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Thread: Goderich Celtic College - Anyone attend?

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    Registered User Steve-o's Avatar
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    Default Goderich Celtic College - Anyone attend?

    The MC Workshops page lists Celtic College in Goderich, On (Canada), slated for August 5-9. Has anyone attended or heard feedback about this workshop? It sounds like they had some good mando player-instructors in the past (Simon Mayor, Brian Taheny) and there's a Celtic Festival afterward.

    Web site: http://www.celticfestival.ca/fr_home.cfm

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    Registered User BBarton's Avatar
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    Default Re: Goderich Celtic College - Anyone attend?

    Yes, I've been going there since 2007, and it's a wonderful week in a lovely small town setting on the shore of Lake Huron, evening concerts and pub jams are great -- and the weekend festival is great too. I'm planning on it, schedule unseen, again this year. As far as mando players there to offer courses, it varies from year to year. Like many "colleges" or "camps", what it will be like for your instrument really depends on who they get that year, and it often relates to the bands they get in for the weekend festival lineup too. Mandolin (and tenor banjo) aren't the most popular courses (gotta play fiddle for that!) so the course offerings tend to be more limited. I've taken courses there from Simon Mayor, Emory Lester, and Brian Taheny. But if a mando person isn't there to attract you, there might be something else -- for example, last year there were a lot of great guitar courses offered. Sometimes they might have a "sleeper" -- a relatively unknown player from a band, that turns out to be fantastic. I'm pretty sure neither Simon or Emory will be there in 2013 (but I haven't seen a schedule yet), but I expect Brian will be (he's an institution there!) but may or may not be doing mando or tenor banjo (he also does fiddle). But there are other interesting courses to be had, including ensembles and vocals, which I've also taken. So, in short, it depends on who's offering the courses in any given year. Check their website regularly as they will be making announcements soon if not already and fleshing it out as it gets closer to summer.

    Word of advice: if you do decide to go, line up accommodation early -- there are B&Bs, but the best ones are usually booked from the previous year by the regulars, and there are some motels right in town (IMHO, they charge too much!); you can get a better motel deal out the highway or in a nearby town, or if you want to camp, there is both private campgrounds and a nice provincial park with camping not too far away.
    Last edited by BBarton; Mar-07-2013 at 5:14pm. Reason: Spelling error!
    Too many instruments...too little time

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    Registered User BBarton's Avatar
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    Default Re: Goderich Celtic College - Anyone attend?

    Follow up -- As of last night, nothing posted on the Celtic College/Celtic Roots Festival yet for 2013, but should be soon...
    Too many instruments...too little time

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    Registered User Steve-o's Avatar
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    Default Re: Goderich Celtic College - Anyone attend?

    Thanks for the informative response Bruce. When you took mando classes in the past, were they sparsely attended? How was Brian Taheny as an instructor? I hope they post the classes and instructors soon, since registration opens in May. My folks have a place across Lake Huron on the Michigan side so I thought I could visit them on my way to Goderich.

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    Registered User BBarton's Avatar
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    Default Re: Goderich Celtic College - Anyone attend?

    Size of the mando classes have varied, anywhere from a few up to about 15 or so (when Simon was there), so not too large. I think all courses are capped, but I'm not sure what the cap is: 20 or 25. Brian is a multi-instrumentalist, and I've taken mandolin, tenor banjo and zouk courses from him, and probably will again this year if offered, but he's been leaning toward teaching fiddle in the last couple of years. Hard to say if he'll be doing mandolin this year, or someone else will perhaps -- we'll have to wait and see. He's a gifted player and fully knowledgable of the Irish styles and ornamentation (he is Irish), and I find from his courses I have learned more by "osmosis" and from his responses to my questions on technique and style, than from him teaching something specific class-wide or having a particular theme to his course.

    BTW, if you're driving, Goderich is a couple of hours north of the Port Huron-Sarnia border crossing.
    Too many instruments...too little time

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    Dave Keswick Ravenwood's Avatar
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    Default Re: Goderich Celtic College - Anyone attend?

    Quote Originally Posted by BBarton View Post
    BTW, if you're driving, Goderich is a couple of hours north of the Port Huron-Sarnia border crossing.
    It's about an hour and a half from Sarnia if they don't have the roads torn up like last summer!

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    Registered User Steve-o's Avatar
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    Default Re: Goderich Celtic College - Anyone attend?

    The classes are now posted but unfortunately the mandolin instructor is yet to be announced. I don't want to decide until I see the instructor(s).

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    Dave Keswick Ravenwood's Avatar
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    Default Re: Goderich Celtic College - Anyone attend?

    For those going to Goderich in August, here is a handy link for road construction. When I joked about the construction I was really only half joking. We often drive up to the Tobermory area during the summer. Normally it is about a 5 hour drive, but last year the construction turned the drive into as much as 8 hours. There has been an on going project to replace bridges along 21.

    http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/tra...hwestern.shtml

    I will be going up to Kincardine in July so will try to post whatever I can about construction delays as we get closer to the event. I am planning on going to the Celtic College this year, but am looking at the fiddle workshops.

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    Registered User BBarton's Avatar
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    Default Re: Goderich Celtic College - Anyone attend?

    'Don't know why a mandolin instructor hasn't been assigned yet -- somewhat unusual. I've decided to focus on guitar this year instead.
    Too many instruments...too little time

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    Registered User Steve-o's Avatar
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    Default Re: Goderich Celtic College - Anyone attend?

    Bruce,
    Hope you enjoy it. I may punt until next year.

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    Registered User BBarton's Avatar
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    Default Re: Goderich Celtic College - Anyone attend?

    Steve, Regardless of courses taken, it's a fun week; I know I'll have fun -- always do!! Hope you can make it some year.
    Too many instruments...too little time

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    Registered User Steve-o's Avatar
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    Default Re: Goderich Celtic College - Anyone attend?

    Anyone going this year? Once again, I'm deliberating.

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    Default Re: Goderich Celtic College - Anyone attend?

    By what was posted on Facebook it sounds like whoever plays mandolin in the band Runa is the mandolin instructor at the celtic college. If I hear anything different, I'll try to post it here.

    Here's the schedule: http://content.sitezoogle.com.s3.ama...res=1403293814

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    Registered User DougC's Avatar
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    Default Re: Goderich Celtic College - Anyone attend?

    Here is the website.
    It is hard to find the teachers listed. There are some really good workshops on accompaniment and DADGAD guitar. And a great bunch of fiddle teachers!

    http://www.celticfestival.ca/

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    Registered User BBarton's Avatar
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    Default Re: Goderich Celtic College - Anyone attend?

    Yup, going again this year. Agreed, the fiddle instructor lineup this year is great, in all genres -- Cape Breton, Quebecois, Irish, etc. Not taking mando class this year, but opting for two guitar accompaniment courses with Fionan de Barra from RUNA-- awesome player. See how it goes -- might switch to the mando course with Curley. Brian Taheny from Toronto is doing a mando and both TB classes and David Curley of RUNA is doing one mando course, but for anyone interested in 5-string banjo, Jens Kruger is doing a couple of classes. It's a great week, with a nice two-day full festival at the end of the workshop week.
    Too many instruments...too little time

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    Registered User Steve-o's Avatar
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    Default Re: Goderich Celtic College - Anyone attend?

    I thought I'd bump this thread to get any scoop on Celtic College over the past 4 years and what to expect for 2018. I still haven't been and noticed that it is not listed on the MC Workshops page. The web site appears alive and well but the 2018 instructors and curricula have not been announced yet. (I think they are typically announced in April).

    Bruce have you still been attending? Any others out there?

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