Leonard Ferrara, with the Oregon Oldtime Fiddlers Association, shows how he tunes his fiddle. 

Kids and teens in the Rogue Valley will have the opportunity to learn the fiddle and get absorbed in the world of old-time music and folk roots through the inaugural Medford Fiddle Camp, organized by the Oregon Oldtime Fiddlers Association District 4.

The local fiddle group aims not only to introduce the younger generation to old-time folk music while educating them on how to play the stringed instrument, but to connect the community through music — just as the genre historically brought people together through stories and songs.

“We hope to have fun and meet new people and learn what old-time fiddle music is,” said Melissa Taylor, chairman of Oregon Oldtime Fiddlers District 4 and guitar player for the group. “We’ve never offered a youth fiddle camp before — it’s brand new.”

The event is open to children ages 7 through 11, and teens ages 12 through 17, with two separate camps in late July and early August.

Whether they’re experienced with string instruments or have never touched a violin in their life, participants will learn how to play the fiddle from local instructors.

“We’ll start out teaching the melody and words to the songs, and once they know them, we’ll teach the kids how to play it,” Taylor said. “They’ll learn how to hold the fiddle and how to identify the names of the strings and using the bow with a steady beat.”

Hosted at Donahue-Frohnmayer Park in Medford, the 7- to 11-year-olds’ camp is scheduled for Monday through Friday, July 22-26, while the teens’ camp is set for Monday through Friday, July 29 to Aug. 2.

The Medford Fiddle Camp costs $120 per participant; scholarships and instrument loans are available.

To register, visit https://bit.ly/3VQt7HZ.

For interested parties who have any questions, call Leonard Ferrara at 541-499-0011 or email the Oldtime Fiddlers’ at oldtimefiddlers.medford@gmail.com.

South Medford High School orchestra director Zoryn Thompson will instruct the young learners with help from music teachers Rosalee Wirfs and Monica Rose.

The instructors will “teach them four or five songs over the week … with breakout groups, little small groups and sometimes coming together as one,” Taylor said.

The songs that organizers and educators plan to teach include “Boil Them Cabbage Down,” “Liza Jane,” “Angelina Baker,” “Tennessee Waltz” and “Oh! Susana.”

Members of the Oregon Oldtime Fiddlers District 4 — also known as the Oregon Oldtime Fiddlers of Jackson and Josephine Counties — will visit the camps throughout to jam together, teach and offer assistance.

At the end of each fiddle camp, the students will demonstrate the skills they learned with a concert for parents and families on the final day.

“If they decide they like it, maybe they can continue lessons or maybe even start practicing regularly with us,” Taylor said.

The goal is to perpetuate old-time music, and the love of old-time music, she said. “We decided that a fiddle camp is a good way to do it.”

The local fiddle organization is under the umbrella of the statewide Oregon Oldtime Fiddlers Association, which has been around for more than 50 years playing folk music from around the world.

Taylor joined the Oldtime Fiddlers around three years ago.

“It’s a very open kind of community and group,” she said.

Old-time music can include a wide range of genres and sounds, from Appalachian bluegrass roots to Celtic songs passed down for generations.

“Within old-time music we still have lot of different genres that can include traditional, bluegrass, Celtic. We tend to focus locally on traditional songs that include rags, which is very bluesy,” Taylor said of the music style, also known as ragtime.

“I’m particularly fond of rags; I like the blues,” she added.

The local Oldtime Fiddlers outfit plays numerous concerts and events throughout the year, also regularly practicing and jamming together each week.

To check out the fiddlers’ upcoming concerts and practices, visit ootfa4.org/Calendar.html.

The group is always looking for new members. Anyone interested in joining can contact the group by emailing oldtimefiddlers.medford@gmail.com.

“We offer scholarships to help adults as well,” Taylor said.

To learn more, visit the organization’s Facebook page: facebook.com/District4OOTFA.