings of traditional and original songs and tunes. For many years a well-known street performer in Boston, Beverly now performs mostly with her partner, Seth Austen, and in various ensembles. Beverly and Seth are dedicated and empowering teachers at music camps and workshops around New England and beyond. More info about Seth and Beverly can be found online at sethausten.com.