Adult intensive workshops
Dive deep into the topics you love
Wintergrass adult education includes both festival workshops, included in the price of your ticket, or deep dive sessions for players of all skill levels. These classes require separate registration.
Beginners through advanced players can take advantage of Wintergrass Intensives which include ten master classes on a wide range of instruments and topics. All Intensives take place on Thursday. Half-day intensives are three hours of instruction each. Morning sessions are from 10am–1pm. Afternoon sessions are from 2pm-5pm.
Space is limited.
Novice or curious non-players can take advantage of our Never Too Late Adult Academy on Saturday. This 10am to 3pm course is designed to kick start your jamming life, mimicking the Youth Academy program where students enjoy a safe environment for exploring music, building a circle of friends and getting a little silly.
We thank Amazon.com for supporting all our education programs, and Ear Trumpet Labs and Peghead Nation for supporting our workshops.
MORNING CLASSES
Tony trischka 10am-1pm, juniper
Bluegrass Banjo Roots & Branches
Well, we have to start with Earl Scruggs as our North Star. I’ll be sharing some of Earl’s playing in his jams with John Hartford, rare delights, previously unheard. I’ll also cover some more “progressive” areas of exploration that will give you grist for composing and improvising. There’ll be some back-up covered and other spontaneous ideas. All questions are welcomed. Several forests will be felled to provide you with the requisite banjo tablature. Looking forward to sharing this music with you!
Skill Level: Intermediate to Advanced
sharon gilchrist 10am-1pm, larch
Building Vocabulary – Bluegrass Mando Improv
In this mandolin intensive, Sharon will teach a method for internalizing phrases from transcribed solos which helps these phrases to begin showing up in one’s improvisation. Handouts will be provided in tab & standard notation. Prerequisites: Knowledge of arpeggio tones, the Nashville Number System, standard bluegrass repertoire and a basic level of improvisation will all be very helpful!
Skill Level: Intermediate / Intermediate-Advanced
bruce molsky 10am-1pm, madrona
Old-Time Fiddle
The language of old-time dance music and songs relates beautifully with other traditional styles. We’ll try a couple of southern mountain tunes, phrase by phrase, look at some of what makes them tick, and then try something related — could be Swedish, Scottish, Irish, Métis. We can decide together!
Skill Level: Intermediate
trent freeman 10am-1pm, laurel
Fiddle Tunes of Western Canada
Come learn some old fiddle tunes from the western provinces of Canada. Dance tunes that focus on strong rhythms and bowing, with unique melodies that catch your ear and make you want to play them over and over.
Skill Level: Intermediate-Advanced
Tristan clarridge 10am-1pm, cedar
Making Music With a Bow (for all stringed instrumens)
Exploring the world of music, through the lens of a fiddling cellist. Expect lots of playing, and an equal amount of listening (even at the same time). This is more about making good music than about how to play the cello, so you’re welcome to bring any instrument. We’ll learn tunes from many places and use them as springboards for musical tools for which the cello and bow are excellently suited: groove, chordal accompaniment, harmony, blending with voice, gluing a band…In short, how may we play bass, drums, banjo, guitar, mandolin, fiddle voice, all on the cello? Also cello, of course. Amidst the details, let’s roll it back to fundamental musical truths: bluegrass/old-time, classical, Celtic, rock, “roots” music – it’s all frequency (called rhythm/groove when it’s slow, notes/pitch when it’s fast!). Let’s tune our ears and rhythmic muscles, and make music.
Skill Level: Intermediate-Advanced
AFTERNOON CLASSES
kimber ludiker 2pm-5pm, larch
Building a Great Bluegrass Fiddle Solo
We’ll break down elements of a good bluegrass solo including melody manipulation, improvisation, bluegrass vocabulary, pocket licks, bowing, groove, arc, dynamics, harmony/double stops, plus anything that comes up along the way. This deep dive will leave you with more confidence at your next jam or performance!
Skill Level: Intermediate-Advanced
avril smith 2pm-5pm, juniper
Developing Bluegrass Kicks and Solos
A well-executed kick-off of a song or tune establishes the melody and pulls listeners and musicians together for take off. The best solos honor the melody while putting the instrumentalist’s stamp on it. This class will help you learn how to develop strong kick-offs and tasteful solos that build on the melody.
Skill Level: Intermediate
Pharis Romero 2pm-5pm, cedar
Singing Your Way Along: From Resonance to the Carter Family
An afternoon immersed in the journey to create great sounding moments in song. We’ll start the workshop with the basics of singing: breathing, resonance and discovering our unique ranges, with some take-home exercises to extend your practice and work through the tricky bits. We’ll move into a harmony deep dive with a couple classic Carter Family duets, using our singing skills building to close harmonize, hold a vocal line, and tell the story. All are welcome (some singing experience and ability to hold a melody line would be great).
Skill Level: Open to All
vickie vaughn 2pm-5pm, laurel
Let’s Touch Bass
Hang out with Vickie and feel free to ask questions about ALL THINGS BASS. No question (about bass) is off the table. Go in depth with your bass curiosities and come out on the other side more confident in your thump!
Skill Level: Open to All
Kristin Grainger & Dan Wetzel 2pm-5pm, Madrona
Sing Your Truth: Deep Dive into Story Songwriting
From centuries-old tunes like Blackjack Davy to Dream of A Miner’s Child to Townes Van Zandt’s Pancho and Lefty, story songs are a powerful form of song craft that conveys universal truths about the human experience – some as parables and fables – on the wings of a melody. This workshop will explore what makes a good story song and how to go about distilling a complex story into an accessible and memorable song. Takeaways for participants include narrative development, converting narrative to song lyrics, crafting melody and a hook, and approaches to arranging. Note: We will not be utilizing A.I. or apps. Bring something to write with/on. Instruments not required.
Skill Level: Open to All
Cliff Perry & Emmett Pritchard
SATURDAY! 10am-3pm, Skyview
Never Too Late Adult Academy
Never Too Late is the camp for grown-ups! Cliff Perry and Emmett Pritchard lead a day of fun and learning for all, from beginners to veteran pickers. Modeled after Wintergrass’s award-winning
Wintergrass is a production of Acoustic Sound, a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization. EIN: 91-2103544