Fiddle Fest
Registration is open for Fiddle Fest 2025! Click here to sign up.
2025 CT-ASTA Fiddle Fest
Open to Connecticut string students in grades 4-12 (there will be separate groups based on playing level and age)
Teachers do not need to be ASTA members for students to participate.
Registration Deadline: sign up by February 12, 2024
Date: Saturday, March 1, 2025 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Location: Simsbury High School, 34 Farms Village Rd, Simsbury, CT 06070
Fee: $30 per student . Scholarship assistance is available---use the registration form to request a scholarship.
What happens at Fiddle Fest?
Jamming (learn 1 or 2 jam tunes before you come--scroll down for recordings and sheet music)
Learning by ear
Playing in small bands grouped by playing level and age
Working with guest teachers who are experts in different styles of non-classical string playing.
Exploring non-classical music styles (not only fiddling!)
Creating original arrangements
Questions? Please contact ctastastrings@gmail.com
Jam Tunes-learn before you come to Fiddle Fest
Scroll down and click on the links for audio recordings and sheet music.
***Note: we strongly encourage learning by ear. Knowing the music by heart and being independent from the dots will make jamming, arranging, and performance go smoother. This page attempts to help everyone learn the same versions of the tunes. Still, your teachers may add or change ornaments, bowings, and harmonies, so it's best to treat the sheet music more like guidelines than rules.
Junior Jam
Students who have been playing their instrument for 2 years or less, or are in Suzuki Book 1-please learn the following tunes before attending the workshop so that you can jam with other students.
The Epic Reel (easy version) 🔊audio 🎼sheet music
Spotted Pony (easy version) 🔊audio 🎼sheet music
Main Jam
Students who have been playing their instrument for more than 2 years, or are in Suzuki book 2 and up-please learn the following tunes before attending the workshop so that you can jam with other students and arrange for performances.
1. The Epic Reel - Key of F#m 🔊audio 🎼sheet music
2. Spotted Pony - Key of D 🔊audio 🎼sheet music
2. The Peat Fire Flame - Key of Em 🔊audio 🎼sheet music
Viola and cello parts for The Peat Fire Flame include both a "high" and a "low" part. This refers to high or low octave.
High octave for viola and cello includes simple shifts to 3rd position (viola) or 4th position (cello). Original melodic shape and range.
Low octave for viola and cello has no shifting or extensions,
Advanced bass players may play the high cello part.
Meet the 2025 Fiddle Fest Teachers!
Austin Scelzo
Austin Scelzo is a bluegrass fiddler, singer, and multi-instrumentalist who founded the Connecticut Bluegrass Association. He's hoping to inspire students with some blues influenced fiddle music, groovy rhythmic accompaniment, and improvisation.
Jeff Chen
Jeff Chen is a versatile multi-instrumentalist, composer, and arranger specializing in cello. As the creator and founder of CelloGroove Lab, Jeff explores the boundaries between traditional and innovative playing techniques offering a fresh perspective on string music. He brings a unique blend of technical skill, creative expression and an undeniable passion for pushing the cello beyond its classical roots.
Malcolm Littlefield
I'm a fiddle teacher, dance caller, and the founder of Shoreline Fiddle Club. I specialize in New England style fiddling with an emphasis on local traditional music and dance. Fiddlefest students will learn tunes and some of the dance steps that go with them!
Ben Anderson
Ben Anderson has been playing fiddle for 20 years and cello for 15. He has studied and jamed with top Scottish and Cape Breton players across New England, and performs frequently with his band Elizabeth and Ben Anderson. He hopes to share the joy of fiddling with a new audience who can learn to love it as much as he does.
Elizabeth Knapp
As a former Suzuki student and now certified teacher, I believe in the power of music as a tool to develop not just our musical skills, but our understanding of and ability to create joy, beauty, and community. Music and learning are fun! That is why I play and teach several styles of music. In addition to exploring various traditional styles with the help of my friends in the Shoreline Fiddle Club, I also use my Suzuki methodology to arrange and teach more contemporary music to elementary string ensembles at the Ana Grace Academy of the Arts. Our string orchestra has performed with Damien Escobar, John the Violinist, Melissa White, for Governor Lamont's inauguration, and other notable events.