Workshops +

Teilhard teaches individual lessons both in person and online.

Learn fiddle, clawhammer banjo, harmonica, bones, jaw harp and mouth bow, hambone, and clogging.

Teilhard also teaches group workshops, great for school groups, camps, and festivals.

The Acoustic Music Project

Alongside his other workshops, Teilhard Frost also has an educational program for large/school audiences,
entitled “The Acoustic Music Project; No Batteries Required.”
Teilhard will demonstrate and talk about his collection of non-electric instruments and their history.
Within this program, Teilhard has the audience singing, playing the body percussion hambone, and generally having a great time.

The program runs approximately 50 minutes with time for Q&A at the end.

With Mongolian school children, Mandalgovi, Mongolia

Jaw Harp

The Jaw Harp is an instrument which people always ask about, not sure how to play it and amazed when they hear it! Most often made from metal or bamboo, the jaw harp is a single reed instrument from the Lamellophone family. You hold the frame up to your mouth, pluck the reed (also know as the tongue), let your mouth cavity act as the resonator.

You can play them anywhere: walking to the bus, waiting for the bus, riding the bus! A dull party? Bust out some Jaw Harp!

A group workshop is always huge fun! Contact Teilhard and book your workshop today.

The smallest man plays ordinary harmonica

Flat Foot Buckdance

Dancing is better than it sounds! For some reason or other, modern society has been neglecting this fun, interactive, therapeutic activity more and more over the years. There is a joke, “Why don’t some people hug standing up? Because it may lead to dancing!”

Teilhard has been dancing his entire life and would like to see more people join him. Flatfoot Buckdance also know as clogging is an old style dance which was the parent to modern tap dance. This simple folk dance, as easy as walking, is used to accompany kitchen tunes, party fun, and enhance a walk to the store or a wait for the bus. You can do it big and loud or quiet and subtle.

Teilhard offers individual lessons or group classes. Guaranteed fun for all!

Along with the clogging, Teilhard also calls old time square dances. These are great for weddings, school parties and picnics. An excellent way to break the ice and get to know your friends a bit more.

The Travelling Musician

The Travelling Musician is a program for people to learn to play
non-electric, acoustic instruments which fit in your pocket. Harmonica, Jawharp, Bones, Kazoo, Hambone and Clogging. The number of instruments we cover depends on the amount of time allotted, we generally cover two instruments/skills in an hour. A full morning or afternoon is nice for a general introduction. Instrument kits can be purchased individually, or in bulk for a larger program. Contact Teilhard for more information.

FIDDLE LESSONS

Teilhard teaches Appalachian style fiddle. There are thousands of tunes, some more hypnotic than others. Specializing in what are commonly referred to as “cross tunings” or open tunings, Teilhard will have you sounding like three fiddlers playing at once. These tunings, once common prior to the advent of electricity, help increase volume and remove the notes which don’t fit within the scale you are using. The bow patterns found in “old-time” Mountain fiddling also add an element unlike many other styles, hypnotizing the dancers and driving them forward.

Rhythm Bones

Rib bones used as percussion instruments predate recorded history. Simply make a delicious meal, save the bones, clean them up and play them! Teilhard makes rhythm bones from, ribs, shin/femur bone, and wood. To play, you hold them in hand, one firmly while the second is held loosely, then they are struck together to make a “clack” sound.

They can be LOUD, so, the trick is to play tastefully! Contact Teilhard for a lesson or a group workshop. Bones will be made to order.

Harmonica!

Harmonica is one of the best instruments to get your hands on. Known by many names, “harp, tin taco, Mississippi Saxophone, tin sandwich, the musical sardine, French harp and mouth organ” it is played with the mouth by blowing into holes in its side. Harmonicas produce their sounds from the vibrations of reeds in the harmonica's metal case. Harmonicas are used in blues, folk, rock and roll, reggae and ska, calypso, jazz and classical music, really, every kind of music you feel like playing. They require no batteries, no power chords, no upload and no downloads. Once you acquire your harmonica, if you can breath, you can play.

Teilhard specializes in both straight and “cross” aka blues harp.