PDA

View Full Version : The ArtistWorks Academy of Bluegrass Set to Launch



NewsFetcher
Jun-10-2011, 6:44am
The Mandolin Cafe has posted the following news release:
The ArtistWorks Academy of Bluegrass Set to Launch
http://www.mandolincafe.com/news/publish/mandolins_001352.shtml

The ArtistWorks Academy of Bluegrass is set to launch June 7 offering comprehensive beginner, intermediate and advanced two-way video lessons for mandolin, guitar, banjo, fiddle and bass combined with online chat, forums and exclusive interviews accessible 24/7.

---------------------------

NOTE: You may use your board membership to comment on news articles published by the Mandolin Cafe. Your comments will appear here and also will be appended to the end of the news article for public viewing. Standard board membership posting guidelines apply. The addition of images, videos, links and BB coding is turned OFF for this area so as not to compete with or interfere with the news item.

rwmanos
Jun-12-2011, 2:00pm
I signed up and I have to say that this site is great :D
It totally worths the 30$ . Although there is not a great variety in material ,they told me that they are going to update the site daily . The things I love is that I get answers instantly to my questions and I can ask or send videos to mike marshall .

walt33
Jun-12-2011, 3:52pm
I may try the fiddle lessons. However, I wonder how many student videos the teachers can handle each week? That sounds like something that could get out of control quickly.

rwmanos
Jun-12-2011, 4:11pm
I may try the fiddle lessons. However, I wonder how many student videos the teachers can handle each week? That sounds like something that could get out of control quickly.

This is what I thought too . So far there are only 2 mandolin videos sent which are already answered , I guess we have to wait and see.

SternART
Jun-12-2011, 5:53pm
What I like is you can watch the other students videos and then watch Mike's video in response, so it is like a group Master class, where you learn from what everyone is doing. Mike's critiques are like additional mini lessons, and he gives students both compliments on what they did good & gives them stuff to work on & think about. He is really a good teacher, but I already knew that having taken private lessons from him when I was starting, and of course from attending the Mandolin Symposium.

There are tons of lessons already on there, at least 100....... 5 or 10 minute videos by Mike, in Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced categories.....covering theory, chords, tunes, improv. ideas for the tunes, there are backing tracks for you to practice with, etc. You can stop the videos, or play them as many times as you want. I'm sure they will get it more together as time goes on, and get the bugs worked out.

There is a hub where people playing all the BG instruments can communicate, and a separate Mandolin zone. So you can't watch any fiddle or guitar videos if you sign up for mandolin, but you can communicate with other students. Lets say you are looking for a guitar player in your area, to work on tunes with.......post on the hub.

I don't even have the hardware to make a video, but I can see lots of great stuff on there already, to add to my bag of tricks. Sending videos of yourself playing is optional.

SincereCorgi
Jun-13-2011, 2:58pm
So how many people are doing this? I'm a little wary of the $90/3 months price, although I'd probably spend $30 once to try it for a month once it gets going.

mandodan1960
Jun-13-2011, 3:56pm
Yes, I paused a little at price especially since the article stated a $20 per month 3 month minimum. I have only spent an hour or so looking it over and from what I've seen it does look good. Our mandolin community is relatively small and I feel that we really need to try and support these innovative folks to encourage the competition that will spur even more creativity to make it even better. This sort of thing is really in its infancy and needs the bluegrass communitys support. NFI just an opinion.

rwmanos
Jun-14-2011, 1:42am
So how many people are doing this? I'm a little wary of the $90/3 months price, although I'd probably spend $30 once to try it for a month once it gets going.

The bad thing is that you can not subscribe for a month . You have to subscribe for three months. =\

DSDarr
Jun-14-2011, 12:17pm
I'm doing it -- in the grand scheme of things $90/3 months doesn't seem that expensive. In this area $90 is basically the price of two one-hour private lessons. Granted that AOB and private lessons aren't exactly the same -- it still seems like a bargain to me since I can put as much time into them as I can find.

Theo W.
Jun-14-2011, 12:21pm
I'm excited... I'll be doing this in the near future. Cmon who doesn't love Mike Marshall?

walt33
Jun-14-2011, 3:57pm
(Mike) is really a good teacher, but I already knew that having taken private lessons from him when I was starting

Wow, you are blessed! The closest I ever got was that little D'Addario vid on YouTube where Mike shows how to hold the mandolin.

Still thinking about signing up . . .

SternART
Jun-14-2011, 6:02pm
I'm doing it -- in the grand scheme of things $90/3 months doesn't seem that expensive. In this area $90 is basically the price of two one-hour private lessons. Granted that AOB and private lessons aren't exactly the same -- it still seems like a bargain to me since I can put as much time into them as I can find.

I agree, in some ways it is WAY better than 2 private lessons. For example do you video tape your private lesson? You can watch these over and over. I think one of the most interesting aspects is watching other student videos and then watching Mike's response & suggestions on where to go next. You can learn from what everyone is being taught, so it like sitting in on your buddies lessons too.

SternART
Jun-14-2011, 6:12pm
Wow, you are blessed! The closest I ever got was that little D'Addario vid on YouTube where Mike shows how to hold the mandolin.

You're right Walt.........I was in the right place at the right time. In the 70's I met David Grisman when he was in Old and In The Way with Jerry Garcia & a few years later became his archivist. Todd Phillips used to build & repair mandolins in the back of my art studio & the Grisman archives was stored there in my music room. So it became like a DGQ hangout. I remember when a very young Mike Marshall showed up & Todd was teaching him all the 2nd mandolin parts..... as Todd was switching to bass. I was about a year into playing mandolin, when I first started Todd showed me how to hold a pick & loaned me an old Gibson A.......it was a great time for New Acoustic music in the Bay Area. Mike already had quite a bit of teaching experience, as he had Mike Marshall's Pickin' Parlor in Florida, where he taught all the Bluegrass instruments. Mike was a natural at teaching, he has an ability to see right where you are at & then show you the next steps to take. I always came away from a lesson with some new hot licks that were within my grasp to work on. This is a great opportunity to study with one of the best, and if you compare it to the price of private lessons, I think it is a deal!

PJ Doland
Jun-14-2011, 6:16pm
I signed up for it.

So far, I'm quite impressed with it, and it's quite inexpensive if you compare it to traditional lessons in meatspace.

There's a also community aspect to the whole ArtistWorks system, so it should become even better once more people are signed up.

Perry
Jun-14-2011, 6:58pm
Just viewed the sample Mike M. lessons. Great stuff from Mike as always. The price seems very reasonable especially when you compare it to private skype lessons. Yet you still get some personal feedback from the instructor.

I suppose the only draw back is sticking to their curriculum. Though I suppose you can venture out of the bluegrass world if you are clever about it ;)


Question:
Can you view samples of the student and teacher responses without joining?

Don Grieser
Jun-15-2011, 1:03pm
Wish I had a faster connection. The sample videos take forever to load on my satellite, so it's not feasible for me.