If your New Year’s resolution includes taking better care of your health, one way to stick to it is to play more music. I’m no doctor, and I don’t play one on TV, but research shows there are health benefits to being a musician. And don’t worry, you don’t have to be a professional to reap … More 6 Ways playing music is good for your health
Thank you all for your continued support of both Irish music and my blog. Please feel free to write me if you have a topic you’d like me to write about or if you’d like to be a guest blogger for Session Obsession. I hope you have a safe and happy new year! I’m looking … More 2013 in review
There are a few things that make Christmas shopping challenging for me – fighting the traffic to get anywhere, standing in long lines to pay and it seems that whenever I am out trying to find gifts for someone else, I always seem to find things I need instead of something for the person I’m … More 7 Last minute gift ideas for an Irish musician
Being from Boston I can spot a Boston accent a mile away. And not only that, I can tell from what part of Boston someone is from solely by their accent. For example there is a difference between a south Boston accent and an East Boston accent. Irish music is much the same in that … More The Music of West Limerick
This past summer I spent some time in Ireland studying Irish fiddle in the Donegal tradition. It was such an amazing experience as it was my first excursion to the emerald isle, and really my first true taste of Donegal fiddle music. I fell in love with this particular style of traditional music because it … More A Wee bit of Ireland in Vermont
The other day I went to a karate class for the first time. I almost bagged it because…well…it’s scary starting something new, something you’ve never done before. And seriously, people who do karate are a bit intimidating. So I drove by the dojo a few times and came very close to turning around and going home. … More Crossing that threshold
Imagine you’re asked to play the processional tune for a friend’s wedding. You’re honored and excited to do it. You diligently spend an entire week playing only that tune over and over until every note is perfect. After all, this is the most important ceremony of their lives. The wedding day arrives and you play a couple … More Lessons learned
Love is in the air. This coming weekend a good friend of mine is marrying the love of his life and he requested I play a specific tune during the ceremony. So I’ve spent the last couple of days learning said tune (I know, nothing like waiting until the last minute).
There are fairies in the fiddle! I was told last night by my house-mate that in Ireland some teachers, when teaching children to play the fiddle, make the kids put the fiddle on the table while the teacher plays a tune. The children are instructed to lightly place their fingers on the strings while the … More Fairies in the Fiddle
Heading to Ireland to go to fiddle school. Follow my blog to get the latest updates. … More Heading to Ireland
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