FARMINGTON – Mt. Blue Regional School District Orchestra teacher Steve Muise and the Franklin County Fiddlers brought their high energy music and dance to all of the MBRSD elementary students in grade K-5 on Tuesday.
They played a wide variety of fiddle tunes from around the globe, plus performed a dance learned in New Brunswick on their 2015 Maritimes tour. Members of the Franklin County Fiddlers demonstrated their different instruments for the students with fiddle-violin, viola, cello, bass, piano, bagpipes, guitar and penny whistle.
Mt. Blue High School junior Thad Gunther played his original piano composition, “By a Pond in August.” The fiddlers shared their “Don’t be afraid to be awesome” motto to inspire the next generation to not only aspire to be not only great musicians, but also great students, athletes, artists and citizens as well. The fiddlers also had lunch with the fifth-grade students at Cascade Brook School.
The fiddlers have had a very busy year so far. They’ve performed at the West Farmington Contradance, the Downeast Country Dance Festival, for the Veteran’s Day ceremony at Walmart, at Togus in Augusta, their annual Weld Town Hall concert, and St. Patrick’s Day dinner at St. Joseph’s Church, plus their annual “Home for the Holidays” concert and much more.
The fiddlers will be playing next at First Congregational Church with Flipside at 2 p.m. on Sunday, May 1 in Wilton. Theh benefit’s proceeds will go to the Wilton Food Pantry. Refreshments will be served.
The fiddlers will be playing at the Fiddlehead Festival on Saturday, May 7 at noon, and an end of yearconcert at Mt. Blue High School on Monday, May 16 at 7 pm.
Again demonstrating the motto “Don’t be afraid to be awesome”, fiddlers Anna Glass and Maggie Hickey had the idea to support the music boosters and inspire students by sending a “flock” of flamingos to Mt. Blue Middle School. Fiddler Miriam Cohen collected money from each of the fiddlers and ordered a flock of flamingos (from the Mt. Blue Music Boosters popular fundraiser) sent to Mt. Blue Middle School for Friday, April 29. The message read “From the Franklin County Fiddlers: We hope you keep playing music and keep being awesome!”
For more information on the Franklin County Fiddlers please visit: www.franklincountyfiddlers.com.
For information on the MBRSD Orchestra program, please visit: https://sites.google.com/a/mtbluersd.org/orchestra/.
I am looking forward to the amazing music of the members of the Fiddlers and Flipside tomorrow in Wilton.
I have heard that Steve Muise likes this venue for the marvelous acoustics in the First Congo Church sanctuary, and this time we will have yummy brownies too!
Kindergarten – 2nd graders at Mallett were very attentive. When Thad played his composition, the kids were as still as could be. What a great way to inspire awesomeness! Thanks Fiddlers!