Handmade Music School Workshops offer unique learning experiences in music or dance with master teachers at the Floyd Country Store. The workshops are timely, engaging, and dynamic sessions targeted to serve participants with varied interests and goals. Register today for a shorter 1-2 hour workshop, an all-day learning experience, or a multi-day camp!
Please read our Workshop Refund and Cancellation Policies prior to check out.
If you need assistance in paying for a workshop, check out our Share the Music Scholarships.

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January 2021
The Handmade Music School presents Repertoire Builder III with Earl White on Tuesday, January 26, 2021 at 3:00 EST. The workshop will be presented via Crowdcast as part of our Handmade at Home online series. Cost is $1 to $100 (suggested donation of $15).
Find out moreFebruary 2021
The Handmade Music School presents Scruggs-Style Banjo: Other Keys Out of Open G with Frank Evans on Thursday, February 4, 2021 at 3:00 EST. The workshop will be presented via Crowdcast as part of our Handmade at Home online series. Cost is $1 to $100 (suggested donation of $15).
Find out moreThe Handmade Music School presents Fiddle and Banjo Duets with Tatiana Hargreaves and Allison de Groot on Thursday, February 11, 2021 at 3:00 EST. The workshop will be presented via Crowdcast as part of our Handmade at Home online series. Cost is $1 to $100 (suggested donation of $15).
Find out moreThe Handmade Music School presents Monroe Style Mandolin with Lauren Price Napier on Tuesday, February 16, 2021 at 3:00 EST. The workshop will be presented via Crowdcast as part of our Handmade at Home online series. Cost is $1 to $100 (suggested donation of $15).
Find out moreThe Handmade Music School presents Rhythm and Accents for Old Time Fiddle with Emily Schaad on Tuesday, February 23, 2021 at 3:00 EST. The workshop will be presented via Crowdcast as part of our Handmade at Home online series. Cost is $1 to $100 (suggested donation of $15).
Find out moreMarch 2021
The Handmade Music School presents Clawhammer Banjo: Essential Round Peak Techniques in One Tune with Riley Baugus on Thursday, March 4, 2021 at 3:00 pm EST. The workshop will be presented via Crowdcast as part of our Handmade at Home online series. Cost is $1 to $100 (suggested donation of $15).
Find out moreThe Handmade Music School presents Old Time Guitar in "C" Position with Rachel Eddy on Thursday, March 11, 2021 at 3:00 EST. The workshop will be presented via Crowdcast as part of our Handmade at Home online series. Cost is $1 to $100 (suggested donation of $15).
Find out moreApril 2021
The Handmade Music School presents Old Time Banjo with Allison de Groot: Tunes from Maggie Hammons Parker on Thursday, April 8, 2021 at 3:00 EDT. The workshop will be presented via Crowdcast as part of our Handmade at Home online series. Cost is $1 to $100 (suggested donation of $15).
Find out moreThe Handmade Music School presents Practical Music Theory for the Traditional Fiddler on Thursday, April 15, 2021 at 3:00 EDT. The workshop will be presented via Crowdcast as part of our Handmade at Home online series. Cost is $1 to $100 (suggested donation of $15).
Find out moreMarch 2022
The Handmade Music School, along with The Floyd Country Store, is excited to announce the Floyd County Old Time Music Get-Together at the beautiful EcoVillage in Floyd County, Virginia! This amazing four day camp will take place Thursday, March 24 - Sunday, March 27, 2022 (rescheduled from March 2020). Instructors include Caleb Klauder, Sammy Lind, Nadine Landry, Reeb Willms, Tatiana Hargreaves, Jake Blount, Adam Hurt, and Phil Jamison. Cost is $400 for the four day camp.
Find out moreFlatfooting is a traditional style of step dancing from Appalachia that involves percussive footwork. While some dancers perform memorized sequences of steps, others are more improvisational and freeform in their movements (“doing their own thing”). Mainly though, it is a way to enjoy and participate in the music with your feet. This class, for dancers of all levels, will focus on the traditional flatfooting steps and styles of western North Carolina. No prior experience is required, but wear smooth-soled shoes (preferably leather) and no taps please.
Find out moreThis class will be a group sing-along through some of our favorite repertoire from the "First Family of Country Music" - the Carter Family of Southwest Virginia. It can be a powerful feeling to sing through these old classics in a group of folks singing in harmony. The more the merrier!
Find out moreThis class will explore the unique driving fiddle and banjo style of our regional repertoire, rooted in Southwest Virginia's dance music tradition. Learn from local master musicians Chris Prillaman, Jared Boyd, Mac Traynham, and Andy Buckman.
Find out moreThis is a listening/discussion-based workshop for players of all instruments in which I play a number of familiar and unfamiliar tunes and the group helps me chart its structure on a dry-erase board, listening for unique versus recycled content in two-measure “phrases” and then single-measure “fragments.” It is super fun and really helps those who are intimidated by the thought of learning tunes on the fly.
Find out moreHear one of Southwest Virginia's premier old time dance bands up close and personal. Twin Creeks will demonstrate their signature regional sound and take questions from the audience. Members of Foghorn Stringband will help to moderate the workshop and break down the components of their style that give them such a unique sound.
Find out moreGuitar is the backbone of the Virginia string band sound and Mac Traynham is a master rhythm player. Learn fills, bass runs, and the basics and stylistic techniques of backing up a band and playing behind singing.
Find out moreEtta Baker is perhaps best known as a skilled Piedmont blues guitarist; however, she also played the banjo. Given that many blues guitarists of Baker’s generation claimed to have learned from banjo-playing relatives, her unique up-picking style may represent an important crossover point for old-time and blues music. Participants will learn a tune as she played it.
Find out moreIn this workshop Phil will focus on listening skills that enable musicians assess and contribute to tunes that may be unfamiliar. Build confidence and learn how identify common melodic figures, rhythmic patterns, and chord changes that will help you to jump right in and play along. Intended primarily for banjo players, this workshop may also prove helpful to guitarists.
Find out moreLearn the basics of square dance calling from one of the foremost dance callers in the nation! Phil Jamison is a nationally-known dance caller, old-time musician, and flatfoot dancer. He has called dances, performed, and taught at music festivals and dance events throughout the U.S. and overseas since the early 1970s, including more than thirty-five years as a member of the Green Grass Cloggers.
Find out moreHave you ever experienced the magic of singing harmony with others? Do you like old time and country duets? Do you simply like to sing? Through a wonderful repertoire of songs we’ll spend this class practicing concepts of lead and harmony singing: building confidence by first spending time learning the melody, then finding the tonic and building a chord, and adding baritone and tenor parts. We will give special attention to lyrical and melodic phrasing, listening to each other and practicing to learn more about what makes a song or singer stand out and pull at our heart strings. Bring a song notebook, a writing utensil, and a recording device if you like. Let’s sing!
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