Wisconsin Hammered Dulcimer Days

Description Description: April 24-25, 2026 Mark Alan Wade is coming to Racine, WI for jamming and workshops! Come join the Sweet Melody Strings club for all the fun! Workshop participants get FREE admission to the Saturday concert (5PM)! Donations for admission for Non-Participants will be taken at the door.  NOTE: We’ll focus on ALL levels for Hammered Dulcimer. Schedule: Friday: April 24, 2026 Meet and Greet Dinner: 3:30PM – 5:30PM at The Dish (1220 N Ohio Street, Racine) ALL are welcome!! Evening jam Time: 6:00-8:00 Where? In the same room as the workshops.You can leave your instruments overnight too! ALL levels welcome!! Saturday: April 25, 2026 Doors open at 8am. Concert: 5PM donations taken at the door for non-workshop participants. Morning Sessions: 9:00 – 10:00: My HD Warm-Up Routine and Technique Fun! We’ll start our day by getting our hands moving and warming up with techniques that recalibrate your aim and accuracy. I’ll show you easy-to-memorize patterns that cover a lot of range and make it (almost) impossible to miss! Participants will get 10% off my “15 MORE Minutes a Day” book too! 10:15 – 11:45:  The Loch Tay Boat Song In this session we’ll learn a beautiful and famous Scottish lament, “The Loch Tay Boat Song.” I’m excited to share this piece and how we can add chords beneath the melody! It’s a lilting waltz-like tune that will teach you a lot about how to assign roles to each hand to carry the tune and it’s harmonies. So fun! For the more advanced among us, I’ll show you how to add more filler harmonies and perhaps a bit of pizzicato too! Lunch Break:  You can order your lunch that day. We will share the Jimmy John’s sub-sandwich menu to place orders in the morning. Please bring cash to pay for your lunch if you order. You can also bring your own lunch and we can use the church refrigerator if you need. Coffee, water and snacks will be provided throughout the day too. Afternoon Sessions: 1:00 to 2:15:  A Trip to France! Let’s take a musical trip to France and learn a fun earworm of a tune called “Les ecoliers de St-Genest.” This bouncy mazurka is not only hypnotic to play, but offers a lot to learn about song form, style, and harmony! You’re going to love it! 2:30-3:45:  Oh, Carolan!  Learn how to change the mood of a tune with some clever chord substitutions. We’ll learn tried and true ways to bring O’Carolan tunes to life. First we’ll learn the melody (Planxty Irwin or Eleanor Plunkett- let me know if you have a preference), then we’ll learn how to drop in some harmonies and discover how those choices change the feel of the tune!   Lodging: Contact Mary Jensen for hotel recommendations. musicinspirations@ outlook. com FAQs: What level are these classes for? Almost ALL Levels! I write the arrangements and teach so novice through advanced players have ways to adapt the to their levels. If something is too hard, I show an easier way. If something is too easy or plain, I show a harder but more interesting way.  Cost: Registration for the jam, workshops and concert is $85. School aged participants qualify for a 20% discount. Help me save on transaction fees by paying via venmo or Zelle if possible. Concert Only: donation at the door. QUESTIONS? Use my contact page to email me with any questions you might have.