Hi! My name is Mia Marine. Welcome to my Groovy Fiddle Academy!
This is a growing platform for learning and networking, with a bunch of my favourite technical exercises and tunes. There are also concept lessons, play along-material, sheet music and different ways of meeting likeminded people and discussing learning experiences with each other.
A little sneak-peak at the Academy: A guided tour for new subscribers:
Find inspiration to develop not only your playing but also your understanding for violin technique in general and the specific techniques involved in playing Swedish/Nordic traditional music. Sharpen your tools for arranging, improvising and more.
If this is your first time here, take your time to look through the pages and see what you can find. The idea is that you can jump in just about anywhere and go for it. I have written some tips on exercises which could be a good help for playing a specific tune, or links to where you could go to find more information about something, or see the dance associated with the tune. There are also work sheets for making your own practice method, and tips on how to structure your process.
There are a bunch of ways to communicate with me and fellow academy students. Visit the forum, called "Fiddlers' Society", which is meant to be a platform to discuss the material, or other aspects of learning or playing music.
Once a month, there is an online meeting on Zoom. Then, you'll have a chance to ask questions live, or raise topics for discussion. I'll be there to host the meeting, and if you feel like there is a question you'd like me to prepare for, you can email me a few days in advance. Otherwise, you're free to just join and hear what others have to say. Sometimes we will have a specific theme for a meeting, and I may teach something or explain something that I've seen that several participants have been asking about.
In the shop, you can find some tune books and CD's, and under "News" you can see what is newly posted on the website (as a tip to people who have been on the platform for a long while, and want to know what's new). I will also post some info about upcoming concerts or workshops there.
...and please...
It's not allowed to download film material or recordings, or to share them with anyone who isn't part of this Academy. This is a one person business, to support me through a time when culture workers everywhere are struggling to make ends meet. If one of your friends is interested in the website, I hope you encourage them to get a subscription instead.
Feel free to use the tunes, methods and arrangements though! If you're a teacher using my exercises, please also refer to me by name. I have made them myself, and haven't published them yet. Downloading sheet music and text documents is fine. :-)
I'm a musician, touring all over the world, who plays mostly traditional and contemporary folk music from Sweden. One of my biggest passions is to teach, and to meet musicians and music lovers from different genres and cultures. This online academy is my way of trying to make the world smaller, to meet you! I'm an educated teacher, and I teach at the Academy of Music and Drama in Gothenburg, Sweden.
I hope you'll enjoy yourself at the Groovy Fiddle Academy!
I'm so glad to have you here!
/Mia