Indiana Fiddlers' Gathering

Home
United States
Battle Ground, IN
Indiana Fiddlers' Gathering

The Indiana Fiddlers' Gathering is a summertime acoustic music festival located in Battle Ground, IN BIT26

08/31/2026

We’ve picked 4 great tunes for everyone to learn at the Frolic this year. By the end of the weekend, everyone from Beginners to Advanced will be able to jam on them together!

When you get your ticket, we’ll send you a Learning Resource with the four Camp Tunes, Favorite Tunes for Jamming, embedded YouTube videos & chord charts for each tune, and more!

Helpful tip: It’s a lot easier to learn a tune if you already know how it goes! 😀

Run to the comments to get your ticket!

08/21/2026

Meet Joseph Johnson!

Joe Zavaan Johnson (He/Him/Them) is a multi-instrumentalist, arts educator, and Black music researcher. His research looks at Black banjo recovery projects at the intersection of Black studies, human geography, folklore, and ethnomusicology. He frequently collaborates with grassroots organizations working towards coalition building, community healing, and cultural reparations. As an educator, he has taught workshops and presented lectures on Black banjo culture across the country.

Johnson has earned a dual BM in Instrumental Music Performance and Ethnomusicology from Bowling Green State University, an MA in Ethnomusicology and Folklore, and is currently an Ethnomusicology PhD Candidate at Indiana University-Bloomington. He was an inaugural Black Banjo Fellowship recipient with the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music, where he now teaches banjo and music history classes. Recently, Johnson was a featured artist at the Biscuits and Banjos, the Berkeley Old Time Music Convention, the DeFord Bailey Legacy Festival, and the Fort Worth African American Roots Music Festival.

08/19/2026

Did you know that we put on the Indiana Fiddle Frolic because we honestly love building community through teaching old time music? It’s true!

When you buy a ticket for the Frolic, you help us cover the expenses for the Frolic. That’s it!

Cause we pay our teachers…and our program director…and we rent the venue…and we pay our caterer...and buy food so she can make it…get the picture?

OH, and our caterer is amazing. She accommodates all food allergies/restrictions. Just let us know what yours are, and we will make sure you’re fed.

So, our tickets are the price they are because that’s how much it costs to put on this amazing event.

07/31/2026

Meet Mary Tabatowski!

Mary started learning mandolin at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago in the early 2000s, and she quickly fell in love with the instrument and soon after with old time music…the collaboration, the community, and the groove!

She later went on to study with mandolin great Don Stiernberg, adding some swing, jazz and vintage country to her repertoire. She’s been a repeat guest on Charlie Walden’s Big Fiddle Show and plays with a variety of Chicago old time dance bands for contra and square dances. Mary is also a member of the band Buds and Shoots, where, in addition to mandolin, she gets to embrace another passion - close harmony singing.

As a teacher, she helps intermediate students navigate the fingerboard with confidence and discover the mandolin’s unique magic in old time music, with a focus on learning great tunes and embracing the collective joy of the jam session.

Get your tickets here:
www.indianafiddlersgathering.org/frolic

07/29/2026

No matter what your age is, your skill level is, or what the subject is - learning happens when you feel safe. That’s why we work hard to make the Frolic a safe place so that everyone can do their best learning. When we get student feedback like this, we know we’re meeting our goal.

“Thank you for creating a safe, welcoming, and unpretentious space for people to be genuinely themselves, get outside of their comfort zones to try something new, and have some fun. As a beginner, it was everything I hoped for and more. Honest to sh*t, you are doing this thing right.”

Do you want a safe, welcoming place to learn and develop jam skills? Sign up for the Indiana Fiddle Frolic!

Get your tickets here:
www.indianafiddlersgathering.org/frolic

07/28/2026

Meet Charmaine Slaven!

Charmaine Slaven is a guitar player, fiddler, singer, flatfoot dancer, and square dance caller in Indianapolis, IN. She performs with her partner in the band Squirrel Butter and is a mother of two children. Charmaine works for the nonprofit Country Dance & Song Society providing support to Dance & Music Communities across the US & Canada.

Before moving to Indiana, she was the Music & Dance Coordinator for the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC. Before that, she lived in Seattle, WA, where she performed with The Tall Boys and created monthly jams and square dances.

Get your tickets here:
www.indianafiddlersgathering.org/frolic

07/27/2026

Meet Steve Rosen!

Steve Rosen is winner of the FIFA Fake Banjo Prize and was voted by People Magazine as “Sexiest Man Alive With a Banjo In His Immediate Neighborhood” not once but TWICE!! He has taught banjo and fiddle at the Old Town School of Folk Music since deep in the last century.

Steve embarks on worldwide travels to play music, sample pastries, look at old trains, and walk up and down hills just because. A founding member of the Volo Bogtrotters and collaborator in a plethora of bands, he has played numerous festivals plus hundreds of dances, weddings, bar mitzvahs, and even a Krispy Kreme grand opening for good measure. Steve, to be blunt, is a fellow who might be able to teach you a thing or two and keep you in stitches in the process.

Get your tickets here:
www.indianafiddlersgathering.org/frolic

07/25/2026

6 Tips for Playing with People

No matter what instrument you play, these 6 tips can help you participate in a jam!

1. Prepare beforehand.
On your own, BEFORE trying to play with others, get familiar enough with your instrument to keep a steady beat and play simple chords. The preparation will pay off!

2. Just listen at first.
Once you’ve found other people to play with, listen to them before jumping in. Be a detective: what key are they in? What genre are they playing? Can you tell when the chords change?

3. Look for clues.
Who seems to be the leader? What are they communicating with their face or body? Who seems to be able to catch on to every song? Who seems lost? (You’re not trying to be judgy; you’re trying to determine who to watch for the chord changes!)

4. Expect frustration.
Jumping into a jam can be hard for a lot of reasons. You might feel socially awkward or lose your confidence. Just know whatever it is, it’s normal! Try to name how you’re feeling. Remember that learning how to jam is a very different skill than actually playing your instrument, and it’s one you can only learn by doing. Frustration is part of the process, but if you’re aware that it will happen, you’ll get through it easier.

5. Support the rhythm.
For most people on most instruments in most jams, playing along quietly to support the rhythm is the simplest way to participate. Especially when you don’t know the tune, focus on the beat and rhythm at first.

6. Go to a camp.
When you attend a camp, you experience immersion! Music is a language, and just like visiting another country, you’ll learn faster by surrounding yourself with it. At a camp like the Indiana Fiddle Frolic, you’ll be surrounded by like-minded learners - and have access to excellent teachers too. From the staff to the schedule to the venue, camps are designed to help you meet your learning goals. At the Indiana Fiddle Frolic, we help you learn essential skills for old time jamming!

What are your best tips for playing with others?

Get your tickets here:
www.indianafiddlersgathering.org/frolic

Address

200 Battleground Avenue
Battle Ground, IN
47920

Telephone

+17655881376

Website

http://www.indianafiddlersgathering.org/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Indiana Fiddlers' Gathering posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Establishment

Send a message to Indiana Fiddlers' Gathering:

Want your establishment to be the top-listed Arts & Entertainment in Battle Ground?