B&B (+ L & D) Lessons

The course of study Accommodations and meals Cost The daily schedule When are lessons available? Weather note

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As each concept sank into my brain and body, the right notes started coming back more easily, better sounding, and much more fun to play. I progressed much further than I expected and now feel the confidence to be more adventurous in making music and not simply trying to play right notes.
If you want to move on to making music or are playing with any kind of pain, try the B & B lessons. You’ll leave feeling great about your playing (and well fed!). —Charles Smith, Seattle, WA

If you feel your playing is boring—the same old tunes sounding the same old way—you are probably where I was before I took the plunge in "B&B lessons." Lucille will show you how to put life into those jigs and reels [or anything else! —Ed.] by giving them "that sound." Where else can you find an opportunity to be the sole student of a great teacher, player and cook for five days? It will have a profound effect on you as a person as well as a player. —Chuck Spaulding, Mill Creek, WA

You say you'd like some concentrated instruction to jump-start your dulcimer or autoharp playing, at whatever level? How about getting away from it all to submerge in five days of music study with a master teacher, including great food and good times? Just get yourself here and I'll take care of the rest!
My instructional focus is mostly hammered dulcimer and autoharp, but I also cater to injured musicians on any instrument. See the next entry.

The course of study

What you study is up to you.
What kinds of things have past students focused on? Just about anything, such as:

Tunes!
A "crash course" for the new player
Contest coaching (all folk instruments)
Mastering valuable techniques, which can include:
H. Dulcimer: Tone enhancement, stroke order, freeing yourself to move, mastering two-stroke rolls, syncopation, easy play at any tempo, etc.
Autoharp: Tone enhancement, strumming techniques, fingerpicking/fingering, making good melody-chord choices, using all your strings,
singing accompaniment, etc.
Autoharp note: My specialty is diatonic autoharp, although I do teach the chromatic flavor as well.
Ergonomics and injury reversal/prevention (all instruments, folk and classical; click here for an introduction)
Note: We don't have a piano or organ here, so an extra fee will be tacked on to use one at a nearby church.
Navigating music atypical to dulcimer/autoharp (jazz, classical, etc.)
Arranging tunes (all folk instruments; usually a big part of contest coaching, above)
Finding the dance in the music
Or, what have you?

Accommodations and meals

Your accommodations are a basic, comfortable room in our home, pictured below.

Your room awaits you in Colorado!
Left: The dulcimer-shaped quilt on the bed was stitched by dulcimer player Norine Humm of Michigan.
Other gifts from fellow dulcimer players, such as the vase and doily on the end table, grace this room.
Right: The two bowls on the desk were both knitted and felted by me.
(PS--The rug is not solid blue. Wait 'til you see the detail!)

As for meals (which include lunch and dinner, by the way), your instructor doubles as chef-in-residence; the best pizza in metro Denver is made right here from scratch; you are our best friend if you like anchovies or are at least willing to try them. We usually eat out once or twice while sight-seeing. If you like, give the chef a night off and prepare a meal for us. You and I will go grocery shopping, and I will sous-chef while you work your magic in the kitchen.

A two-block walk from our home to the bus stop begins your mass-transit journey to downtown Denver (LoDo's Tattered Cover bookstore is a popular haunt on the 16th Street Mall, along with great restaurants all around). Weather permitting, Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park (boasting 14,000+ feet in altitude!) are still more must-see sites. It's a bonus when I have a local performance coinciding with your visit, but if not, I'll be happy to perform for you at home.

The daily schedule

This schedule is approximate. Depending on the subject matter of the moment, lessons can flex to be more or less time than the 45 minutes allotted. In the end, it all works out!

8am or so—breakfast
Then tune, warm up, practice
9:00—lesson
9:45—coffee/tea break
10:00—practice on your own
11:00—lesson
12 noon—lunch, rest, read, a walk around the block…
1:00—practice on your own
2:00—lesson (this one may be deleted one day in the event of a longer sightseeing trip)
2:45—“hard-drive burn-in”: brief review on your own to solidify afternoon concepts OR
review, answer questions, tweak concepts of the afternoon
3:00 or so—rest, have some fun: see local sights
ca. 6pm—dinner
after dinner—“talk shop”, jam, practice, read, watch TV, whatever.

Cost

$750 covers circa 10½ hours of private instruction, access to my personal tune collection and books related to music making, six nights of accommodation, all in-house meals, travel by car to local destinations and, if you require it, pick up and drop-off to airport or terminal. Expenses on your own include transportation and instrument/accessory shipping to/from metro Denver, nominal bus fare for a downtown Denver excursion, an occasional meal out, and who knows? Maybe some souvenirs to take home.

When are lessons available?

        B&B lessons can be arranged any time of the year that's convenient to both you and me (be sure to see the Weather Note as you plan your time). The best times to schedule are January (unbelievable but yes) through May, August, October and November (before Thanksgiving). Other times of the year could be possible as long as I'm not on the road performing. The week immediately before Easter is not possible, due to Holy Week commitments. I request at least two months lead time to put you on the calendar. with two or three date ranges that work for you and I will let you know which one(s) works best here.
        Lessons can start and end at any point in the week. Monday through Friday is what most students naturally consider, but if you are flying and your schedule will allow, consider Thursday through Monday to take advantage of what are usually cheaper flights on Wednesday and the following Tuesday. Or choose some other five-day range, remembering that you'll need to arrive the day before your first lesson. (Note that I'm usually at church on Sunday, so there won't be any morning lessons that day.)
        Once your study time is secured with an initial deposit of $250, I will send you a questionnaire designed to clue me in on your background, previous music experience and food preferences. You will also receive an electronic brochure about travelling here, how to ship your dulcimer, etc. (If dulcimer is what you play and you are flying; I have an all-ways adjustable dulcimer stand for your use.) If you are driving, let me know and I will supply you with directions to the house.
        And did I mention that our cats will greet you with open paws? (We have five, and they all adopted us. More about them when you get here.)

Even our cat Sheebah is learning how to play the dulcimer (paws-on) with the help of my book!

for more information.

Weather Note

        Denver is brilliantly sunny much of the year, with low humidity (The Weather Channel once posted it as low as 2%), thanks to mile-high altitude. A swamp cooler provides relief in the house during the summer months, making this a delightfully cool (in temp and vibes) space in which to study and practice.
        When we do get significant precipitation, it can often translate into a major weather event. We often get a fair amount of snow, sometimes ice, during (surprise) the last week of October, right around Halloween. (In fact, I'm writing this on October 29, 2009, just as a major snowstorm winds down.) The month of March is supposed to be Colorado's snowiest month, but then sometimes a big snow overtakes us in April. We've even had six inches of snowfall in mid-June! Amazingly, January and February are balmy, often sunny and in the 50s. Tornadoes? The sirens have gone off only a few times over the last ten years, with twisters landing some 30 miles east of us. (Whew!)
        I can't speak for how the weather will be where you live while you are here, so consider the weather in your locale when planning your visit, too, so that you are sure to get here and return home without incident. The Weather Channel and its Internet version are good sources to plan your clothing needs while you are here.

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