Learn beautiful melodies and energetic dance tunes from around the world, including jigs and reels of the British Isles, polskas from Sweden, and American old-time tunes. Fiddle music is traditionally dance music, and in this workshop we will learn how to play with groove and rhythm so people will want to get up and move. Learn to play by ear, harmonize, improvise, create rhythmic accompaniments and jam in this friendly folk music workshop. 

Aldo Lavaggi is a multi-instrumentalist, performer, and music teacher living near Hudson NY. For over 20 years, Aldo has been a passionate ambassador of traditional music and dance, giving workshops in public and private schools across New York, Massachusetts, and Vermont. He is the director of “Fiddles in the Forest,” a new music camp for young strings players held at the Ashokan Center in Olive Bridge, NY.  He is a Certified Waldorf Teacher, Spacial Dynamics Level I practitioner, and advocate of contextualized learning. A Co-founder of the Columbia County Contradance, currently in its 15th season, Aldo loves building community resilience through folk dancing and music. Together with his group, The Russet Trio, Aldo has performed at summer music festivals around the region such as Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, Jacobs Pillow Dance Festival, and Ashokan Music and Dance Camps (amongst others). Aldo is thrilled to collaborate with the NYS Youth Orchestra.