Hatch to lead MCS fiddle workshop

SANDPOINT –The very words, “music conservatory,” evoke a certain kind of image. For some, it might be the picture of a staid and purely classical environment.

Leave it to the cultural iconoclasts at the Music Conservatory of Sandpoint to, once again, shake things up.

From Aug. 1-4, the conservatory will host its annual Fiddle Workshop, this year featuring guest instructor Carolyn Hatch. If that name rings a far distant bell, it might be because the instructor was a staple of the fiddle scene in Sandpoint from 1980-’95, when she formed the Fiddler’s Hatchery and was responsible for a score of youngsters picking up the violin.

Some of them have gone on to artistic notoriety on their own – the name Dr. Jason Moody, first violin for the Spokane Symphony, comes to mind.

“I do have many students who have gone on to play professionally as fiddlers or classical musicians,” Hatch said from her home in Salt Spring Island, B.C.

As to how many students she has taught during her career, Hatch admits she long ago lost count of that tally.

“Not even a guess,” she said. “Sometimes I tell kids that I have taught a song to thousands of kids – but that’s just to let them know that I might have some ideas about how to teach the tune and, if they would do what I tell them to, they could expect success.”

In her workshop, Hatch will teach fiddle tunes and the dances associated with them, as well as technique and a bit of music theory.

The difference between fiddle and violin is a stylistic demarcation, as opposed to a description of the instrument itself. The violin is the vehicle for both classical music and the folk-inspired tunes from around the world that make up the fiddle repertoire. Hatch is conversant in both styles and continues to add her distinctive sound to a variety of ensembles.

“I have many groups that I play with,” she said. “I play in a string quartet, a duet and a Baroque chamber orchestra. Recently, I played in a Tango/Choro band, where I not only played, I arranged all the music. I also play in pick-up bands for both folk and classical music.”

Straddling the fence in this way is a good fit with the mindset at the Music Conservatory of Sandpoint, according to co-founder Ruth Klinginsmith, who sees the fiddle workshops as a layer around the students’ nucleus of classical training.

“I love to expose them to various types of music,” she said. “I think a classically trained musician can play any genre of music – and play it well.”

Hatch’s workshop will immediately precede the conservatory’s 6th Annual International Youth Orchestra Camp, scheduled for Aug. 6-10. Featuring a Star Wars theme and the inclusion of guest conductor Dr. Philip Baldwin, the orchestra camp and fiddle workshop combined have drawn students from Mexico, Germany and Hong Kong for this year’s classes and concerts.

“I love the cultural aspect of both of these camps,” said Klinginsmith. “Carolyn is coming from Canada and kids are coming from all over for her workshop.

“It’s a beautiful way for kids from different backgrounds to connect,” she added.

Klinginsmith won’t get any argument on that point from Karin Wedemeyer, with whom she founded the conservatory in 2009. Accredited in 2013, the school now serves close to 300 students in classes that include instruction in strings, voice, piano and theatre, as well as private instruction in multiple instruments.

“A healthy society is very much like a good orchestra,” Wedemeyer said. “Everybody plays an individual instrument, everybody is well-trained and everybody understands the melody.”

Within the walls of the conservatory, the same spirit of community binds young musicians in what otherwise might be what Wedemeyer called the “lonely pursuit” of practicing to develop skill on a musical instrument. Along with music lessons, the kids are learning a few life lessons in the bargain.

“The kids come together all the time,” she said. “They have relationships; they’re part of a community. There’s no competition, just friendship between them.”

“Building these connections and that community is critical for students,” said Klinginsmith. “Now they connect as an ensemble. They’re a team.”

For an organization that has made djembe drumming and a performance with the Shook Twins a part of its upcoming orchestra camp schedule, bringing the fiddle center stage is not out of the box, the co-founders agreed.

“We have Darth Vader conducting the chamber ensemble this summer,” said Wedemeyer. “We’re not in a box. There is no box.”

Enrollment has been brisk for the summer camps and those interested are encouraged to register soon to ensure a spot.

For more information on the camps and the Music Conservatory of Sandpoint, call 208-265-4444 or visit online at: www.sandpointconservatory.org