Singing with Emma B.

It is no wonder that someone from the very edge of the North American continent would possess a voice as naturally captivating as the verdant Pacific Northwest. Emma B., young cellist, singer, banjo-player, and fiddler from Qualicum Beach, British Columbia has what bluegrass super-star Laurie Lewis called, a "voice like a laser," clear, effortless, and striking to the core. The child of two Scottish emigrants, B. is no stranger to the traditional music realm. She learned to play the cello and fiddle amongst seas of fiddlers under Alasdair Fraser's San Francisco Scottish Fiddlers (SFSF) and at music camps around the US. This forced her to develop her own style of folk cello, adapting dance tunes for the instrument and conjuring up her own rhythmic accompaniment style to suit the fiddle repertoire. It was through the SFSF that she grew to love the banjo, and met her to-be teacher, Steve Baughman. Emma has appeared on Scottish National Television (STV), performed at festivals worldwide, such as the Aberdeen Youth Arts Festival, Telluride Bluegrass Festival, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, Colorado Folks Fest, Celtic Connections, Winnipeg Folk Festival, Vancouver Folk Festival, Calgary Folk Festival, Summerfolk, Rockygrass, Wintergrass, and more, and shared the stage with luminaries such as Peter Rowan, Tim O'Brien, the Steep Canyon Rangers, and more. Her band, Joy Kills Sorrow, has opened for Laura Marling, Calexico, and John Prine, to name a few. She attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA, and has taught extensively, both privately and at music camps such as The American Festival of Fiddle Tunes, VoiceWorks, FiddleWorks, and the Sunshine Coast School of Celtic Music. At the age of eighteen, Emma won the Canadian Folk Music Award's Young Performer of the Year after the release of her debut recording, "Pretty Fair Maid." She was also nominated just a couple years later for "Traditional Vocalist of the Year" by the same Canadian Folk Music Awards. B. has recorded 7 albums with various groups and solo, as well as appeared on a wealth of other records over her 10-year career. Her most recent recording endeavor, Wide Awake, an EP she recorded with her band, Joy Kills Sorrow, was met by wide critical acclaim. The first single, a cover of the Postal Service's "Such Great Heights", premiered on American Songwriter's website, and the video for their second single, "Was It You", premiered on CMT. She presently tours with Joy Kills Sorrow and Nic Gareiss, and makes her home in Brooklyn, NY, where she teaches locally. *** Lesson Details *** I like to focus on making music enjoyable and fun to practice! I work with the student to find material and lesson plans that work for the student, while focusing on proper technique, time, intonation, and feel. My students learn largely by ear. Music is to be listened to, not read, and that's how I teach! This encourages memory strength, understanding of melody and harmony, and promotes confidence in being able to play without relying on pages of music. *** Studio Equipment *** I have my own instruments to teach with and demonstrate on. I will provide any music or paper that I choose to teach with. Students are expected to have their own instruments, tuners, rosin (if playing cello or violin), and recording devices. Upon request, I can make a recording of a lesson or portion of a lesson and email it to the student. *** Travel Equipment *** I will provide my own instruments for lessons, but expect students to provide their own, as well as a music stand and recording device. I am willing to travel by subway to students' homes in the NYC metropolitan area. *** Specialties *** I specialize in an array of folk music styles. I play clawhammer, or old-time style banjo. I play a lot of American old-time, Scottish, Scandinavian, Quebecois, Cajun, and Irish music on cello and fiddle. I sing bluegrass, folk, blues, and pop styles.