John Turner, 10-time National Scottish Fiddling Champion, recording artist, composer and educator, founded The Jink & Diddle School of Scottish Fiddling in 1984. He is a versatile entertainer who has performed throughout the United States, Canada and the British Isles, offering, wherever he goes, workshops in fiddling from the golden era of Scottish traditional music - the 18th century. Dr Turner is President of Fiddletree Music, Inc. which produces his recordings and publishes his compositions, for he is a prolific composer of melodies in the Scottish style. Turner also takes a keen interest in the history of the music and of the period and his classes are invariably peppered with a variety of historical facts and anecdotes.
At Jink this year, Dr John will lead the following:
Level 3 Classes- six ninety-minute daily sessions
Daily ninety-minute sessions on Playing Scottish Trad, in which he will explore with you an eighteenth century music source, The John Riddell Collection,as well as the collection of Jink Rally Music, which is filled to the brim with traditional favourites;
The volunteer Dance Band which will play for the TWO HOUR dance class each afternoon, Monday thru Thursday ~ come any day (or every day) and learn the technicalities and nuances of playing for dancing and for dance classes, if you won't try to dance yourself! (However, we do encourage you to give dancing a try.)
Dr. John's one-hour class in the 2024 Special Topic series will feature more contemporary compositions in the Scottish style...
Turner's Tunes
Dr. Turner has composed more than three thousand tunes in traditional Scottish style. Join him as he discusses and plays through a number of his compositions from the 2024 Jink & Diddle Book o' Tunes, while commenting on tune writing and the importance of composition in the Scottish tradition. Bring your instrument, music stand and your copy of the Book o' Tunes to play along.
If you are interested in taking private lessons from Dr Turner via Skype or Zoom, please contact him through jinkdiddle@aol.com.
Photo by Margy Fabling
John Turner
Joanna Johnson
Joanna Johnson:
Joanna Johnson, 2017 US National Scottish Fiddle Champion (and 2014 runner-up), is a native of Central Wisconsin and joined our faculty in 2018. Raised in the traditional eighteenth century style of Scottish Fiddling, Joanna brings a passion and grace to the stage through well loved traditional Scottish tunes as well as her own compositions in the Scottish style. Being an avid composer herself, Joanna’s tunes have won several awards in Scottish F.I.R.E's annual tune writing competition. She has performed extensively with her family band, MPK Christian Celtic band, across the United States as a fiddler, singer, songwriter, and dancer. In addition to Scottish Fiddling, Joanna is also a violinist in the Central Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra and is concertmistress of the Wausau Symphony. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music with a Violin Concentration in 2013 from Crown College in Minnesota and continued her classical studies under Professor Steven Bjella at the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point. As an instructor, Joanna has been passing on her joy and love in music-making since 2008.
Level 1 Classes- twelve ninety-minute sessions.
Joanna will also offer a one-hour class in the2024 Special Topic series:
The Fiddler's Pen - Learn to write your own tunes and add your voice to the growing Scottish Fiddle tune repertoire!
If you would like to take private lessons from Joanna, please contact her here.
Photo by Vince Elmhorst
Rachel Barton Pine:
Rachel Barton Pine, internationally acclaimed concert violinist, recording artist, educator and philanthropist, has been teaching at The Jink & Diddle School of Scottish Fiddling since 2010. Rachel's openness to and passion for a wide variety of musical styles is both refreshing and exhilarating! From early music on original instruments to heavy metal and much of the spectrum in between which, of course, includes classical and Scottish traditional, she brings a level of scholarship and joie de vivre unmatched among the active performers of today. Whether she is teaching about effective practice time or Baroque ornamentation, there is never a dull moment in Rachel's classroom and those fortunate enough to benefit from her pedagogy will sense they are in the presence of musical greatness!
Rachel will offer two 180 minute classes (each over 2 days) in the 2024 Theme Pod series:
Getting in Touch with Your Creativity - When we converse, we don’t read from a script, and when we make music together, it can be just as natural and easy. Learn different strategies for connecting with your musical imagination.
Being Your Own Coach - Unlike Olympic athletes, we fiddlers don’t have a coach to help us during our daily practice sessions. Learn how to analyze your own physical strengths and weaknesses and develop plans for improving your technique.
...And also two one-hour classes in the 2024 Special Topic series:
Corelli, the Favorite Italian Composer of the 18th Century Scottish Violinist-Fiddler-Composers - What’s the big deal about Arcangelo Corelli? We’ll do a tour of his Opus 5 violin sonatas and learn why this collection set the standard for all of Europe for nearly a century.
Airs-Only Master Class - There’s so much to think about when it comes to airs – smooth bowing, dynamics, timing, vibrato … and that’s before we even add any ornaments. Each fiddler who wants to will be coached for a few minutes in front of the group so we can all dive into how to make an individual statement with this most rewarding of Scottish tune types.
Rachel Barton Pine
Zach Lemhouse
Zach Lemhouse:
Zach Lemhouse is a versatile, classically-trained musician who has diversified into the traditions of Scottish, Irish, Old time and bluegrass. Joining us on staff for the eighth time, Zach will utilize his zeal for teaching to make Scottish music accessible to beginning players - a task he has performed with much enthusiasm and to great acclaim at previous sessions! Zach was awarded the Outstanding American History Teacher of the Year Award for the State of South Carolina in 2018 by the Daughters of Colonial Wars. It is usually a great comfort to us to know that Zach is also experienced in violin set-up and repair and is ever willing and able to deal with instrumental emergencies on campus.
Zach will be joining us only for the Weekend this year but, even so, will offer two one-hour classes in the 2024 Special Topic series:
The Care and Feeding of Your Violin - In this Special Topics series course, luthier Zach Lemhouse will teach you some simple preventive maintenance techniques that anyone can do to ensure the health and long-life of their violin.
Jamming for Beginners - Are you new to the violin? Do you find it difficult to keep up in the fast-paced world of Scottish reels? Do you want to contribute during jam sessions but just don't know how? If you answered yes to any of these questions, this Special Topics series course is for you! Join Zach Lemhouse as he shares some simple tips and tricks for jamming!
Tim Macdonald:
Tim Macdonald, 2014 National Scottish Fiddling Champion and Glenfiddich Celebration of Champions invitee, is a performer, researcher, composer, and teacher of "thrilling" early Scottish fiddle music (Chicago Classical Review) and has been attending Jink since 2006. His unique combination of years of experience as a folk dance musician with the technique of a classically-trained player and the historical rigor of a scholar have taken him from New York City's Frick Collection and Scotland's Blair Castle to the villages of Indonesia, university lecture halls and academic conferences, and countless country and contra dances in the US and Europe. He earned a master's degree with distinction from the University of Edinburgh for research on 18th-century Scottish fiddle performance and currently lives in Scotland.
Level 2 Classes- six ninety-minute sessions.
This year, Tim will also offer a 180 minute class (over 2 days) in the 2024 Theme Pod series ...
Three Centuries of Fiddle History in Three Hours- A whistlestop tour of major Scottish fiddlers and composers, from William McGibbon to J.S. Skinner. Come along for a brief bio and a bash through some famous tunes from a wide range of folk. (Tune handout provided)
as well as a one-hour class in the 2024 Special Topic series:
The Riddell Collection in Context- What are all those minuets? Why aren't there any strathspeys? An exploration of the music history underpinning the Riddell Collection. Come with your fiddle and any questions you have about the collection.
If you would like to take private lessons from Tim, please contact him at tsmacdonald.com
Photo by Francis Dunham
Tim Macdonald
Other Faculty & Staff
Maura Shawn Scanlin:
Maura Shawn Scanlin, born in Boone NC, now makes her home in Boston, MA. In May 2019, she completed her Masters Degree in Violin Performance at the Yale School of Music, where she studied with Ani Kavafian. In addition to classical music, Maura also enjoys performing and collaborating with other musicians in a variety of non-classical styles ranging from traditional folk to contemporary improvisatory music. Particularly well-versed in Scottish and Irish traditional fiddle music, Maura has had the opportunity to compete in and has won the world’s premiere traditional Scottish fiddling competitions. She is a two-time U.S. National Scottish Fiddling Champion, and a winner of the Glenfiddich Fiddle Championship in Perthshire, Scotland. Maura is a member of several bands based in the greater Boston area. She performs and tours regularly with five-piece contemporary folk band Pumpkin Bread and Irish duo project Rakish. She is also a new member of the contemporary Scottish outfit the Bywater Band. Through collaborations, performances, and teaching, Maura hopes to cultivate appreciation for live acoustic music of all styles.
Mari Black, multi-style violinist, composer and teacher, was the 2013 & 2015 National Scottish Fiddling Champion (runner-up in 2016) and the 2014 Glenfiddich Scottish Fiddle Champion (Scotland). We welcomed Mari to the faculty of Jink & Diddle for the first time in 2015. Mari is rapidly building a reputation as one of the most dynamic young artists of her generation. Her energetic playing, engaging stage presence, and commitment to bringing people together through music have made her a favourite with students and audiences across the country and around the world. Equally at home in a wide variety of musical traditions, she is a consumate performer and teacher, accomplished in a variety of fiddling styles.
Ralph Gordon is a uniquely versatile musician, bringing more than 45 years of musical experience to the bass and cello. He is equally at home in folk, old time, bluegrass, chamber group settings and all styles of music for dancers. Ralph returns to Jink & Diddle in 2023 for his tenth year on faculty. He brings a conservatory background and decades of experience to the assignment of teaching the accompaniment of Scottish dance music. Ralph is more than a match for the task. He is a Dance Musician Extraordinaire!
Accompaniment Class
Ralph's class is for non-fiddlers who want to learn how to accompany traditional Scottish music. Cellists, bassists, guitarists, pianists, etc., this is your place to learn about the chords, forms, and rhythmic patterns you’ll need to accompany melody players in a stylistic manner.
If you would like to take private lessons from Ralph, please contact him here.
