June 2015 update!  Fiddle Jam 101 & Music Mechanics 101 re-released in Version 2.0!  See links below. 

The FJi Courses are going through a complete overhaul in 2015!  The new format will not have an end date!  Purchase of these new courses from our School Store will include lifetime access! …regardless of how many times I might update and add materials in the future, you will always be “grandfathered” in!  I think this will better fit the FJi mission to have as many people as possible enjoy and benefit from playing music for life!

The courses mentioned below have all run in 2014, but will be the first ones on the list for re-release.  If you took them in 2014, watch for an email notice for your free access soon!

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The Fiddle Jam 101 Course: Our “Flagship” course!  Break away from the page, sit in with a band, and jam!  This is the Cool Stuff <<::>> The EZ Way!  The Fiddle Jam Book and Beyond!  8 modules and a whopping 77 units!

2) FJi Music Mechanics 101 Course: Fiddle Jam style!  Don’t let Music “Theory” scare you away from having fun with music!  Learn the nuts and bolts of how music works as applied to your fiddle and being able to use it in the service of keeping your Goosebump Factor intact!

Course creation and development: OK!  You asked for it!  Many of you requested more “accountability,” direction, and guidance through the learning materials at FJi.  I get it.  “Free-styling” it through the FJi Lesson Library is cool and all… but I know that even in myself, I’m “hot” on a new topic, discipline, or skill for about 3 months then I fade a bit in my passion, dedication, and excitement.  We’re all human (the best I know! ;~).

So, I’m beginning to put these more intensive “accountability” courses together based on your needs, suggestions, and votes.  If all goes well, there should be many more to come, but these two got the most votes for us to get started.*  I think it noteworthy that they are basically where the whole Fiddle Jam Method starts!  Kind of a natural progression I think. ;~)

*If you’d like to be “in the loop” as to future FJi developments and have a vote in such things, simply join our free Fiddle Jam Club by clicking here! (if are a Free Fiddle Jam Club or All Access Pass member, you should already be on this email list).

The new 2015 course format: Going forward, FJi Courses will be set-up with a new “go-at-your-own-pace” format, with multiple “modules” (roughly a week of study each), featuring, at the beginning of each module, a webinar/master class video with me performing and explaining the module’s lessons, homework assignments, and quizzes.  Each individual lesson “unit” in the module will have a specific skill or experience to achieve before moving on to the next.  I will set the courses up in a sequential order that I think will be most beneficial to the accomplishment of the overall goal of the course, but in this new format, I have also set all courses up with  “random access” so that you can skip around at will too.  Educationally, I know this will better suit some learners, but still satisfy the needs of those who prefer things in an orderly fashion too!

“Homework” assignments will most often be in the form of posting video of yourself performing the lesson materials in the unit’s “comments blog” so, to fully participate in the community experience of these courses, it will be helpful for you to have a video camera of some sort (your laptop webcam, or smart phone is fine) and know how to upload your video to YouTube and copy & paste your video’s “embed code” into our lesson blogs (I also provide a lesson tutorial on how to do this).  As to the FJi community “vibe” in these homework blogs (and actually everywhere within FJi) you will only get light critical “suggestions” from me, and positive encouragement from your peers.  “Be nice or go home” will be the rule here, and I will remove all derogatory or “not helpful” comments by members.  This will especially be the rule in improvisation-based lessons where support of each other’s creative efforts in paramount.  Like, can you really do anything wrong when you are improvising? ;~))

**I will attempt to answer all questions in the course blogs, but if you find yourself needing more individual attention or direction, you can also purchase private webcam lesson time with me from the School Store.

Cost at this point, due to the more labor/time intensive aspect for me will be $199 for each course.  BUT, these first two, to encourage participation and community building will be discounted to $97 each.  Current AAP members will get further discounts, as well as Free Fiddle Jam Club members.  Click the links below for more specific info on each course.

1) The Fiddle Jam 101 Course: Our “Flagship” course!  Break away from the page, sit in with a band, and jam!  This is the Cool Stuff <<::>> The EZ Way!  The Fiddle Jam Book and Beyond!  8 modules and a whopping 77 units!

2) FJi Music Mechanics 101 Course: Fiddle Jam style!  Don’t let Music “Theory” scare you away from having fun with music!  Learn the nuts and bolts of how music works as applied to your fiddle and being able to use it in the service of keeping your Goosebump Factor intact!

I’ll post more course descriptions and links as we get nearer to running the next courses.  Next up is Blues Violin!

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