CONWAY, Ark. (Aug. 10, 2009) – After a six-year-old Louis Weedman heard a fiddler at a dance, he begged his parents to buy him a violin.
“My parents signed me up for lessons, and the rest is history,” Weedman, now 22, said. “I started classical violin lessons that year and I haven’t stopped.”
The Hendrix College senior has played fiddle-style music on his own since childhood, but he had never received professional instruction until he attended the Mark O’Connor String Camp last year. He returned to the camp this summer, thanks to an Odyssey grant.
The camp, held this year in New York City for the first time, attracted 270 string players from across the country to be taught by 20 internationally recognized string musicians. Students can choose from dozens of classes in styles like bluegrass, Texas-style, East Indian, jazz, modern rock and even hip hop, as well as classical and American classical.
“The camp gives me some of the tools I need that I haven’t been able to acquire through classical violin lessons,” Weedman said. “Although fiddling is popular in Arkansas, there aren’t really fiddling lessons available.”
To get in touch with the improvisational, spontaneous nature of fiddling, Weedman used to practice by jamming along with recordings of fiddle music. Classes at the string camp took a more organized approach. The instructor sat in front of a semi-circle of students, teaching them songs piece-by-piece until they had all memorized it. By the end of each day, Weedman had usually added three or four new songs to his repertoire.
“My favorite classes were the ones taught by Mark O’Connor himself,” Weedman said. “It’s really rare to be able to learn one-on-one with such a well respected musician. It was such a privilege to get to learn from him, right there in the same room as him. It was one of those instances when you get butterflies in your stomach.”
O’Connor is a renowned fiddle player, violinist and composer who has worked to bridge the gap between fiddling and classical music. The Grammy winner has collaborated with artists like Yo-Yo Ma, but he also takes time to lecture at universities and conservatories across the country.
“I was constantly learning new things in all the classes,” Weedman said. “The entire experience is really going to stick with me. I think Mark O’Connor’s ingenuity and his love for propagating this music to younger people is going to stick with me for sure.”
O’Connor is the founder and president of the Mark O'Connor Fiddle Camp and Strings Conference in Tennessee, as well as the new Mark O'Connor String Camp in New York City.
Weedman also sees a future combining teaching and performing. The music major, a senior, intends to go to graduate school next fall, or perhaps try out for the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra.
“I’m still working on figuring out exactly what to do with my life,” he said, “But whatever I do, I’ll probably be in some sort of musical group as well, probably a fiddling band or maybe even an orchestra. Most performers are also teachers as well, although for me being a performer comes before being a teacher.”
Weedman plays for the Hendrix chamber orchestra, as well as at off-campus gigs. He frequently performs in Little Rock, whether at the New Life Church or Juanita’s Café and Bar. He also plays fiddle for country dances in North Little Rock and attends jam sessions with the Arkansas Celtic Music Society. To listen to a clip of Weedman playing "Limerock", click on the link in the right column.
The Little Rock native is the son of Curtis and Sara Weedman.
"Your Hendrix Odyssey: Engaging in Active Learning” is a major component of the Hendrix curriculum. The philosophy is, “You learn more when you do more.” Each student is required to complete three Odyssey experiences selected from six categories: artistic creativity, global awareness, professional and leadership development, service to the world, undergraduate research, and special projects. Weedman’s project earned him credit for Special Projects.
Hendrix, founded in 1876, is an undergraduate liberal arts college emphasizing experiential learning in a demanding yet supportive environment. The college is among 371 colleges featured in the 2010 edition of the Princeton Review America’s Best Colleges. Hendrix has been affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1884. For more information, visit www.hendrix.edu.
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