Drunken Fiddles presents:
Summer Strings Shakedown 2025
Ignite your fiddle playing. Connect with community. Learn from master instructors.
August 15th, 16th, and 17th
in Kansas City.
Calling adult string players!
We’ve got an unforgettable weekend lined up
to ignite your fiddle playing.
With an elevated roster of all-star instructors
ready to inspire and challenge you,
you’re about to get seriously excited
(if you aren’t already 😉).
Schedule
Friday,
August 15th
4:00-5:00pm: Happy Hour Meet and Greet.
Have a drink and snack. Meet new people!
5:00-5:50pm: Adee Dancy teaches String Voice Workshop
How to sing and play at the same time.
6:00-7:00pm: Kirsten Weiss teaches Playing off the Page
Tips and tricks for effortless improv.
Saturday,
August 16th
9:00 am: Doors open for coffee and donuts.
9:30-10:20am: Diana Ladio teaches Live Sound 101: the basics of playing an electrified instrument.
She will go over amplifying strings, discuss all necessary gear, and address all the steps necessary to sound good and create positive performance experiences.
10:20-10:30am: Break
10:30-11:20am: Diana Ladio teaches Badass Soloing
How to work up an effortless solo to wow audiences, family and friends, (or just your pet).
11:20-11:30am: Break
11:30-12:00pm: Join Laurel Morgan Parks for a Play Along session
to practice what we've learned so far.
12:00-1:30pm: Lunch Break
(There are plenty of restaurants within walking distance or just a short drive away).
1:30-2:20pm: "Demystifying Double Stops and Harmonies: A Crash Course" with Michelle Joy
Simple ways to add double stops to any tune.
2:20-2:30pm: Break
2:30-3:20pm: "Chop it Up" with Sascha Groschang
Sascha will give you several patterns for chopping and grooving while playing comp/backup parts.
3:20-3:30pm: Break
3:30-4:20pm: Brooke Browning: "Grace Notes and Cuts"
Adding embellishments to an Irish polka.
4:20-4:30pm: Break
4:30-5:00pm: Play Along session led by Laurel Morgan Parks
We will also take a group photo before we end the day.
Sunday,
August 17th
9:00am: Doors open for coffee and donuts
9:30-10:20am: Shane Borth teaches Layering Harmonies
Learn how to bring a tune to life by stacking harmonies, grooves and rhythms.
10:20-11:30am: Break
10:30-11:30am: "Hot Bluegrass Licks" with Stas Heaney
Add these licks to your favorite tunes.
11:30-1:00pm: Lunch
1:00-1:50pm: "Canadian Fiddling" with April Verch
Learn a Canadian-style tune from a fiddle champion.
2:00-3:00pm: Calvin Arsenia: "Overcoming Obstacles on Your Musical Journey"
Calvin will address the shadow side of being a musician. He'll talk about mental blocks that are really just limiting beliefs that we can let go of to evolve our playing to the next level.
Instructors
Diana Ladio, Fiddle player with The Elders
Diana Ladio is a multi-genre fiddle player, 5-string violinist, and classical violist based in Nashville, TN. After receiving degrees in music performance and music education from the University of Michigan, she co-founded the electric strings ensemble The Moxie Strings, with whom she toured full-time for over 17 years and earned a Billboard #1 in the Classical Crossover Category. In 2015 Diana joined the ranks of Irish super-group The Elders, and now tours internationally playing shows and teaching educational workshops. She specializes in introducing young musicians to the joy and importance of exploring different genres of music and finding their personal musical paths. Diana founded a non-profit that provides musical experiences to underserved schools, and she also blogs about her life as a touring musician and full-time traveler.
April Verch, Canadian Style Fiddler
For over two decades, fiddler, singer, songwriter and step dancer April Verch has been recording and captivating listeners worldwide. The Ottawa Valley native has garnered praise from music’s heavy hitters including NPR, Rolling Stone, No Depression and more, for her fresh and feisty approach to deep North Americana. Verch’s signature sound blends together regional Canadian, American old-time, classic country and more, resulting in a well-rounded tour-de-force of traditional sounds. On stage is where her diverse repertoire comes to life, with a presence that is versatile, robust, and masterfully executed. Her delicate voice, energetic footwork and stunning playing have brought her to stages across the globe, wowing audiences with her jaw-dropping performance. With 17 albums under her belt, Verch is a seasoned veteran. She won’t be the one to tell you about her championship titles, nominations and awards, or the fact that she was one of 6 fiddlers who represented the Canadian fiddle tradition to the world at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver. Instead, in speaking with her, you’ll hear about how passionate she is about sharing her music; in small gatherings in remote communities in Iqaluit, to large prestigious concert halls like Mozartsal in Vienna. A skilled teacher, she teaches private Zoom lessons, is in demand to instruct at music camps around the world. In addition, April works for Canis Major Music, and is Director of the Acadia Festival for Traditional Music & Dance, a weeklong camp and concert series held in Maine each year.
Staś Heaney
Staś currently plays fiddle in Whiskey Mash Band, but gained notoriety when featured in Rolling Stone magazine on his album release with singer-songwriter Kelly Hunt.
Calvin Arsenia, Singer-Songwriter/Violist/Harpist
“Jeff Buckley meets Nina Simone with the soul of Sam Cooke, and the sparkle of Bjork.” -Peregrine Honig, Artist
Singer, harpist, and author Calvin Arsenia has built a reputation for turning the arts world on its head. Voted Kansas City's Best Musician 2018-2023 (The Pitch), and featured on Billboard.com, NPR.org, NEWNOWNEXT, Pride.com, and GRAMMY.com, Arsenia’s angelic stylings on voice and harp create rare harmonies and arrangements that look past the boundaries of his traditional gospel and classical upbringing. Known for his elaborate and ceremonious sensory concert experiences that merge jazz and electronic influences, “Calvin has consistently deliver(s) genre-bending (and gender-bending) shows that tackle sexuality, religion, and race in a stunningly unorthodox manner - somewhere between sacred and sacrilege." -Fally Afani.
The music is just one part of his prodigious performances, for Calvin believes the art is in crafting the perfect moment. His music is best served live, with sensational performances and high fashion from the visually striking performer who stands at 6’6”.
Alongside his best friend and co-host New York based comedian Justin Randall, Arsenia explores the ups and downs of being a queer person raised in the Evangelical Church in the 2020-2021 podcast We Were Christian Kids.
In 2021, Arsenia released a book of poems and stories called Every Good Boy Does Fine. Both a journey of individual healing and a call for action, these poems show that, with a little love and acceptance, anyone can flourish.
Adee Dancy, Theatrical cellist and singer-songwriter, aka Sisterbot
Born and raised in the Kansas City area, Adee Dancy (Sisterbot) is a multidisciplinary performing artist, constantly weaving together the many influences and teachings that have shaped their work. Adorning many hats, Adee has taken on roles as a professional cellist, music director, vocalist, composer, and actor. They have collaborated with numerous local theatrical and artistic organizations, including The Unicorn Theatre, The Arts Asylum, Charlotte Street Foundation, Midwest Chamber Ensemble, and Harmony Project KC. Their artistic identity thrives at the intersection of dynamic string writing and theatrical rock, most notably through Sisterbot - a genre-blurring project and alter ego that fuses their many disciplines.
Adee feels incredibly fortunate to have music, art, and theater as a means of expression and livelihood.
Kirsten Weiss, Drunken Fiddles Instructor - Springfield, MO
Kirsten Weingartner Weiss began her music studies at the age of four and holds degrees in both violin and viola. She currently serves as the principal violist of the Springfield Symphony and recently retired from the concertmaster position of the Missouri Philharmonic after nearly 15 years. Kirsten is an avid chamber musician as well as the Drunken Fiddles Springfield instructor.
In the past, she has performed as a member of the Illinois, Peoria, Cedar Rapids and Omaha Symphonies, as well as the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, and she spent 10 years as violist and violin soloist with the Lawrence Welk Show. Recently she served as a substitute violinist on the national tour of Hamilton in both Springfield and Minneapolis. Besides her performing, Kirsten has a private studio of approximately 30 young violin and viola students and was the recipient of the 2023 Missouri String Teachers Association Artist Teacher Award.
Michelle Joy, Drunken Fiddles Instructor - St. Joseph & Parkville, MO
Originally from Southern California, Michelle Joy began playing the violin at age 7. She opened her first private studio in 1999 and has been teaching ever since. In 2014, she transitioned from private lessons to classroom instruction. She works for the Olathe School District and averages about 125 students per year. A big advocate of equity, Michelle specializes in teaching students with unique needs and learning styles. In addition to playing violin, viola, cello and bass, Michelle also enjoys playing piano, ukulele and guitar.
When she's not teaching, you can find Michelle on a hike, reading a book, or spending time with her children and partner. Michelle lives in the Northland with her partner, Norbert, and their blended family of 3 boys and 3 girls. She is happy to be on the Drunken Fiddles team as the instructor of both the Parkville and St. Joe classes.
Sascha Groschang, Cellist with The Wires & St. Petersburg String Quartet
Sascha Groschang is a progressive cellist and composer who blends styles and genres to meld classical, traditional, contemporary, Baroque and improv to trailblaze a path all her own.
Sascha currently performs with the Grammy-nominated St. Petersburg String Quartet, the Wires String Duo and the modern pop-based Fountain City String Quartet. She is also a member of the New Ear Contemporary Chamber Ensemble.
Brooke Browning, Fiddle player in Knocknasheega
Brooke Browning is a local music teacher in Wichita, Kansas. She runs Browning String Studio and teaches Drunken Fiddles Wichita.
Not only does she love teaching privately, but she also works as a clinician in area schools, helping kids level up their playing. She enjoys being a musician at large and performing with many groups including Wichita Grand Opera, the Salina, Hutch and Newton Symphonies, and local Celtic band Knocknasheega. She loves being a part of the local folk music scene and jamming with all the talented people who share her love of music!
Laurel Morgan Parks, founder of Drunken Fiddles
Laurel is the founder of Drunken Fiddles and has a passion for teaching adults to enjoy playing music together in a relaxed group setting. Laurel is currently a member of the Wires String Duo where she enjoys composing music inspired by different styles and fiddle traditions. She loves playing with rock and folk bands and has enjoyed her performances with the Eagles, Disturbed, Amy Grant, Sarah McLachlan, and Evanescence to name a few.
You can listen to her music on all the digital platforms. Just look up Of Tree, The Wires, or In the Pines.
Shane Borth
Grammy nominated fiddler Shane Borth is a composer, violist, and performer with Quixotic, Flannigan's Right Hook and Ekho Duo.
Borth has toured with the band Shooting Star and is a sought after clinician for his modern string playing skills in improv, composition and music theory.
Location
Our workshop will be held at Hammers, a welcoming venue in central Kansas City, Missouri.
Hammers Dueling Pianos
3901 Main St
KCMO 64111
Fully ADA accessible.
Enter via the validated (free) parking lot in the back, off of 39th & Walnut.
Participant Requirements
This is an adults only 21+ retreat. (No exceptions).
All participants must play either the violin/fiddle, viola or cello and have at least a couple months of playing experience. We will not cover the basics in this retreat so you must know your way around the strings and fingerboard in first position.
If you feel rusty we recommend signing up for a month of Fiddle Life Online School (just $29) where you can get guided lesson content to work on at home on your own.
You do not need to know how to read music. We just want you to know how to hold your instrument and how to play some basic fiddle tunes or music before you sign up.
Testimonials from our last retreat...
"Wow! This was mind expanding..."
"Phenomenal--Great pacing, excellent instruction!"
"The group was very welcoming, and I enjoyed meeting others. It was a good diversion from the crazy world."
Enrollment Fee
$500
Early Bird rate thru August 1!
Regular rate: $550
Registration closes August 13th
Frequently Asked Questions
I live outside of Kansas City. Can I still attend?
Can I get a refund if I decide not to attend?
What level will the retreat be taught at?
Get Inspired
Attending a retreat can ignite your playing for the rest of the year! What you gain will keep you going for months beyond.
Meet New People
Our vibe at Drunken Fiddles is welcoming, encouraging and inclusive. We have a folksy, community feel to our classes.
Acquire New skills
Learning from master instructors will round out your musical knowledge to acquire skills that can unlock new potentials in your playing.
