First Sunday of each month · 1–2:30 pm · South Weymouth, MA
Pull up a chair. There’s room in the circle.
Monthly Guided Jams
All ages and levels are welcome — fiddling has always been an inclusive tradition — and the great thing about a jam is that beginning to advanced players can each hold a part.
We jam in both American and Celtic styles. Join us for a mix of American and ethnic fiddle traditions! See the monthly set list below to know which tunes to expect at the next jam.
This Month’s Tunes
November Tune List
Here’s what we’ll be playing at the November jam.
Sheet music and slow practice recordings of the basic tunes can be sent out in advance by request. .
The set list
- Boil ’Em Cabbages
- Little Liza Jane
- Cripple Creek
- Angeline the Baker
- Star of the County Down
- Off She Goes
- Swallowtail Jig & The Butterfly slip jig
Skill Focus
Jam skills we’ll focus on each session
There are a few key skills that make a jam session work. Learn them here, and you can walk into a jam anywhere and know what’s going on.
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The kick-off
The short lead-in one player plays to start a tune, so everyone knows the tempo and comes in together.
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The chop
A crisp, percussive bow stroke on the off-beats that turns a fiddle into the band’s rhythm section.
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The tag
A short, familiar ending lick added after the last phrase, so the whole group lands the finish together.
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Taking a solo
Your turn out front: playing the melody, or your own variation on it, while everyone else backs you up.
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Trading 2’s and 4’s
Players take turns improvising two or four measures apiece, passing the music around the circle like a conversation.
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Grooving
Locking into the beat with everyone else, so the tune keeps a steady, danceable pulse from start to finish.
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Making arrangements of tunes
Deciding together who starts, who solos, when to get quiet, and how to end, so a simple tune becomes a real performance.
Who It’s For
Who’s welcome at the jam
Each jam is for musicians of all ages and levels. A few things to know:
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Musicians comfortable playing in the keys of A, D, G major and their relative minor keys should be able to handle most jam tunes.
Simplified parts will be demonstrated at each jam as needed.If a tune is too hard or unfamiliar, players can join in with an open-string accompaniment or a “chop” pattern instead. It builds steady rhythm, and everyone stays included no matter their level.
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Mandolin students are also welcome. Players of other instruments should for special permission before signing up.
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Parent musicians jam for free. If your child is participating and you play, bring your instrument too.
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Know the music ahead of time. If you’re not comfortable picking up a new tune by ear in a jam, sheet music and slow practice recordings of the basic tunes can be sent out in advance by request — .
Guided jams are the perfect way to gain confidence playing with others — no prior jamming experience needed. The teacher leads the jam and makes sure everyone knows what to play at their own level and ability.
We play tunes together, learn to improvise, create simple arrangements, try accompaniment/back-up techniques, and make up solos.
These are skills that translate to any jam session, anywhere. We’ll even learn the lyrics to some of the tunes.
Schedule
First Sunday of every month, October through June.
Every jam runs 1:00–2:30 pm. Come to one, a few, or all nine.
Sign-up deadline
There is no deadline, but please try to sign up at least one week before each jam, so we know whether a bigger space is needed!
Location
South Weymouth, MA — the address is sent with your sign-up confirmation.
What to bring
Your instrument, and printed tunes if you need them.
Cancellations
Any cancellation notices will be emailed to registered families. If you need to cancel (sickness, conflict, etc.), please email us for a refund. At least 24 hours’ notice is appreciated when possible.
Cost
Pay per jam. No yearly commitment.
Prices are per jam, per player. Pay only for the sessions you sign up for.
| Player | Each additional sibling |
|---|---|
| $20 | $15 |
Payment: after you sign up, a Venmo link is sent for the session(s) you chose. Cash or check payments may be made at the jam.
Who runs the jams each month
Meet the Director
Amanda Smith Roberts · Director, South Shore Fiddle Jam
Dr. Amanda Smith Roberts brings twenty years of teaching experience in both classical and non-classical styles, along with a lifelong love of making music with other people, to the South Shore Fiddle Jam. An avid fiddler and classical violinist who teaches in South Weymouth, she has spent thirteen years creating ways for South Shore string students to play together: weekly fiddle classes, sight-reading parties, coached chamber groups, and studio recitals. From 2015 to 2019 she ran the American Music Camps for strings, where students formed bands and learned to perform, arrange, and compose music together — the same skills at the heart of every jam.
Amanda grew up in the Deep South of Mississippi, where she trained side by side in both classical and fiddle traditions. As a kid she was a two-time Mississippi State Fiddle Champion, and from childhood through her college years she played fiddle in countless country and folk bands, and has appeared on various country, folk, and rock albums as a session musician.
She believes one of the most important skills a musician can have today is versatility — being able to adapt to any genre of playing — and that getting the chance to play music with other people is an important first step in developing it.
She received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she studied under Paul Kantor, the Cavani String Quartet, Peter Salaff, and Virginia Weckstrom — there she met her husband and now duo partner, pianist Dr. Jonathan Roberts. The two went on to earn their Doctoral degrees at the University of Alabama on full scholarship, where Dr. Roberts served as first violinist of the graduate string quartet. Her other notable teachers include J. Patrick Rafferty, Cornelia Heard, Stephen Clapp, and fiddler Mickey Davis. She also directs the South Shore Chamber Music Academy.
The Roberts duo continues to enjoy performing together whenever possible. They homeschool their two young daughters, who are also avid musicians and enthusiastic jammers. Free time in the Roberts household means trips to the beach for cartwheels and yoga, bike rides, visiting museums in Boston, and spending quality time with their mini golden-doodle, Annie.
Sign Up
Sign Up for a Jam
Pick one date, or several at once.
Signing up more than one player? Submit the form once for each.
Questions
Good questions, short answers.
Do we have to be current students to join?
No. The jam is open to everyone, and everyone pays the same rate: $20 per jam, or $15 for each additional sibling.
What if the tunes are too hard?
That’s expected, and there’s a plan for it. If a tune is too hard or unfamiliar, players can join in with an open-string accompaniment or a “chop” pattern instead. It builds steady rhythm, and everyone stays included no matter their level.
Do we have to commit to the whole year?
No. You pay per session only, with no yearly commitment. Sign up for one jam or for several at once.
I’m taking classical lessons. Will I fit in at a jam?
Absolutely. These jams are a perfect way for classically trained students to explore non-classical music — playing by ear, backing up other players, improvising, and taking a solo are all skills a jam builds that lessons rarely get to. And because every session is guided by a coach, players who have never jammed before can pick up those skills at their own pace, in a low-pressure setting.
What instruments can join?
Violin/fiddle and mandolin. Players of other instruments should for special permission before signing up.
Can parents play too?
Yes! Parent musicians of participating students may jam for free. Choose the “Parent musician” pricing category on the sign-up form.
Where is it?
South Weymouth, MA. The address is sent with your sign-up confirmation.
How do we pay?
After you sign up, we send a Venmo link for the session(s) you chose. Cash or check payments may also be made at the jam. Prices are per jam, per player: $20, or $15 for each additional sibling.
What if we need to cancel, or my child is sick?
If you need to cancel (sickness, conflict, etc.), please email us for a refund. At least 24 hours’ notice is appreciated when possible. If a jam itself has to be cancelled, a notice will be emailed to registered families.
How do we get the music ahead of time?
Sheet music and slow practice recordings of the basic tunes can be sent out in advance by request. — you can choose which tunes you want and whether you’d like sheet music, recordings, or both.