Hello, everyone,

I am very excited about returning this year with this rather ambitious class that I have presented in the past at Augusta. The class will combine film, slides, hands on music instruction, music samples, all in the course of each class! Don’t worry-it will be fun-we will be able to discuss everything as we go along-and you will be exposed to a very in depth experience. You can bring your instruments according to which artist we will be studying.

Each day an era of Cajun or Creole music will be presented. The presentation will start with a brief intro to the time and style, then important artists from that style or era will be covered. You will be given some handouts on these subjects-- You will see, on video compiled from my personal videos which I took as I interviewed the artists, the artists play their songs-when staff members have time they may join our class to demonstrate some of these styles.

This class is in conjunction with the afternoon shared class with Ann and Jane Vidrine - in the afternoon sessions the actual songs of the morning class subjects will be learned and studied.

You may want to bring a loose-leaf notebook for your handouts.

Below is a loose idea of how the week will be arranged, but this might change a little by the time August comes around!

Day 1 - Songs and overview

Morning - An overview of the evolution of Cajun music slide show with music samples. This is important to give you a perspective on the whole week, to put things in context.

Day 2 - Early fiddle

Morning - A general intro covering different styles of early second fiddling, “how to” of tunings used by early fiddlers, and a discussion of different dance styles played by early fiddlers.

Then we will begin with the music of Artist 1, Dennis McGee:  his life, his music, and three songs - a reel, a waltz, and a song in a different tuning.

We will then discuss Artist 2, Wade Fruge:  a blues, a one-step that turns into a two-step, an eery song, and possibly a song in a different tuning

Day 3 - Early Accordion

• Morning - general intro, possibly brief slide and music overview of history of accordion in Cajun music

• Artist 3 - Dewey Segura: life, playing style, what kind of accompaniment he used on his early recordings.  A two-step, a blues, and a waltz

• Artist 4 - Moise Robin: life, discussion of his recordings, his style. A waltz, a two-step in two keys, a demonstration of the way Leo Soileau accompanied him on violin

Day 4  - Early Creole Music - fiddle and accordion

• Morning - creole music

• Artist 7 - Canray Fontenot: a two step, a slow drag, a blues

• Artist 8 - Bebe Carriere: study of his tunings, two songs in the tunings, and a fast blues

• Artist 9 - Eraste Carriere: a one-step, a waltz, how he seconds a fiddle, also how BeBe Carriere seconds Eraste’s accordion

• Artist 10 - Freemon Fontenot: contredanse, un shoo-fly, and a two-step

• Artist 11 - Bois Sec Ardoin

Day 5 - The ’40’s-’60’s