I’m a longtime mandolin player, 3 year fiddler playing mostly traditional music in informal settings. I realized that I’ll never ever learn all of the tunes that get played. So I decided that I needed to learn to make a contribution by playing backup. That would allow me to fit in most anywhere, and it will help me slide my way into tunes that are new to me.

I identified a teacher in Denver, Colorado. Josie Quick has taught for many years and is a presence on the local music scene. She teaches group classes at the Swallow Hill Music Center and has a limited number of private students. She also has online instructional videos, including her “One Minute” lessons.

I considered signing up for a group class, but concluded that it would meet my needs only indirectly. So I contacted Josie and outlined my specific interest. I also explained that I did not need ongoing lessons or hand-holding, only to learn what techniques and strategies I could put into practice myself. 

Instead of giving me some pre-defined “method”, Josie listened carefully and gave me exactly and precisely what I wanted. My mandolin background gave me a good sense of the chords and double-stops so I could focus on bowing, rhythm and fitting into the tune.

I’m a largely self-taught player so I have a strong sense of what I want from a teacher -- even if I’m wrong, haha. I’ve had several lessons where teachers taught me what they thought I needed, rather than what I wanted. This was much better. Josie Quick hit the target perfectly.