Indiana Fiddlers' Gathering

Name: Indiana Fiddlers' Gathering
Address: 200 Battleground Avenue, Battle Ground, IN, 47920, US
Telephone: +17655881376
Price range: $

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Indiana Fiddlers' Gathering

The Indiana Fiddlers' Gathering is a summertime acoustic music festival located in Battle Ground, IN BIT26

09/15/2026

Meet Paul Tyler!

Paul Tyler is an oldtime fiddler, square dance caller, and country musician as well as folklorist/ethnomusicologist. Born, raised, and educated in Indiana, he is now mostly retired.

While spending nearly 40 years in Chicago, he worked as a contract folklorist, an adjunct anthropology professor, and as an instructor at the Old Town School of Folk Music.

The fruits of his folkloric labors - field recordings and publications, both public and academic - are well represented on his website drdosido.net. He has recently moved back to his native state to enjoy life in and around the Indiana Dunes.

At the 2026 Indiana Fiddle Frolic, Paul will be teaching Advanced Group, Fiddle & Mandolin Sheet Music Learners Group, a Jam Group, and a Potluck Elective.

09/04/2026

“I like the focus on community, learning, jamming, bonding….
It's all about the people. It makes no difference who you are -
let’s just play some tunes.”
Indiana Fiddle Frolic student

What are you waiting for? Grab your ticket today and jam with us at the Indiana Fiddle Frolic September 18-20!

09/03/2026

Meet Donald Bradley!

Donald grew up playing fiddle and for the past 10 years has deeply immersed himself in old time music, studying under Brad Leftwich and playing concerts and dances with several groups, including Whistler, The New Hoosier Broadcasters, and Pig Palace.

After completing a music degree at Butler University, Donald moved to rural southern Japan to teach English and became deeply involved with the bluegrass and old-time communities in Kyushu.

Now Donald is finishing a PhD in ethnomusicology at Indiana University and writes about Japanese engagement with bluegrass and old-time music, globalization, and musical imaginaries.

Donald teaches old time fiddle in Bloomington and frequently leads the Bloomington old time jam session and the open mic contra dance band at the Bloomington Old-Time Music and Dance Group. He has participated in projects to help celebrate and recognize Indiana’s history of old-time music, working as a producer on Traditional Arts Indiana’s recording project featuring Stephen and Nancy Dickey from Orange County and at the Archives of Traditional Music to make archival recordings of the Indiana Fiddlers Gathering accessible for public access.

Donald took 1st place in the 2024 Kentucky History Day fiddle contest, has performed at many bluegrass and old-time festivals such as the Takarazuka Festival in Kobe and the Earthwork Harvest Festival in Michigan, and will play the Lotus World Music and Arts Festival square dance in October with the Spoon River String Band.

At the 2026 Indiana Fiddle Frolic, Donald will teach Intermediate Group, Guitar Group, a Jam Group, and a Potluck Elective.

08/31/2026

We’ve picked 4 great tunes for everyone to learn at the Frolic this year. By the end of the weekend, everyone from Beginners to Advanced will be able to jam on them together!

When you get your ticket, we’ll send you a Learning Resource with the four Camp Tunes, Favorite Tunes for Jamming, embedded YouTube videos & chord charts for each tune, and more!

Helpful tip: It’s a lot easier to learn a tune if you already know how it goes! 😀

Run to the comments to get your ticket!

08/21/2026

Meet Joseph Johnson!

Joe Zavaan Johnson (He/Him/Them) is a multi-instrumentalist, arts educator, and Black music researcher. His research looks at Black banjo recovery projects at the intersection of Black studies, human geography, folklore, and ethnomusicology. He frequently collaborates with grassroots organizations working towards coalition building, community healing, and cultural reparations. As an educator, he has taught workshops and presented lectures on Black banjo culture across the country.

Johnson has earned a dual BM in Instrumental Music Performance and Ethnomusicology from Bowling Green State University, an MA in Ethnomusicology and Folklore, and is currently an Ethnomusicology PhD Candidate at Indiana University-Bloomington. He was an inaugural Black Banjo Fellowship recipient with the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music, where he now teaches banjo and music history classes. Recently, Johnson was a featured artist at the Biscuits and Banjos, the Berkeley Old Time Music Convention, the DeFord Bailey Legacy Festival, and the Fort Worth African American Roots Music Festival.

08/19/2026

Did you know that we put on the Indiana Fiddle Frolic because we honestly love building community through teaching old time music? It’s true!

When you buy a ticket for the Frolic, you help us cover the expenses for the Frolic. That’s it!

Cause we pay our teachers…and our program director…and we rent the venue…and we pay our caterer...and buy food so she can make it…get the picture?

OH, and our caterer is amazing. She accommodates all food allergies/restrictions. Just let us know what yours are, and we will make sure you’re fed.

So, our tickets are the price they are because that’s how much it costs to put on this amazing event.

07/31/2026

Meet Mary Tabatowski!

Mary started learning mandolin at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago in the early 2000s, and she quickly fell in love with the instrument and soon after with old time music…the collaboration, the community, and the groove!

She later went on to study with mandolin great Don Stiernberg, adding some swing, jazz and vintage country to her repertoire. She’s been a repeat guest on Charlie Walden’s Big Fiddle Show and plays with a variety of Chicago old time dance bands for contra and square dances. Mary is also a member of the band Buds and Shoots, where, in addition to mandolin, she gets to embrace another passion - close harmony singing.

As a teacher, she helps intermediate students navigate the fingerboard with confidence and discover the mandolin’s unique magic in old time music, with a focus on learning great tunes and embracing the collective joy of the jam session.

Get your tickets here:
www.indianafiddlersgathering.org/frolic

07/29/2026

No matter what your age is, your skill level is, or what the subject is - learning happens when you feel safe. That’s why we work hard to make the Frolic a safe place so that everyone can do their best learning. When we get student feedback like this, we know we’re meeting our goal.

“Thank you for creating a safe, welcoming, and unpretentious space for people to be genuinely themselves, get outside of their comfort zones to try something new, and have some fun. As a beginner, it was everything I hoped for and more. Honest to sh*t, you are doing this thing right.”

Do you want a safe, welcoming place to learn and develop jam skills? Sign up for the Indiana Fiddle Frolic!

Get your tickets here:
www.indianafiddlersgathering.org/frolic

Address

200 Battleground Avenue
Battle Ground, IN
47920

Telephone

+17655881376

Website

http://www.indianafiddlersgathering.org/

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