• Mandolins on the Hill Weeks Announced by Common Ground on the Hill

    Mandolins on the Hill Weeks Announced by Common Ground on the Hill

    WESTMINSTER, MD. — Common Ground on the Hill has opened registration for Mandolins on the Hill, a 3-week series of classes, jams, concerts and festivals, located virtually and in-person on the beautiful campus of McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland. Weeks 1 (June 27 - July 1) & 2 (July 4-8) are virtual, Week 3 (July 10-15) is in-person.

    The mandolin performers and teaching staff are top-drawer, including Mike Marshall & Caterina Lichtenberg (festival), Barry Mitterhoff, Frank Solivan, Radim Zenkl, Danny Knicely, Wayne Fugate, Emily Martin, Christopher James and Tim Porter.

    A host of other instrumental, singing, songwriting, dance and studio art classes are offered by a teaching staff of over 100 instructors.

    Mandolins on the Hill offers a wide range of mandolin classes including Beginning, Irish, Celtic, Bluegrass, Old-time, Klezmer, Scandinavian, Blues, Jazz, Modern, Mandola & Mandocello, Improvisation, Chords & Scales and Practice Lab. Late afternoon band/jam classes abound and evenings are filled with concerts and informal gatherings.

    Mandolins on the Hill Individual Tracks

    Check the Mandolins on the Hill web site for which weeks these tracks run.

    • Beginning Mandolin with Chris James
    • Beginning Mandolin with Tim Porter
    • Bluegrass Mandolin Ii with Frank Solivan
    • Blues Mandolin with Chris James
    • Celtic Tunes: Week 1
    • Celtic Tunes: Week 3
    • Chord Basics 1.0 for Mandolin with Wayne Fugate
    • Chord Basics 2.0 for Mandolin with Wayne Fugate
    • Creating Melodic Variations for Fiddle Tunes with Wayne Fugate
    • Demystifying And Making Music with Diminished, Chromatic, Augmented,
      Whole Tone & Altered Scales And Chords W Danny Knicely
    • Improvisation for All Instruments with Radim Zenkl
    • Irish Mandolin with Emily Martin
    • Irish Tenor Banjo with Brian Connolly
    • Klezmer Music with Barry Mitterhoff
    • Mandola And Mandocello - It’S A Family Thing with Danny Knicely
    • Modern Mandolin with Radim Zenkl
    • Music Of Tex Logan with Barry Mitterhoff
    • Old-Time Fiddle Tunes for Mandolin with Wayne Fugate
    • Practice Lab: Research-Based Strategies for Getting Better Results with Wayne Fugate
    • Scales Bootcamp for Mandolin with Wayne Fugate
    • Scandinavian Fiddle Tunes for Mandolin with Wayne Fugate
    • Understanding the Fretboard with Chris James - Week 1
    • Understanding the Fretboard with Chris James - Week 3
    • Unpacking Duke Ellington for Mandolin with Tim Porter

    Mandolins on the Hill is nestled within the overarching Traditions Weeks offering a broad spectrum of traditional music and arts classes, open to all registrants. The events run in three separate weeks beginning June 27th and culminating on July 16th with the Deer Creek Fiddlers’ Convention and the Common Ground on the Hill Roots Music & Arts Festival. Eastman Mandolins and Guitars and Gold Tone Banjos are awarded to festival contestants.

    Attendees have the option to live on-campus or commute. Curbside service is offered for students flying into BWI airport. Common Ground on the Hill, a Maryland Folklife Center, is now in its 28th year of offering instruction in the traditional arts.

    Mandolins on the Hill participants may choose to take classes within a single week OR across weeks, with up to 5 class periods available within a single week. Tuition begins at $115 per workshop. Workshops span 5 days, with each daily class period running 75 minutes. Evening events include concerts, lectures, and jams. Traditions Week 3 housing includes suite-style dorms and 3 meals a day at the McDaniel College cafeteria. Room & board is $460 for the week.

    Additional Information