Prairieland Clayville downloadable flier

Prairieland Strings/Clayville
Pioneer Academy of Music

Beginner-friendly amateur jam sessions

If you have a dulcimer, a
 guitar, banjo, fiddle, autoharp, tin whistle or any 
other musical instrument 
that you want to learn, or you haven’t touched 
in years – or if you 
want to make music with
 other people at a steady, moderate pace in a 
relaxed, beginner-friendly
 atmosphere – the Springfield area has two “slow jams” designed for rank beginners and novice players. They are free of charge and open to the public:

• Clayville Pioneer Academy of Music. 10 a.m. to noon, first Saturday of the month, Clayville Historic Site, Ill. 125, Pleasant Plains.

• Prairieland Strings. 7 to 9 p.m., first Tuesday and third Thursday of the month, Atonement Lutheran Church, 2800 West Jefferson (Ill. 125), Springfield.

Our goal is to bring together amateur players to learn new tunes and enjoy the fun of making music together in a friendly, non-competitive atmosphere. While our groups started with dulcimer players who wanted to jam with other instruments, we welcome all instruments and players of all skill levels. The more variety, the better we like it!

We mostly play old-time American fiddle tunes, gospel and folk hymns, traditional Irish, show tunes – and practically anything else that strikes our fancy. We’re not about the fine points of technique as much as sharing our knowledge, having fun and making music with each other.

We also 
offer occasional song-
sharing circles and free 
workshops at Clayville called “Fake It Till You Make It: Getting to Know Your Instrument and Playing in a Group.”

For information, email Peter Ellertsen of Springfield, who coordinates the jams, at hogfiddle @ gmail.com, phone (217) 793-2587.

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