Free Musical Event to Give a ‘Taste of Folk College’

A unique musical event takes place this Saturday in Bellefonte. A one-day, free gathering open to the public, Taste of Folk College is produced by the same organizers who put together the long-running annual Folk College event at Juniata College.

“Folk College is a weekend event for people who play an instrument or sing, or people who wish they did. There are many workshops over the course of a weekend, with each time slot having choices for total non-musicians and choices for people who are pretty advanced,” organizer Linda Littleton said. “It’s a wonderful event and it’s been responsible for lots of people starting to play an instrument or digging out a guitar that’s been sitting in the attic and starting it up again. We decided to have a kind of a little preview event of it…”

That preview event is Taste of Folk College, now in its sixth year. Taste of Folk College takes place 3:30-10 p.m. at the American Philatelic Society headquarters, 100 Match Factory Place.

“It’s a fun day of playing and hearing music, where everyone is invited,” Littleton says.

Throughout most of the day, several workshops and jam sessions will be taking place at once and attendees are invited to float from one to the next to find the experience most suited to their musical tastes. One jam session, Littleton said, will appeal to instrumentalists, while the other will be geared more to vocalists. Workshops include opportunities for both beginners and advanced musicians, with more than a half dozen workshops taking place over the course of the afternoon and evening.

“There’ll be an opportunity to learn how to play ukulele and ukuleles will be provided,” Littleton explained. “That’s targeted to total non-musicians who want to try something. There’s an opportunity to learn to play harmonica. You need to buy the instrument, but there will be inexpensive harmonicas for sale and then there’s a beginning lesson… Someone is going to be teaching basque tunes this year.”

And while the event name might give the impression that all music will be of the folk genre, Littleton said they take a very broad definition of what “folk music” is. “The broad sense of folk music includes Irish, Scandinavian music, American old time music, country, blues, maybe some international music.”

All are invited to attend the event, regardless of their level of musical knowledge. Skill level, Littleton said, isn’t important; what matters is “that you get joy from playing.” 

It’s a philosophy that pervades the entire event, both Taste of Folk College and the larger Folk College weekend that occurs in May. 

“There’s very much a philosophy of non-competitiveness and joy in music [at the events],” said Littleton. “The music is meant to be shared, not be competed over.” 

There’s no need to sign up for workshops or the event potluck occurring at 5:30 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to drop in as their schedules allow and see where the music takes them. The main point of Taste of Folk College, after all, is to have a good time while making and enjoying music, without any rigid rules or expectations.

“It’s fun,” Littleton said. “I’m convinced the world has two kinds of people. One kind plays something and the other kind wishes they played something. This is a great chance, in a very nurturing environment, to try something.” 

And for those who are already accomplished musicians, she says, she hopes they walk away from the event with a greater appreciation for their musical abilities.

Learn more about Taste of Folk College at www.folkcollege.com/taste-of-fc.html.