Summit School fall trad music classes begin Oct. 18
October 3, 2025 | By Waterbury Roundabout
Fall classes at Summit School of Traditional Music and Culture in Montpelier begin Oct. 18 for youth and adult students.
Classes are held evenings and weekends in song, banjo, fiddle, guitar, and youth traditional music band. The fall session runs through mid-December with classes varying in length from four to eight weeks at the Center for Arts and Learning at 46 Barre St. in Montpelier.
Summit welcomes two new instructors this fall: Sara Grey and Dave MacLurg. Sara will be teaching two eight-week classes on Saturday mornings. The Migration of Songs and Ballads will explore how songs from Northern Ireland and Scotland evolved after they landed in new cultures in North America. Banjo and Song focuses on how to best use the banjo to accompany a variety of traditional song styles; participants can explore both clawhammer and two-finger style options.
Dave’s Saturday morning class is Sea Shanties and Maritime Songs. Dave was a member of a Liverpool, England-based shanty group for many years and he will teach a selection of songs from his huge repertoire. Expect some rousing singing!
Summit School Board member and youth instructor Joanne Garton is teaching two levels of youth band class this fall. Both will run for eight weeks and will meet on late Sunday afternoons. Intermediate Youth Trad Band will have players learning new tunes, practicing familiar ones and meeting other trad kids in the area. Teen Trad Band is for more advanced youth ages 11 and up to create tune sets, harmonies, and arrangements. Last spring, Trad Band kids played four dances and shows in the local community. All acoustic instruments are welcome.
Macey Mayfield will teach a six-week fiddle class on Monday evenings for advanced beginner to intermediate players called Fiddle Brave. Students will learn tunes by ear at a relaxed pace and explore exercises and techniques to make their playing more enjoyable.
D. Davis is reprising his Guitar Workshop, where participants can explore rhythm, chord voicings, melody, harmony, and improvisation on four Wednesday evenings.
The Summit School is a nonprofit arts education organization with a mission to promote traditional music and culture through affordable classes, concerts, workshops and dance programs. All classes are offered on a sliding tuition scale. The full schedule and registration information are online at summit-school.org/evening-classes.