Learn to play Cape Breton tunes
Workshops and Lessons
Ottawa Cape Breton Session occasionally hosts workshops in piano, fiddle, guitar and step dance led by artists from Cape Breton. Past workshops have included Andrea Beaton, Troy MacGillivray, Jake Charron, Denis Lanctot, Glenn Graham, Dara MacDonald-Smith, Adam Young, and many more.
Cape Breton Fiddle workshop with Colin Grant - tentative. Planning for either March 25 or 26 1pm to 4pm in Kanata. Stay tuned....
Workshops in Cape Breton Fiddle and Piano with Dara Smith MacDonald and Adam Young. April 29 - to be confirmed. Stay tuned...
Slow Jams
Ottawa Cape Breton Session slow jam group meets on the second and fourth Sunday of each month in Kanata. During the pandemic these sessions have been suspended, stay tuned for news when they restart.
The Ottawa (Celtic) Slow Jam (OSJ) is a group of 20 or more musicians which meet Thursdays at 7:30pm at the Ottawa Glebe Community Centre to play mainly Irish but also quite a bit of Cape Breton music at a somewhat slower tempo with sheet music. A fee of $2 helps cover the cost of the room rental.
The Carp Celtic Jam is a weekly session for musicians of all levels and ages who want to play with others, whether by ear or from sheet music. This group meets Mondays from 7pm to 9pm at the Carp Masonic Lodge, 3704 Carp Road. A fee of $3 per session covers room rental.
Private Lessons - Local
The music teachers listed below are available to teach all levels, and include Cape Breton repertoire in their teaching. Most are also available to hire for various events. Several of these instructors also teach via Skype or Zoom. Contact them directly if you are interested. We've also included a link to one of our go-to event sound guys, who specializes in fiddle and other traditional live music sound reinforcement.