I met Lisa Verdon in person at a jam session at Linnea Kenney’s house. She had been working through Fiddle School independently, and I had no idea what to expect when she sat down to play. To my amazement, she played Red River Valley, which was stunning! Her musicality, excellent positioning, fiddle bow hold, and perfect bowings were impressive. Despite not having played for that long, Lisa sounded incredible, which was a learning moment for me; Fiddle School works.
Since then, I’ve watched Lisa blossom—she’s now in Mastery 3—and even improvise. She was a joy to have at the Mountain Retreat, and the thing about Lisa is that she’s always smiling. When you’re around her, you naturally feel uplifted! Read on to learn more about Lisa’s musical story.
How long have you been playing?
About 10-15 years during two periods of my life.
How did you start fiddling?
I began violin in elementary school in 6th grade. I continued playing classical music and musicals in middle school and high school. I put down my instrument for close to 40 years! Then during one particularly difficult period in my life, I decided I wanted to play music again and went to a local music store in Lafayette, California and saw an ad for a fiddle instructor in Walnut Creek, California (John Blasquez). I was hooked and happy to be playing and connecting to a different side of me. I moved to Colorado from California 5 years ago and have continued my fiddling in a place rich with fiddling.
What are your favorite styles/songs to play and why?
I love Waltzes, bluesy songs because they evoke a lot of emotional resonance within me, but I am looking forward to learning more swing tunes because I love the rhythm and I really want to feel and express myself musically with improvisation.
How has Fiddle School influenced your playing?
Fiddle School has given me fabulous instruction, incredible support and a community to play with either online or in person when we have the chance. I feel like I have really improved and progressed with the online teaching and my enrollment in the Mastery program. I just went to my first Fiddle School camp and it was the most amazing experience!
What’s the most important thing music brings to your life?
Music brings me much joy and contentment. It is also feeling like there is a new sense of belonging with the new friends I am making. It is a wonderful journey and I look forward to all the musical discoveries along the winding path!
Tell us about the musical activities you do outside of Fiddle School.
I have been to about 4 jams with other Fiddle Schoolers here in Colorado. I am just beginning to venture out into new territory with local jams. I hope to go to the Oskar Blues Bluegrass jam for the first time soon. Sometimes I will jam with my friend’s husband who plays the guitar and I try to get my son to play with me on his guitar. My husband and I have a serious audiophile stereo setup at our house including a ton of vinyl so I enjoy listening to all types of music on our stereo system.
What is your practice routine like?
I try to practice most days, but sometimes I don’t play everyday. I travel sometimes, I am an avid cyclist, and I am trying to learn Spanish. When I do practice, I lose track of time. I am quite sure I play an hour or more. I do work on scales, etudes, and the things Katie and Celeste teach us about how to hold the bow and place our fingers on the fiddle and all the basic techniques. Then I try to follow Katie’s practice methods when learning new tunes by ear. I use Transcribe to slow down and speed up my music. I am just starting to use iReal Pro to venture into chords and improvisation.
Are you enrolled in Mastery Certification? What are some wins or milestones you’ve experienced as a Mastery fiddler?
I began last year in Mastery 2 and now I am enrolled in Mastery 3. The biggest milestone for me has been to play in front of people and become more comfortable with that. It was especially nice to do my Mastery 3 certification performance of three songs with Katie and Celeste backing me up live playing guitar at the Fiddle School Mountain Retreat this summer.
Join us in celebrating Lisa’s ongoing musical journey at Fiddle School, and stay tuned for more spotlights on extraordinary fiddlers shaping the vibrant musical community we cherish.