Parents/Guardians: if you are a musician playing in Fiddlers, in addition to entering your information below, please be sure to enter your information as a musician on the next page. This page is for family contact information only.

At Valley Youth Fiddlers, we believe that music has the power to bring people together and strengthen community. We are committed to fostering an environment where all individuals feel safe, valued, and respected.

Our membership reflects a wide diversity of people, including individuals of various ages, races, ethnicities, cultures, abilities, gender identities, sexual orientations, neurodiversity, and religious or spiritual backgrounds. We welcome and celebrate the richness that this diversity brings to our group and our music.

We actively work to create an inclusive space where everyone—whether participant, volunteer, instructor, or audience member—can fully express themselves and feel a sense of belonging. We recognize that equity means providing support and opportunities tailored to different needs, and we strive to remove barriers to participation wherever they exist.

Valley Youth Fiddlers is committed to ongoing learning, listening, and evolving as an organization to better support equity and inclusion in everything we do.

Hello New and Returning Fiddle Families!

Welcome to the Valley Youth Fiddlers! We are so thrilled to have you with us, and excited for this year of making great fiddle music together.

Google Calendar and Website

As you know, VYF is a busy group- we meet weekly, have mentor workshops through the year, put on shows and many other fiddle activities! Please be sure you are checking our Google Calendar regularly- this is where you can find our events, times and locations for workshops etc. You can find the calendar, as well as information on how to sync the VYF calendar to your own personal Google calendars on our website.

Member Login: http://valleyyouthfiddlers.com/login

See any VYF email for username and password

Monday Practices

VYF generally meets on Monday evenings. You should receive an email prior to confirm time and location. Please aim to arrive 15 minutes early so you are able to tune your instruments and be in the room, ready to play, by start time.

There can be a lot of people in the room on a practice night, so we need to abide by some basic rules to keep the rehearsals flowing well. If you are a parent/guardian to fiddler children, please help them to understand the general expectations- that we all participate in the practice, listen to Leslie-Jean or other mentors, and to save chatting and playing for break time. We recognize that this isn’t possible 100% of the time, and that the practice environment can be overstimulating or even boring sometimes! We ask that parents keep an eye out for times their kids are needing some support and to quietly step out together for a reset, until they are ready to hop back in!

Our rental spaces usually limit us to the use of the main rented room and the bathroom areas. This means that in order to satisfy our rental requirements, kids need to be supervised if they leave our rented room, and that they must stick to quiet activities in the same room as their guardian if they are not playing music. This allows for those playing to stay focused, and for us to respect the agreements we make when renting a space. We do aim to structure practices so that the songs that include our younger members are played earlier in the night, so that kids can go home after break if desired.

Music and Tune Learning

It can be daunting to get a grasp on which songs you need to know, and how to go about learning them. To find tunes and tutorials, follow the links on the above website to our Youtube playlists and GoogleDrive. Please know that there is no pressure to learn all the songs! In our concerts, people join in on the songs they know, and wait in the wings on the ones they don’t.

You will need to work outside of Monday evenings by practicing your parts at home, seeking out people to help you learn your or your child’s parts, (fiddlers are usually quite obliging if you ask to video or record a part quickly at break time) and attending workshops and practices throughout the year.

Snack Duty

Snacks are served at break time during practices. Everyone rotates duty and shares it with one other member/family. Please keep an eye on the VYF google calendar for your dates! If you are unable to bring a snack on your day, please switch with someone else so that the duty is covered. We ask that each family bring enough for half the group (35ish) and help to hand it out at break-time.

Volunteering

As you likely already know, VYF is a big, expensive, multilayer operation, and very little of the full cost is covered by our fees. Our organization is mainly run by volunteer effort, and by grants that fund our mentors, workshops, and events. We ask that everyone pitches in to keep making great things happen! There are many (many!) opportunities to lend a hand throughout the year, such as joining the board, feeding out-of-town mentors, writing grants, and organizing our jams, workshops and dances. Remember that those working around you are volunteers too, so give them lots of pats on the back for all they are doing!

VYF Events

Throughout the year, VYF puts on all sorts of excellent events. We host mentors, hold workshops, dance at our Family Dances, jam together, participate in concerts, and have a whole lot of fun. Dates and details of these are determined by funding, mentor’s schedules, and other factors. We will communicate details via our Google Calendar as we know them.

Family Dances

We are very excited to be holding our family dances again this year! These dances are so much fun, and aside from learning some new steps, gives fiddlers a chance to learn dance tunes, and play in the fiddle band. Wren and Fiona will be our dance organizers this year so give them a hand if they ask for help. Check the calendar for details.

Trad JAMs

We are also hosting all-ages community jams this year. These are a great chance to learn more traditional tunes and play together in a relaxed setting. They take place the second Wednesday of each month from 7-9pm at the Old Church. Check the calendar for exceptions to the rule.

Tour Year and committee needed

We have a tour co-ordinator!! Ekin has agreed to co-ordinate this years tour. She will need lots of help from a few dedicated individuals on a tour committee as well as specific job help from everyone in VYF. Tour schedule is being finalized but will 90% likely be the weekend before through to the long weekend in May. Stops are likely Prince George, Williams Lake, Vancouver, Victoria and a couple other island towns. Tour is of course optional but in the past everyone has come along for at least part of it and nobody every regrets going.

We’re A Team

VYF is a mix of all ages and skill levels, all trying to learn sometimes very challenging songs, and perform them in public! Chaos happens, and it’s important to be patient, friendly, and help each other whenever possible. This could mean musically, or with gentle behaviour reminders (ie “listen to…”), looking out for each others’ kids, or just helping each other feel welcome and included.

Hopefully that covers some of the main questions, and that you all feel welcomed into the wonderful Valley Youth Fiddler Family!

Please note: If membership fees pose a financial burden that will prevent you or your family from continuing with VYF this year, please contact either Phil Brienesse, Chair ( pbrienesse@gmail.com ) or Dawn Hanson, Treasurer ( vyftreasurer@gmail.com ) to discuss how we can support your ongoing membership.