The Jalopy Theatre and School of Music
Upcoming Classes in NYC

Songwriters Club

The Jalopy Theatre and School of Music

This will be a place to talk about the troubles you're having in your own process and get inspired. There will be different activities every week to open your mind and create a safe environment to share new material.

Bluegrass Guitar

The Jalopy Theatre and School of Music @ 315 Columbia St, Brooklyn, NY

Bluegrass Guitar allows students to explore the rich heritage of American fiddle music as it has been interpreted by the guitar masters of the last half century. Each week showcases a new fiddle instrumental and/or vocal melody arrangement, and attention is paid to the stylistic nuances of bluegrass rhythm accompaniment for each assignment.  Intermediate: Students should have a basic understanding of single-line melody and rhythmic accompaniment....

Learning the Songs of Two Folk Heroes

The Jalopy Theatre and School of Music

In this class, we will learn 8-10 songs by the incredible songwriters Joni Mitchell and Judee Sill, for guitar and voice. Intermediate guitar level preferred, meaning: ability to decipher guitar tablature (but not sight-read), and basic comfort with finger picking. We will focus on songs from Joni Mitchell’s Blue, and Judee Sills self-titled debut album. These songs are a great way to get inside these writers’ creative processes, and to unlock...

Clawhammer Banjo III

The Jalopy Theatre and School of Music

In Clawhammer III, we will review curriculum from Clawhammer II as well as introduce more advanced techniques and styles. New repertoire will be covered and the class will also deal with the music theory and improvisation side of the banjo. If you don't have a banjo, you can rent one from us!

Sense Writing Two-Day Workshop

The Jalopy Theatre and School of Music @ 315 Columbia St, Brooklyn, NY

Re-imagine the writing process as both a sensual and intellectual process. Often the songs we write, the music we make, the paintings we paint start with our own life stories. This innovative, seven-hour writing workshop uses memory and life stories to explore and refine the connection between your senses, emotions, thoughts, and imagination to open up new dimensions in your work. ​Learn to reduce anxiety over writing to fully inhabit the world...

Mandolin IV: Blues & Ragtime

The Jalopy Theatre and School of Music

This class will continue the survey of great pre-WW2 players of blues and ragtime mandolin. Focus will turn to the more challenging keys of F, Bb, and Eb.

Fingerstyle Guitar II Open Tunings & Slide

The Jalopy Theatre and School of Music

This course, recommended for anyone who has completed at least level 1, will introduce students to the most common open tunings of G and D. Arrangements will include both standard picking and slide playing in these tunings. Students will learn how to navigate these tunings and how to use a slide to achieve a new level of expressiveness in their playing. Don't have a guitar? You can rent one from us for only $50.

Songs of Christmas: a Strum-Along/Sing-Along

The Jalopy Theatre and School of Music

Songs of Christmas: a Strum-Along/Sing-Along taught by ISTO. For guitar, ukulele, and other strumming instruments. We will play through easy chord arrangements of classic Christmas songs, and sing them together. Students should be familiar with the basic chords on their instruments. Songs will be played in easy guitar keys (G, C, D, etc.).

The Songs of Christmas

The Jalopy Theatre and School of Music @ 315 Columbia St, Brooklyn, NY

A 4-week session for guitar, ukulele, mandolin and other strumming instruments.  We will play through basic chord arrangements of classic Christmas songs, and sing them together.  Students should be comfortable with the basic chords on their instruments (We'll encounter some other chords, but If you know E, A, D, G, C, F, Em, Am, and Dm you should be fine).  Songs will be played in easy guitar keys (G, C, D, etc.).  Important:...

Guitar II.5

The Jalopy Theatre and School of Music

For people who have learned the material presented in Guitar II, but want to practice it with more songs before moving on to Guitar III.

Vocal Swing Harmony

The Jalopy Theatre and School of Music @ 315 Columbia St, Brooklyn, NY

Learn to sing in three-part swing harmony! Over the course of 4 weeks, students will learn several arrangements of jazz standards, inspired by the stylings of The Mills Brothers and The Boswell Sisters. In learning these arrangements, students will not only learn new repertoire, they will also get a grounding in basic music theory, enabling them to hear their own harmonies and create their own parts. Students will also work on vocal blend, rhythmic...

Songwriting Workshop: Bits and Pieces

The Jalopy Theatre and School of Music

How many wonderful song ideas do you have that have not gone anywhere? Or first verses that just will not write themselves into a whole song? This writing workshop will look at various brainstorming techniques to help you finish those great ideas. Bring in your best bits and pieces, and we will find ways to make them work.

Songwriting Workshop: The Devil's in the Details

The Jalopy Theatre and School of Music

How do you make your lyrics stand out in the crowd? This writing workshop explores how sense-bound details can set your songs apart from all the rest. We will work in-depth on object writing and other forms of creative expression including metaphor and simile.

Swing Mandolin Workshop

The Jalopy Theatre and School of Music

This workshop is designed to introduce you to the wonderful world of swing music on the mandolin, and to help you improve your existing skills in rhythm and lead playing on swing, new acoustic and jazz tunes. It will also help your bluegrass playing and general musicianship. Topics will include: Chords and rhythm: how to play chord progressions on jazz tunes in a smooth way using various chord inversions. The II-V-I progression: how to create...

Improvising African Folk Songs-US & Brazil

The Jalopy Theatre and School of Music

In this immersive class, singers Jascha Hoffman (NYC) and Zuza Goncalves (Sao Paulo, Brazil) will use a variety of folk and traditional songs to get our voices and bodies moving in time, laying the groundwork for deep improvisation.  The class will be rooted in the spirit of African-American folk traditions, which includes spirituals and shouts sung by the Georgia Sea Island Singers, and songs of work and play as transmitted by blues legend...

Vocal Harmony Duos & Trios

The Jalopy Theatre and School of Music @ 315 Columbia St, Brooklyn, NY

Explore the rich world of Early Country, Bluegrass, Old Time, and Gospel harmony singing, from lesser-known repertoire to old chestnuts.  Focus on two and three-part harmony singing, with opportunities to gain independence on a part, work in small groups, experiment with blend, and take home some new songs. Less advanced singers can start with the melody and then move to harmonizing, and more advanced singers can go deep into singing multiple...

A Session in Acoustic Blues Fingerpicking

The Jalopy Theatre and School of Music

How to Build a Fiddle Tune Workshop with Harry Bolick

The Jalopy Theatre and School of Music

Students will learn how to build a fiddle tune that is easy to hear, understand and share. You learn a new fiddle tune and start sawing away. You love it, but friends have a hard time joining in. Why is that? In this workshop Harry will be taking one tune completely apart with you, rhythm and counting, bowing, chord structure and most importantly phrasing so that you can see how the parts come together to make a tune easy to hear, understand and...

Autoharp Workshop with Eli Smith

The Jalopy Theatre and School of Music

In the first installment of this two part class, Eli will show students the basics of the autoharp; how to tune their harp, and how to chord and strum and along with simple country songs, such as Carter Family songs. The second installment of the class will focus on more advanced techniques where by the autoharpist can actually play melodies and several types of picking and rhythms Smithsonian Folkways recording artist Eli Smith offers a two part...

Summer Sparks: Banjo For Beginners

The Jalopy Theatre and School of Music @ Pier 63, New York, NY