🎻 You might be shaking your head at me after this one

Hi Reader!

I was about one sentence into the original draft for this email early Thursday afternoon when I looked up and saw all my neighbors carrying their pets and a couple of belongings out of the apartment building next to mine. A minute or two later I saw smoke pouring out of the sides and roof of the building.

Oh no...

You can probably imagine what was racing through my head -- doing a headcount of faces I recognized while hoping that the missing ones weren't at the apartment. Assessing the likelihood that the fire would spread to my building just some 50 feet away (fortunately it didn't).

And then deciding what was going to come out with me if they evacuated us. My first thought went to my cats, and the second grabbed my phone, purse and main work items.

But there was one important thing I left behind, and this might be the thing that has you shaking your head.

The fiddle.

To spare you any further anxiety, I have my fiddle now and all residents and pets got out of the fire safely. My apartment didn't get any damage, but sadly the building next to mine is totally gone. I can't imagine what my neighbors there are fully going through, though that reality got way too close for comfort here.

Now that I've calmed down and gotten out of fight-or-flight mode, I can reflect a bit more. Why didn't I get my fiddle out in the initial evacuation??

There was a time in my life where it would have been one of the first things I grabbed. And I still really really love my fiddle. It's the main tool of my trade after all!

What changed for me was trust.

I had to trust that the wind wouldn't blow the fire from the neighboring roof to ours. Trust that the 50+ firemen battling the blaze would be able to win at the end of the day.

And I also trusted that if the fire did spread and my apartment joined the casualty list that I would be able to rebuild. I have played multiple fiddles that I love over the years and know I could find another one -- not the same, but one I could end up loving just as well.

Most importantly I trusted the community. Our apartment maintenance and management team were on hand helping the whole time (it bothers me that some people commenting on the news coverage on Facebook think that our team doesn't care. They inherited a bit of a mess when they bought the property last year, and have worked tirelessly to help improve our living situation. This was more than a financial blow to them, it was an emotional one too because they care and I've felt that firsthand).

And my trad community in the area was great too. Within minutes, I had gotten texts from musician friends living locally who heard about the fire and were checking in on me. This continued throughout the day, and was so appreciated -- a testament to the power of community that Irish traditional music fosters!

That trust was well-founded in this case, though I know all too well that this past Thursday could have gone so much worse.

My takeaway is that community really is everything, and at the end of the day I could lose my instrument and certainly be upset about that, but I'd be much more sad to lose the people I've met through the fiddle. It's something you know at the back of your brain always, but comes to the forefront in a situation like this.

Weekly Tune Library Update

As you can imagine, the second half of the week got a little distracting! But I will be releasing 4 Tune Library request tutorials in order of date received: Sevens, Sean Ryan's Jig, Fergal O' Geadhra's, and Lucy Campbells.

If all goes according to plan this week, I should have all four released throughout the week -- otherwise you can expect to see all 4 by the end of the month!

Upcoming Workshops, Sessions + Gigs

My original email was more focused around finding ways to get in community with your Irish trad people this season (summer is approaching here and lots of opportunities coming up). So a bit of a different angle but similar message! Here's where you and I can connect either in-person or online in the coming months:

• (Tonight!!) Co-hosting the Conor O'Neill's session in Ann Arbor from 6-9pm
• Concert of Colors at the Gaelic League in Detroit with Sionainn Laoi (Shannon Lee) -- this Saturday May 23rd (sold out!)
• Co-hosting the Sean O'Callaghan's session in Plymouth -- Wednesday May 27th
• Co-hosting an under 18 session at the Gaelic League from 1-3pm -- Saturday May 30th
• Three live Zoom workshops through QDF SummerFest! Each workshop is $12.49
  • ​Brand New to Fiddle? Learn the Basics! Friday June 5th @4:15pm EST
  • ​Intro to Irish Fiddle Saturday June 6th @11:30am EST
  • ​How to Style an Irish Jig Saturday June 6th @3pm EST (Irish Fiddle Lilt-Up and Tune Library folks, this one is the one I recommend for you)!
  • Definitely feel free to send me an email back here if you have any questions about appropriate levels for you to take. There will be replays!
• QDF also does a wonderful concert series every night of the virtual festival between Thursday June 4th and Sunday June 7th. I won't have the schedule for my time slot in this for another week and a half, but encourage you to support all the instructors and festival by getting a concert pass!
• Sionainn Laoi just joined the lineup for Motor City Irish Fest! We'll be playing at 2:30 on Sunday June 14th.
• Sionainn Laoi will also be returning to Saline for Michigan Celtic Fest on July 11th
• We'll also be headed down to Swannanoa Celtic Week as staff musicians July 19th-25th. Can't wait to be back here in the place that kick-started my professional career in Irish music after a personal 9 year hiatus!

So... lots happening!! Hope to see you along the way! 😅

Hug your people and hug your pets this week! And take good care!

~Hannah