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Testimony |
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From my students: "The Glengarry Strathspey & Reel Society recently had Sherryl as guest instructor at their annual fiddlers' spring workshop in Alexandria. "Ranks up there as one of the best" was a common comment among the attendees. That's high praise considering past instructors have included, to name a few, such notables as Buddy MacMaster, The Barra MacNeils, Kendra MacGillivray, Ron Gonella, Laura Risk and our own local teaching "guru" Ian MacLeod. With a hall full of fiddlers ranging from novice to advanced, in the short time allotted, Sherryl managed to simultaneously teach skills that were both useful and interesting to all levels of talent. For the rest of the day she remained available to the fiddlers to answer questions and offer tips to help improve their playing. A delightful and talented lady to be sure!" Don MacPhee "Thanks soooo much, Sherryl, for all of your efforts to make this
fiddle camp a screaming success for everyone. I heard nothing but positive
comments about the pacing, the planning and the first-rate instruction.
Personally, I thoroughly enjoyed each of the lessons that I had with you,
and have come back with some very useful techniques that will stay with me
always. Your lesson on vibrato, was the best ever; you are so clear
and concise with your explanations...just giving enough for your students
to understand, but not too much to overwhelm them or to make them feel
inadequate. I expect that I will be a "vibrato queen" by next year. Don't
worry...I took to heart, your caution about wanting to put the vibrato
everywhere. LOL. I also appreciated your extra effort to bring a copy of Les
Cinq Jumelles, avec les accents, for me, and the extra time you took to go
over it between lessons and workshops. Having taught high school for over
30 years, I know an exemplary teacher when I see one. Thank you."
"My time with Sherryl was a great one. Her constant jokes made me really open up. Sherryl made me look forward to every lesson every week and sent me home every time with a new experience with the fiddle. Her methods of teaching made me learn more tunes than I ever had. Her unique ways of solving my old bad habits really helped me improve my skills on the technical level. I loved learning new tunes every week and my experiences this year have really blasted my experience with the fiddle to a whole new level. Thanks for the experience of a lifetime!" Conner Lee-Wen, 2010
Thanks again for spending time
with me individually at the Parrsboro Fiddle weekend. Vibrato is coming
along, but your suggestions about helping my intonation were spot-on.
What a big help! I had a great time at Ship's Company and for the rest
of the week visiting the area. Looking forward to crossing paths again.
Sharon Collins, USA (Parrsboro Fiddle Camp, NS 2007 "I have known Sherryl for five years and during this time she has taught my daughter fiddling. It has been a wonderful experience for me to watch my daughter grow with the love for music that Sherryl instills with her patience and humour. I also have two boys, one with ADD and the other with ADHD, and so I understand how difficult it can be at times. Sherryl's son has similar difficulties and she took control of the situation by working with him to improve his grades remarkably while staying calm, controlled, and having much tolerance during the lessons she has taught him. Sherryl is a great mentor with children."
Sincerely, Joyce Chaykowski.
"Sherryl Fitzpatrick has taught my
son fiddle for the past eighteen months. Her teaching ability is far
superior to that of any other teacher we've encountered. She always goes
the extra distance and it's always apparent that she has a love of
teaching of helping others. It's not simply a job for Sherryl; she
quickly gets to know her students on a personal level, and knows just how
to bring out the best in them. My son's improvement over these past
eighteen months is amazing, and I know it's because of Sherryl's teaching
philosphy." Three-time Canadian Grand Master Fiddle Champion |
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