Our school programs feature week long classes in singing, guitar, ukulele, fiddle, mandolin, banjo, bass, and square dancing. We invite elders to teach with us and help students sing in their Native languages. Songs range from bluegrass to country, folk and rock ‘n roll. Johnny Cash and Hank Williams are favorites. High school students often bring us songs they want to learn. Instruments are marked with colored dots (guitar chords) and lines (fiddle fingers) for ease in learning. They are written out on big pads of paper with colored chords and easy fiddle notation. Songs are also offered on our electronic curriculum, including on jump drives and they are available for download here on our website. These pads remain in villages, so students can continue to jam and sing along. By the end of the week concert—elementary students can play ten songs on the guitar and several on the fiddle. High school students can play twice that many songs—even though they may never have played before!
Donations fund new instruments for each village—and repairs of existing ones. We like to say that musical instruments save lives—and we’ve talked to adults who say this is true. Dancing with the Spirit instructors work with local musicians, teachers, and the community so the program can keep on going.
Dancing with the Spirit began in Tanana, Arctic Village, Beaver, Stevens Village, Venetie, and Hughes. And since then we’ve traveled to Allakaket, Alaganuk, Angoon, Anvik, Chalkyitsik, Chenega, Circle, Coffman Cove, Eagle, Emmonak, Fort Yukon, Galena, Grayling, Hollis, Holycross, Hooper Bay, Huslia, Hydaburg, Hyder, Kake, Kaltag, Kasaan, Kivalina, Kokohanok, Kotzebue, Koyukuk, Manley Hot Springs, McGrath, Mentasta Lake, Minto, Naukati, Nikolai, Northway, Nuiqsut, Nulato, Pelican, Point Hope, Port Alexander, Rampart, Ruby, Scammon Bay, Shageluk, Tanacross, Tetlin, Thorne Bay, Tok, Tyonek, Unalakleet, Whale Pass, and Yakutat. Dancing with the Spirit has also helped organize camps in the larger communities of Fairbanks, Anchorage, Juneau, Kodiak, and Cordova.
Beyond Alaska, we have organized music camps in Navajoland, Six Nations Reserve (Ontario), Midway Lake Music Festival (Northwest Territories), Whitehorse (Yukon), and Hawaii.