Philadelphia Folk School

VIRTUAL INSTRUMENT CLASSES!

Please note: Sign ups for all virtual classes will take place weekly or by session. Classes will take place over Zoom, a free video-conferencing app! You’ll need to have a Zoom account available on your computer or device to participate in class. We will send you a link to join the class in Zoom no later than 5pm on the day of class.

Featured One Day Workshops:

VIRTUAL Winter Wassail Workshop with Lynn Noel

Saturday, December 5th, 2020, 2pm-4pm

Bring the Philadelphia Folk School to the comfort of your home with a crash course in the music, history, and culture of the holiday folk tradition of Wassailing!

Wassail!
A virtual feast of Ancient and Victorian song and custom for midwinter merriment!

Wes-hael! Be hale and hearty in good company. Complement your family traditions to drive the cold winter away and hail the returning light. This festive workshop is rich with midwinter customs for wassailing your neighbors, the punch bowl, the Yule log, birds, beasts, and the company with fun, fire, and foolery.

This Online Wassail features boisterous wassail songs, carols for awakening the trees, recipes for a groaning board of Victorian and Renaissance holiday fare, new wassail songs for the homeless and for caregivers, and photos and video of a giant silver wassail bowl of flaming wine. Come sing Fathom the Bowl and other favorites, and learn some ancient and remarkable winter songs and customs!

Sing along from the online Mallard Wassail Book while Lynn regales you with the stories behind the songs. You may want to prepare your own Groaning Board of festive food and drink from the Mallard Wassail Book of Gode Cookery. There might even be a mummers’ play–you never know with the Paper Bag Mummers. Join in the holiday fellowship of song and embrace the true meaning of Wassail!

VIRTUAL Fiddling Demystified: Moving With The Music with Eliza Carthy

Saturday, January 9th, 2021, 12pm-2pm

Moving with the Music with Eliza Carthy!

Yorkshire fiddler, singer and tour de force, Eliza Carthy demonstrates how to accompany yourself on the fiddle while singing, an interesting problem many fiddlers would like to solve. Come away from this two-hour intensive with several concrete suggestions to improve your coordination between voice and fiddle. Learn an easy lyric and backup line and start learning to accompany yourself!

Full Class Sessions:

VIRTUAL Intermediate Ukulele with Christopher Davis-Shannon

Tuesdays, 5-5:45pm, January 5th, 2021 through February 9th, 2021

Getting beyond three chords. Take your ukulele a bit further as we dive into more complex songs and simple solo arrangements while expanding on the basics you learned in beginner class. Suitable for anyone that can strum confidently through easy songs without too much hesitation between chords.

VIRTUAL Beginner Ukulele with Christopher Davis-Shannon

Tuesdays, 6-6:45pm, January 5th, 2021 through February 9th, 2021

Bring the Philadelphia Folk School to the comfort of your home with a crash course in the most adorable instrument around! On a week to week basis we will study and learn everything from the beginning, no prior music experience necessary. We’ll explore tuning the uke, proper posture, open position chords and learn a host of old folk music.

Beginner’s Harmonica for Adults with Seth Holzman (ages 16 and up):
Mondays, 6:30 – 7:45pm, January 25th, 2021 through March 22nd, 2021 (no class February 15th)

Learn to play simple traditional folk songs and elementary blues on one of America’s most popular, portable instruments – the harmonica! Basic techniques such as bending, trilling, tongue-blocking, vibrato, and wah-wah will be covered. Individual attention will be given to each student. No musical background is required. Bring a 10-hole diatonic key of C major harmonica (such as the Hohner Special 20, Hohner Marine Band Model 1896, or equivalent) to the first class. Required text may be purchased for $9.00 from the instructor the first night. (Optional: bring a tape recorder, a digital recorder, or some other recording device if you wish to record the classes.)
REGISTER FOR BEGINNER’S HARMONICA HERE

Blues Harmonica 1 (Ages 16 and up)

Mondays, 8pm – 9:15pm, January 25th, 2021 through March 22nd, 2021 (no class February 15th)

Let’s continue our work with the harmonica and focus on the Blues. The harmonica’s unique sound is integral to the distinctiveness of many great blues bands. Learn some techniques and styles of background and lead playing. We will work on songs by Slim Harpo (“Something Inside Me,” “Raining In My Heart”), Little Walter (“Last Night,” “Hoochie Coochie Man”), Sonny Terry (“Bring It On Home To Me”), etc. Bring a 10-hole diatonic key of C-major harmonica such as the Hohner Special 20, Hohner Marine Band Model 1896, or equivalent, to first class. Required text may be purchased for $9.00 from the instructor the first night. (Optional: bring a digital recorder or some other recording device.) (Note: This class is for people who have taken Harmonica For Beginners or others who have acquired similar skills and knowledge and have Seth’s permission to take the class.)
REGISTER FOR BLUES HARMONICA 1 HERE

VIRTUAL Fiddling Demystified with Donna Hebert

Wednesdays, 5pm-6pm EDT, Beginning April 15th JOIN ANYTIME

Aimed at intermediate-advanced fiddlers and violinists and mandolin players but all are welcome.

Learn the language of theory a tune at a time — and never forget it. We’ll cover the three most common harmony styles in western fiddling, using classic fiddle tunes to illustrate them. We’ll play with rhythm riffs, harmony runs and work out individual backup strategies based on your own abilities. You’ll see your fingerboard more wholly as well as learn new rhythms and harmonies. Handouts include sheet music, chord charts, and mp3s, but all tunes are also taught by ear. Some knowledge of music theory is helpful but not required.

Virtual Intermediate I Guitar with Joe Makoviecki

Thursdays, 7pm-7:45pm NEW JANUARY SESSION IN THE WORKS! PLEASE CHECK BACK!

Play a little guitar but want to improve? In Intermediate guitar we will learn new and interesting chords, more complex strumming patterns from folk and blues music, and begin the basics of fingerpicking. We will work on strumming through some favorite folk, pop, and blues songs, as well as highlight skills the class requests. We will also begin working on major and minor scales, and the basics of “soloing”.

Virtual Intermediate II & III Guitar with Joe Makoviecki

Thursdays, 6pm-6:45pm NEW JANUARY SESSION IN THE WORKS! PLEASE CHECK BACK!

A continuation of the skills of Intermediate II, we will continue working with soloing with the pentatonic blues scale up and down the neck. We will also work on some requests from the class within reason. We will learn the basic harmonic and rhythmic components that create R&B, 60s Rock n Roll, and folk techniques and songs for guitar.

VIRTUAL Beginner Guitar with Joe Makoviecki

NEW JANUARY SESSION IN THE WORKS! PLEASE CHECK BACK!

Have a guitar lying around but never really got around to learning your first chords? Look no further. Beginner guitar is just that, a primer for the new guitarist. We will begin with the parts of the guitar, how to care for and tune it, and how to hold it. We will get you started on the first handful of chords for your fretting hand, as well as the first strumming patterns for your other hand. All are welcome to begin their journey with the guitar.

VIRTUAL Songwriting with Joe Mackovieki

NOT CURRENTLY IN SESSION, PLEASE CHECK BACK

In songwriting group, our goal will be to awaken the writer within you. We will spend time each session looking into one aspect of or concept within the art of songwriting and creating chord patterns. We will also work with words and learn to edit lines into lyrics and lyrics into songs. There will be no critiquing, just guided drafting and crafting. Come with an open mind and learn something about how musicians put together their compositions and leave with lyrics of your own.

Instruments are welcome and will be used part of the time!

The Philadelphia Folksong Society is now offering numerous music related classes and workshops for children and adults of all ages through the newly established Philadelphia Folk School!

Our Beliefs & Vision

The Philadelphia Folk School believes that folk music is for people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities.

The Philadelphia Folk School believes that everyone deserves music, confidence, and community.

The Philadelphia Folk School seeks to enhance Philadelphia and the surrounding areas by encouraging participation in traditional folk music and educating the public of its history through classes, workshops, and exhibitions, creating community connection, and fostering cross-cultural understanding.

New classes are being added all the time!

Please check back often, as we have moved into a new building and our organization is growing. We will be adding dozens of classes and workshops in the upcoming months. If there is a class or workshop you are interested in, but you do not see it on our list, please email phillyfolkschool@pfs.org to submit a request.

If you are interested in teaching or running a workshop, please fill out this form.

CLASSES & WORKSHOPS

Early Childhood Music Education (0 – 4 years)
Youth Instrument Classes
Adult Instrument Classes
Voice Classes
Professional Development Workshops

Philadelphia Folk School FAQ

Q: WHAT IS THE PHILADELPHIA FOLK SCHOOL? 

A: The Philadelphia Folk School (or, Philly Folk School) is a community school founded by the Philadelphia Folksong Society, a 501c3 non-profit organization, to advance its mission of preserving the past, promoting the present, and securing the future of folk music and related forms of expression through education, presentation, and participation. 

In a nutshell: It’s a community school that teaches people of all ages how to play, sing, share, and come together around music.  

Q: WHERE IS THE PHILADELPHIA FOLK SCHOOL? HOW CAN I VISIT? 

A: The Folk School is in the new PFS venue, at 6156 Ridge Avenue in the Roxborough neighborhood of Philadelphia. 

PFS is generally open Mon-Fri, 9-5 and welcomes all to stop by. For a tour and to ensure opportunity to speak with someone about the school, venue, and upcoming events, call 215-247-1300 or email dhaney@pfs.org to make an appointment. 

Q: HOW DO CLASSES WORK?  

A: Classes are usually offered in 8-week sessions, meeting once per week, with savings for registering for all 8 at once. While most instrument classes are designed to lead students through an iterative process, others welcome drop-ins (Wee Folks and PB & Jammers, for example).  

Classes take place at PFS, in our newly-created second floor classrooms.  

Q: HOW DO I SIGN UP? 

A: Registration is available here at PFS.org, and during business hours via phone by calling the office at 215-247-1300, or by visiting the PFS office at 6156 Ridge Avenue. 

Q: WHO TEACHES AT THE PHILLY FOLK SCHOOL?  

A: The Philly Folk School is building a roster of talented, dedicated, and community-minded instructors. All Philly Folk School instructors are professional artists with a demonstrated track record of work in their field/genre/instrument; previous experience with instruction with recommendation; and a dedication to the mission of PFS and the School. 

All instructors working with our youngest folkies and youths have up-to-date Child Abuse History and FBI Criminal History clearance.  