Accordionists and Teachers Guild, International

Joan Cochran Sommers
Title: FIRST LESSONS FOR BEGINNERS
Friday, July 27 - 2:00 PM

This workshop is planned for a 50-minute presentation and is intended for use by accordionists, pianists or other musicians who may never have taught accordion but might like to teach some.

For attendees who do not have an instrument, we may have some 12-bass accordions available for demonstrations. There will be handouts for workshop attendees. This workshop has been presented in the past to teachers actively teaching accordion students at all levels and they often expressed appreciation for the presentation, saying it gave them several new ideas to use in their own teaching methods.

This workshop can be presented with or without participants, but works nicely using volunteer students for demonstration purposes, limiting participants to to students with a 12-bass accordion. ATG can provide some but if you have one and would like to bring it with you to the workshop that would be helpful. A 12-bass instrument when teaching beginner students is very helpful and eye-opening when applying these teaching techniques.

There are so many accordionists in the world who have perhaps just returned to playing and might assume they can teach the instrument or are pressured by others to do so. Therefore, this workshop hopes to help all attendees and teachers at any level become better teachers and may even encourage them, especially the non-accordionists, to take some lessons, too.

Cory Pesaturo
Title: IMPROVISATION/ENHANCING YOUR MUSICIANSHIP
Thursday, July 26 - 1:00 PM

Improvisation is the door that leads you to a Massive room in your musician house that you never knew you had. Cory will give you some keys to unlock your potential, even just simple ideas of how to change a melody, so that every time you play a song, it's slightly different. He'll also get into how to hear different chords inside your head that can add to an arrangement you are playing, and also improve your ability to "borrow" ideas others have played / learning a song on the radio you heard only once.

Mattias Matzke
Title: DIGITAL ACCORDION BETWEEN HOPE AND MISAPPREHENSION
Saturday, July 28 - 10:00 AM

Matthias Matzke demonstrates his approach to increasing the accordion’s attraction by focusing on the following topics

Sound and arrangement for solo and band performances
Accompaniment of a vocalist
Accessing current literature

Mike Alongi
Title: REHARMONIZATION AND A SURVEY OF USEFUL FACTS CONCERNING THE LH STRADELLA SYSTEM
Saturday, July 28 - 11:00 AM

The two-fold subject matter in this workshop consists of (1) Simple ways to view reharmonization. (2) A discussion on how the LH Stradella System gives us a clearer understanding of root movement with respect to the progression of chords.

Helmi Harrington
Title: WHAT MOST ACCORDIONISTS DON'T KNOW ABOUT THEIR INSTRUMENTS AND CONVENTIONAL NOTATION SYSTEMS
Thursday, July 26 - 3:00 PM

Our system of two-clef notation evolved over centuries and continues to develop as contemporary music introduces new symbols for sound and action. Beginning with diatonic accordion notation in tablature forms, we will next consider implications and problems in standard accordion music. Among these are shifts vs. keyboard placements, bass/chord notations vs. reed contents, and dynamic balance between instrument sections.

If you think you understand what conventional notation presumes of your sound product, awareness of its imprecision will cause reconsideration of your accordion’s components while exposing covert implications of notation. This information will promote improvements in your musical delivery and encourage advanced technical skills.

Murl Allen Sanders
Title: ACCOMPANYING EFFECTIVELY AND BEAUTIFULLY
Friday, July 27 - 11:00 AM

Suggestions to make yourself a better accompanist and team player with your accordion. Learning to integrate or "fit in" with an ensemble of any size. This is a hands-on workshop. Bring your accordion. Be prepared to play because you will be asked to play with other folks during the workshop. If you play another instrument other than accordion, please consider bringing it so we can have realistic examples. If you are a singer, please consider singing and bring music for a simple song of your choice. Some simple sheet music will be provided as well.

Nick Ballarini
Title: BLUES AND BASS WORKSHOPS COMBINED
Saturday, July 28 - 1:00 PM

This is a hands-on workshop, accordion Required For Admission and music will be provided.

To Swing or Not To Swing
Blues Riffs To Develop Your Swing
12 Bar Blues, 8 Bar Blues
Major and Minor Blues
Lazy (Wo)Man's Blues/Rock Bass
Stradella Bass System Chord Structure
Plucking Bass, Walking Bass, Strumming Bass

Gordon Kohl
Title: WORKSHOPS I AND II: MIXING YOUR ACCORDION REGISTRATIONS WITH DIGITAL INSTRUMENT SOUNDS
Thursday, July 26 - 11:00 AM

Placing an importance to the accordion tones being included and mixed in with other digital musical instrument voices. His workshops includes the accordion (voicing, registers, tuning, and chords); combining accordion reed voices with Digital Piano, Strings, etc.) He also mixes sounds from Broadway, French, Italian, County, and European music.