Saturday, November 16th 11a-12p $25. 

For Beginners and those who would like a refresher on the basics of playing the mountain dulcimer. How to tune it, different strumming techniques, and learning about the unique setup of its fretboard will be covered. Simple and fun songs will be taught both by ear and with easy to understand tablature. Some loaner dulcimers will be available if you don't have one to bring, but requesting one in advance is recommended.

"Musician & educator Wanda Degen first saw a mountain dulcimer at an arts & crafts show at the MSU Union when she was a freshman at MSU in December of 1971. Elderly Instruments opened up at its first location in East Lansing shortly thereafter. A few years later Wanda had built her 1st dulcimer and soon began performing as well as writing up tablature, organizing songs swaps, and teaching lessons. She offered private instruction at Elderly for over 45 years and has taught workshops at numerous festivals all over Michigan including Wheatland, Hiawatha, Bliss, the ODPC Funfest, & the Midland Folk Festival. From 2014-2023 Wanda was on the faculty of Interlochen's College of Creative Arts - Adult Programming as an instructor (and organizer) of the Mountain Dulcimer Immersive. She simply loves sharing what she knows about playing this instrument. Wanda describes herself as a "handout heavy" instructor. Participants can expect to have an abundance of material to take home to continue exploring & learning from."