I’m thinking of Celtic Week at Augusta this summer. It lists Mike Rafferty for flute class. Has anyone had experience with him as an instructor? I have one recording with him on flute and his daughter (I think) on accordeon.
I was at a dance week in Augusta years and years ago and loved it. This time I want to bring my daughter, who’s twelve and plays fiddle.
Jennie
He’s been teaching at East Durham…I know Heather Martley was in his class and loved it.
(as it happens I’m practicing Tomgraney Castle from “Speed 78” as we type !)
Which thing do you do with your toes, the typing or the flute?
The DANCING of course…don’t you read my posts ?
I’ve known Mike Rafferty off and on for years, and took a workshop with him at a Comhaltas convention a few years back, and I’d say you couldn’t go wrong spending a week with him. He’s a living legend, and you’ll hear stories and learn things about Irish music from him that you’ll never get anywhere else, as his generation is sadly slipping away from us. But if you do take his class, you should be aware that he teaches entirely by ear. In fact, he plays so much by ear that he doesn’t even know the names of the notes he’s playing, so you’ll not get any kind of written record of the tunes from him at all. If you need that for your learning process, you’ll have to hope that someone else in the class can transcribe the tunes for you after he plays them, or do it yourself. Bring a good recorder and lots of batteries. Just leave it running the entire week and you’ll have material for years to come!
Thanks John, That’s just the kind of information I need. Since I came on board here at C&F I have done more and more by ear, and that part (thankfully!) seems to come naturally. I’ll have to scare up some kind of recorder if I go.
Jennie
Where/what is Augusta?
Also where is East Durham? What’s there?
When? Thanks
Jim darling, I think you just made a near-perfect argument about why you need to go. 
Thank you. I accept your conclusion.
Hi Jeanie, the website given above says that Louise Maulchy will be teaching flute. Is that last summers program? How did you know that the instructer is Rafferty? If so, I’ll probably go, I live 2 mountain over from Elkins.
Nelson
Gee, now I can’t find where I read that it would be Mike Rafferty as flute instructor. I rechecked the newsletter, and now it reads the flute instructor as TBA. Maybe that’s been changed recently? I went back through the website and couldn’t locate it.
Even if it weren’t Mike Rafferty, there’s probably a whole lot I could learn from just about anyone, as this is my first season as a flute player.
Louise Mulcahy is listed as a tentative for whistle instruction.
Jennie
I’m thinking of going because of Louise Mulcahy. I’m waaaay impressed with both her flute playing and piping.
It would definitely be a bonus to meet some of you there! 
Having folks from the board for advice and discussion has made a huge difference in my sense of traditional music and my progress on both flute and whistle.
My only dilemma would be that at Augusta, one can choose only one main class. I’ll be missing my hammered dulcimer. But at least flutes and whistles are portable!
Jennie
Hey Folks,
I have just received an email from Judy Knorr (Augusta Information Coordinator) stating that Mike Rafferty will be the flute instructor.
My campaign for a week off in the West Virginia hills begins today.
Byron
My only dilemma would be that at Augusta, one can choose only one main class. I’ll be missing my hammered dulcimer. But at least flutes and whistles are portable!
Last year there my mini course was more fun than the flute class. It was a prof. from Peabody I. (in Baltimore) who played a squeze box an the theam was Lowland music. Part of the fun was that there was a herdy-gundy, dalsimers, string things of all kinds, harmonica. It was about 45 minutes at about 4 o’clock, after the main class.
P.S. Be sure to have your passport with you when you cross the boarder into West Virginia. In case there is no boarder stop, you can tell you have crossed because you will see toilet paper hung on the closeline to dry.
Nelson
Nelson,
YOU ARE SO WICKED!!!
And (this is for real) watch for the state troopers if you come through Kentucky on the Bluegrass Parkway.
Time, money, and farm permitting, I hope to see some of yez in Augusta!
Fortunately, I have now switched from campaign to countdown. Early registration has been delivered and the calendar has been cleared.
If we had a “Snoopy Dance” emoticon, I’d be tempted to use it.
Now, I have six months to seriously reduce my dependency on the “dots”
Byron
Byron,
Thanks for the information! And those who have posted about classes and teaching styles, too. Haven’t registered yet, but the details are firming up and it looks like I’ll meet you there!
Anyone else thinking about it?
Jennie