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Wednesday, June 1, 2022
Learning the ‘Art of Fiddling’
Jeremy C. Ruark / The Chief
Students demonstrated concentration during the music workshop. See more photos with this story at thechiefnews.com
Originally published in The Chief Vol. 131 May 27, 2022 ZOE GOTTLIEB chronicle2@countrymedia.net
Four days is all it will take to lay the foundation for Clatskanie Elementary School (CES) students to play one of the world’s most powerful instruments. This is what fiddle instructor and native Louisianan Kelly Thibodeaux set out to accomplish with his four-day, four-session workshop that began on May 24 for 1st through 4th graders at CES. By Friday, May 27, students will have learned a solo three-chord fiddle tune with Kelly’s guitar accompaniment and demonstrate these skills through a student-led recital. Thibodeaux, a pioneer of the genre-bending music
known as “swamp rock,” has taught his fiddle workshop, “Kelly’s Art of Fiddling and the Mystique of Louisiana,” for 18 years in rural Oregon schools, according to his website. The process Thibodeaux enjoys teaching elementary schoolers the fiddle for several reasons. One of the most substantial rewards, Thibodeaux says, is being an instructor for the “world’s most receptive students.” “The rewards far outweigh the challenges,” he said. Rhythm is the central focus of Thibodeaux’s workshop, which he believes is the most effective approach to teaching students a complicated instrument. “Seeing how we all walk, talk, and breathe rhythm, adapting this to a teaching method is quite natural,
and skills taught this way are quickly learned and absorbed,” he said. “To put it another way, it’s just like riding a bike. First, you learn to pedal then you learn to steer. Translating to a fiddle, first, you learn how to bow it (called sawing), then you can finger any number of simple chords to make up a tune.” Thibodeaux also said that by the end of the fourth session, he expects students will learn 12 different sound effects to accompany a short narrated folk story. “In three 40-minute classes, he teaches kids how to saw,” said Heather Wheeler, first-year music teacher at CES. “It’s a short, short, long stroke on the fiddle. (He also teaches) animal sounds and obscure sounds that go along with and narrate a story.” “It’s perfect for elementary school kids who want to be able to express themselves it gives them a whole different opportunity,” she said.
Jeremy C. Ruark / The Chief
Fiddle instructor and native Louisianan Kelly Thibodeaux demonstrates the art of playing the fiddle during the workshop. See more photos with this story at thechiefnews.com
The Chief asked Thibodeaux what he hopes CES students will take away from the fiddle lessons. “My goal is to empower each child, each student, with the ability to make a powerful instrument produce music that their musical spirits are awakened and realized,” he responded. An ‘exceptional opportunity’ When Clatskanie Arts Commission’s Elsa Wooley read about Thibodeaux’s residency program in PUD’s Ruralite magazine, she saw the perfect opportunity to renew music education in Clatskanie. According to Wooley, the school had gone without a music program for 20 years before hiring Wheeler. “My husband was the band teacher in Clatskanie for 26 years,” Wooley said. “Even when we first came
Thibodeaux guided the students fingers for just the right direction.
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a long time ago in the 70s, there was a tradition of love and appreciation of music in the school.” In recent years, Wooley explained, these programs have been difficult to fund, “so when we created the Arts Commission, in 1988, that was one of our goals.” The Clatskanie Arts Commission sprang for Thibodeaux’s residency program with a $2,000 grant. Other sponsors include the Clatskanie PUD, which paid for his lodging at the Clatskanie River Inn. According to Wheeler, rotating fiddle lessons throughout the day for 210 students has been “a lot of logistics.” “I won’t lie: I’ve been working on this since December,” she said. “It takes a whole bunch of passionate people.” Wooley said she hopes the program will, “give (students) a lot of confidence that yes, they can do this. They
can stand up in front of an audience and perform.” “I think it’s an opportunity that I think along the line, they will always remember,” Wooley said. The fiddle recital is set for Friday, May 27. The first group begins their performance at 8:10 a.m. in the Clatskanie Elementary School music room, and student groups will perform throughout the day until 2:30 p.m. The recital is free for all community members to attend. “I hope people show up to support the program and students,” Wheeler said. The Clatskanie Arts Commission is asking the public for a $10 donation to support its ability to host future arts and music programs. To learn more about what kinds of events and programs the Clatskanie Arts Commission offers, visit clatskaniearts.org.
Jeremy C. Ruark / The Chief