RESOURCES
Community
Boston Harbor Scottish Fiddle School is Boston's most vibrant community for Scottish fiddle players. Taking place for one week in August every year, this unique music camp brings together players of Scottish instruments from near and far to share tunes and adventures on Thompson Island. The world-renowned staff changes yearly; find out this year's dates and teachers at the link below.
http://scottishfiddleschool.org/
Maine Fiddle Camp is New England's largest fiddle camp, with sessions in June and in August. The camp welcomes all instruments and all levels and focuses on tunes from the New England contra repertoire, including Scottish, Irish, Old-time, and Quebecois. The staff is mostly local, with deep roots in the Maine fiddle and dance community.
http://www.mainefiddle.org/
The Canadian-American Club in Watertown is home to weekly Monday night Scottish dancing, sponsored by the Boston Branch of the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society. It's open to anyone with an interest! The Can-Am also hosts Scottish music jam sessions once a month on a Wednesday, and countless other jams, concerts, and other social events.
http://www.canadianamericanclub.com/
Club Passim in Harvard Square is Boston's premiere all-ages venue for acoustic music concerts every night of the week. The non-profit organization also sponsors community events, including a summer concert series and the Boston Celtic Music Festival, an annual event in January. The affiliated Passim School of Music offers classes in a wide range of traditional instruments and musical styles.
http://www.clubpassim.org/
http://www.clubpassim.org/BCMFest
The Burren in Somerville is another great venue for live music. They book mainly Scottish and Irish bands, and bring in renowned Celtic bands from abroad.
http://www.burren.com/
A Celtic Sojourn is WGBH's weekly Celtic music radio program, hosted by Brian O'Donovan. Tune in at 3:00 EST on 89.7 or click the link to access archive programs streaming on demand or Celtic music playlists.
http://www.wgbh.org/Celtic/
My Favorite Musicians
Hanneke Cassel is the best fiddler on the planet.
http://hannekecassel.com/
Jeremy Kittel is a really close second.
http://jeremykittel.com/
Darol Anger, my teacher at Berklee, plays more styles of fiddle than you ever knew existed.
http://darolanger.com/
Alasdair Fraser is one of the most influential fiddlers in the U.S., and he also runs a bunch of fabulous fiddle camps in California, the Isle of Skye, and Spain.
http://www.alasdairfraser.com/
Here's a potpourri of the rest:
http://www.leventdunord.com/
http://www.genticorum.com/
http://www.nataliehaas.com/
http://www.crookedstill.com/
http://www.juliefowlis.com/
For Strings Players
Strings Magazine Online offers news, reviews, and technique tips for players of stringed instruments, slanted towards Classical players. Not all items are available to non-subscribers, but the print magazine and full online access is a valuable resource for serious players. The publisher of the magazine has also published authoritative books on a broad range of strings topics, including care of the instrument, technique, and professional tips.
http://www.allthingsstrings.com/
http://store.allthingsstrings.com/
Johnson String Instrument, located in Newton, is Boston's most popular destination for the instrument needs of beginners through professionals. They offer instrument rentals and purchases, repairs, sheet music, accessories, and more. Their sister shop at the same location, Carriage House Violins, offers a step up in quality for the advanced student to professional.
http://www.johnsonstring.com/
http://www.carriagehouseviolins.com/
Shar Music is an enormous online store for instruments, sheet music, and accessories. Their prices often beat those of local stores, so take a minute to compare if you're price-conscious.
http://www.sharmusic.com/
For Students
Teoria has a wealth of music theory topics in step-by-step lessons for the beginner through intermediate student. A great resource for students who need reinforcement in middle to high school music theory topics or who would like to learn more independently. Take some of the quizzes and see how you're doing!
http://www.teoria.com/
Berklee Jazz is a really fun summary of the jazz theory taught at Berklee. For the adventurous!
http://community.berkleejazz.org/wiki/index.php/Main_Page
Community
Boston Harbor Scottish Fiddle School is Boston's most vibrant community for Scottish fiddle players. Taking place for one week in August every year, this unique music camp brings together players of Scottish instruments from near and far to share tunes and adventures on Thompson Island. The world-renowned staff changes yearly; find out this year's dates and teachers at the link below.
http://scottishfiddleschool.org/
Maine Fiddle Camp is New England's largest fiddle camp, with sessions in June and in August. The camp welcomes all instruments and all levels and focuses on tunes from the New England contra repertoire, including Scottish, Irish, Old-time, and Quebecois. The staff is mostly local, with deep roots in the Maine fiddle and dance community.
http://www.mainefiddle.org/
The Canadian-American Club in Watertown is home to weekly Monday night Scottish dancing, sponsored by the Boston Branch of the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society. It's open to anyone with an interest! The Can-Am also hosts Scottish music jam sessions once a month on a Wednesday, and countless other jams, concerts, and other social events.
http://www.canadianamericanclub.com/
Club Passim in Harvard Square is Boston's premiere all-ages venue for acoustic music concerts every night of the week. The non-profit organization also sponsors community events, including a summer concert series and the Boston Celtic Music Festival, an annual event in January. The affiliated Passim School of Music offers classes in a wide range of traditional instruments and musical styles.
http://www.clubpassim.org/
http://www.clubpassim.org/BCMFest
The Burren in Somerville is another great venue for live music. They book mainly Scottish and Irish bands, and bring in renowned Celtic bands from abroad.
http://www.burren.com/
A Celtic Sojourn is WGBH's weekly Celtic music radio program, hosted by Brian O'Donovan. Tune in at 3:00 EST on 89.7 or click the link to access archive programs streaming on demand or Celtic music playlists.
http://www.wgbh.org/Celtic/
My Favorite Musicians
Hanneke Cassel is the best fiddler on the planet.
http://hannekecassel.com/
Jeremy Kittel is a really close second.
http://jeremykittel.com/
Darol Anger, my teacher at Berklee, plays more styles of fiddle than you ever knew existed.
http://darolanger.com/
Alasdair Fraser is one of the most influential fiddlers in the U.S., and he also runs a bunch of fabulous fiddle camps in California, the Isle of Skye, and Spain.
http://www.alasdairfraser.com/
Here's a potpourri of the rest:
http://www.leventdunord.com/
http://www.genticorum.com/
http://www.nataliehaas.com/
http://www.crookedstill.com/
http://www.juliefowlis.com/
For Strings Players
Strings Magazine Online offers news, reviews, and technique tips for players of stringed instruments, slanted towards Classical players. Not all items are available to non-subscribers, but the print magazine and full online access is a valuable resource for serious players. The publisher of the magazine has also published authoritative books on a broad range of strings topics, including care of the instrument, technique, and professional tips.
http://www.allthingsstrings.com/
http://store.allthingsstrings.com/
Johnson String Instrument, located in Newton, is Boston's most popular destination for the instrument needs of beginners through professionals. They offer instrument rentals and purchases, repairs, sheet music, accessories, and more. Their sister shop at the same location, Carriage House Violins, offers a step up in quality for the advanced student to professional.
http://www.johnsonstring.com/
http://www.carriagehouseviolins.com/
Shar Music is an enormous online store for instruments, sheet music, and accessories. Their prices often beat those of local stores, so take a minute to compare if you're price-conscious.
http://www.sharmusic.com/
For Students
Teoria has a wealth of music theory topics in step-by-step lessons for the beginner through intermediate student. A great resource for students who need reinforcement in middle to high school music theory topics or who would like to learn more independently. Take some of the quizzes and see how you're doing!
http://www.teoria.com/
Berklee Jazz is a really fun summary of the jazz theory taught at Berklee. For the adventurous!
http://community.berkleejazz.org/wiki/index.php/Main_Page