H E I D I M U L L E R

			L E S S O N S		email Heidi Muller

	H O M E W H A T’S N E W B I O G R A P H Y Q U O T E S O N T O U R D U L C I M E R B O O K S & C DS O R D E R I N G			Heidi currently teaches mountain dulcimer and guitar lessons for children and adults in Charleston, West Virginia. She and Bob Webb co-founded a program in 2005 called Music Mentors that teaches individual dulcimer lessons to children in Charleston's East End. They are also planning to teach one day a week in 2006 in Step By Step's afterschool programs at Chapmanville Middle School and Big Ugly Community Center in WV. Bob and Heidi also co-teach workshops and demonstration programs for children and adults using unique "five-siders" – pentagonal table-top instruments with five dulcimer fretboards around the edge. They travel to give school, church, community and elderhostel programs in the mid-Atlantic region. Beginners are always welcome to Heidi's lessons. She teaches all levels and styles, and helps students learn the music they feel most drawn to. Her methods include learning by ear, from books and/or tablature and staff notation. A self-taught guitarist since age 11, she also teaches folk-style guitar for song accompaniment using chords, strumming and fingerpicking techniques. Heidi also coaches students in songwriting and music business skills. When Heidi lived in Seattle, she taught lessons and workshops around the Northwest from 1986 to 2000. She continues to tour with Bob Webb to Washington and Oregon, and they sometimes teach while on performance tours. If you would like to have a lesson or schedule a group workshop, please refer to the Tour Page on this website and send her an email or contact the concert presenter of the show nearest you. Please contact Heidi directly about individual lesson charges. Heidi also used to teach in northern New Jersey but is no longer available to do that on a regular basis. For lessons in New Jersey, please contact Bonnie Leigh at www.bonnieleigh.com. For more information, email Heidi at heidimul@aol.com.

	Seattle Area Susan Howell, who has many years of experience as a player and teacher of mountain dulcimer, gives lessons in the Phinney Ridge neighborhood of Seattle. Visit her website at www.seattledulcimer.com. For guitar, hammered dulcimer, voice or other instruments, contact the folks at Dusty Strings Dulcimer Company who can refer you to many local teachers. Their website is www.dustystrings.com. Pocono Dulcimer Club This 10-year-old club meets the third Monday of every month from 7:00 to 9:00 pm at the Eastern Monroe Library located on Ninth St. (Rte 611 North) between downtown and the Stroud Mall. There are both beginner and intermediate groups, including mountain and hammered dulcimer players. Other instruments are often present including guitar, pennywhistle and bodhran. Folks play together and help each other learn. They also put on an annual Winter Dulcimer Festival that attracts players from far and wide. For more information, please email Norm Williams at dulcinut@ptd.net. For club news and festival information, check out their website at http://pdc-wdf.tripod.com/.
		Demonstration Workshops for Libraries, Schools or Meetings Heidi is available to give general-interest educational programs on the mountain dulcimer, songwriting and music business skills. A one-hour presentation may include recorded music, live music, demonstrations of musical styles, visual aids, examples of books in the field and related history. These are overview programs for all ages and do not require the attendees to bring instruments or to have any prior knowledge of music. Concert programs are also offered in libraries and other community settings. Holiday and theme-related programs may be available upon request. For fees and schedule information, please email Heidi at heidimul@aol.com. Recent programs -- March 2004, Warren Hills High School Project TEACH; WV Disciples of Christ Women's Group; Unitarian-Universalist Fellowship of Kanawha Valley Canvas Dinner; April 2003, WNTI-FM Fundraising Concert; December 2002, Warren County Library Holiday Concert.


Participatory Workshops Heidi gives hands-on, participatory workshops on all aspects of mountain dulcimer playing, as well as overview introductory demonstrations for people who are curious about the instrument but are not yet players. Both types of workshops are especially appropriate for festivals or music stores. She also teaches workshops in fingerpicking guitar, song accompaniment on guitar, songwriting, concert promotion and music business skills. Dulcimer Festival, Week and Weekend Workshops Heidi has taught many types of dulcimer workshops for all levels of players. Workshop sessions may run from one hour length to a week-long series of daily offerings, such as for an adult music camp. Heidi is happy to create new workshops to meet suggested themes or students' needs. Workshop Topics for Festivals and Camps Here are some of the workshops Heidi can teach at dulcimer gatherings or camps and their suggested ability level (beginners, novice, intermediate or advanced). More detailed descriptions are available upon request. Also feel free to request a topic that is not in this list. Contemporary Folk Repertoire – Int/Adv Songs of Bill Staines – Novice, Int or Int/Adv One Piece, Different Parts - Int Adventurous Ensembles – Int/Adv West Virginia Fiddle Tunes & Songs – Int Introduction to Mountain Dulcimer (DAA) - Beginners Introduction to Mountain Dulcimer (DAD) - Beginners Strum and Pick - Novice Simple Harmonies in DAD or DAA - Novice Finding Chords in DAD - Novice Movable Chords and Harmonies in DAD - Novice EAA Tuning – Novice or Int Learning Your Way Around DGD - Novice Alternate Tunings (not DAD) – Nov or Int Playing in Various Keys - Int Singing with Dulcimer - Int Smooth Out Your Playing – Int/Adv Learning Tunes by Ear – Int Arranging and Creating Tunes – Int/Adv Making a Tune Your Own – Int/Adv Arranging Back-up for Singing - Int Intro to 4-Equidistant Strings - Int Fingerpicking 4-Equidistant Strings – Int/Adv Singing with 4-Equidistant Strings – Int/Adv Learn “Leaving the Methow” from Masters CD – Int/Adv Easy Fiddle Tunes – Novice or Int Lovely Waltzes – Novice or Int Tunes from the Celtic Repertoire – Novice or Int European Tunes - Int If you would like to book a workshop for your group or festival, please email Heidi at heidimul@aol.com for further information.
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