The Cat and The Fiddle- A private music school committed to helping students learn & love traditional music.
01/16/2025
The Cat and The Fiddle teacher Dakota Karper plays the traditional tune "Old Grimes" on fiddle. You can schedule in person or online lessons with Dakota now! She teaches old time fiddle as well as clawhammer banjo. To inquire about lessons you can email [email protected] or call (443) 860-2461.
01/13/2025
The first Tuesday Night Capon Bridge Old Time Jam of 2025 is tomorrow! Join us on January 14th from 7 to 9PM for some classic old time tunes at The Cat and The Fiddle.
01/09/2025
Dakota Karper peforms "Big Eyed Rabbit" on fiddle and shares a preview of a full lesson on how to play the tune.
01/06/2025
Hey folks, we've put together this calendar for 2025 with reminders of scheduled events for our students and the local music community. We're excited to share another year full of great tunes with you all!
01/02/2025
The band class at The Cat and The Fiddle takes place on the first Saturday of each month. The next session will be this Saturday, January 4th from 10-11:30AM. For more details, check out our events page here on Facebook.
This is a student band performance of "I'll Fly Away" from a recital in October 2024.
12/30/2024
Dakota Karper peforms "Brushy Fork at John's Creek" on fiddle and shares a preview of a full lesson on how to play the tune.
12/27/2024
The Cat and The Fiddle teacher Virginia Ballard sings Fur Elise by Faouzia. You can schedule in person lessons with Virginia now! She teaches voice at all levels as well as piano, violin, and ukulele for beginners. To sign up or inquire about lessons, you can email [email protected] or text (540) 409-7703.
12/25/2024
Merry Christmas from The Cat and The Fiddle and from this adorable little fella enjoying one of our new winter beanies! We are so thankful for everyone who has made The Cat and The Fiddle part of your life this year, and for all the music we have been able to share together! 🐈🎻
12/23/2024
Just want to put out a reminder that there won't be an Old Time Jam at The Cat and The Fiddle tomorrow due to it being Christmas Eve. Enjoy the holidays and join us for more jams in January!
12/20/2024
Dakota Karper peforms "Road to Malvern" on fiddle and shares a preview of a full lesson on how to play the tune.
12/16/2024
The Cat and The Fiddle student Lee performs "Angeline The Baker" on fiddle with guitar accompaniment by Dakota Karper at a recital in October 2024.
12/09/2024
Tomorrow is our last Tuesday Night Old Time Jam for this year! Join us on December 10th from 7 to 9PM at The Cat and The Fiddle for one last jam before the holidays. Players, dancers, and listeners are all welcome!
12/06/2024
A student fiddle performance of "Stay All Night" with banjo accompaniment by Dakota Karper at a recital in October 2024.
12/02/2024
Dakota Karper peforms "Gunboat" on fiddle and shares a preview of a full lesson on how to play the tune.
11/29/2024
The Cat and The Fiddle students Henry and Johnny perform "Where the River Meets the Road" by Tim O'Brien on fiddle and banjo.
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Videos
Dakota Karper Plays "Old Grimes"
The Cat and The Fiddle teacher Dakota Karper plays the traditional tune "Old Grimes" on fiddle. You can schedule in person or online lessons with Dakota now! She teaches old time fiddle as well as clawhammer banjo. To inquire about lessons you can email [email protected] or call (443) 860-2461.
"Big Eyed Rabbit" | Performance + Lesson Preview
Dakota Karper peforms "Big Eyed Rabbit" on fiddle and shares a preview of a full lesson on how to play the tune. #oldtimemusic
"I'll Fly Away" - Student Band Performance
The band class at The Cat and The Fiddle takes place on the first Saturday of each month. The next session will be this Saturday, January 4th from 10-11:30AM. For more details, check out our events page here on Facebook.
This is a student band performance of "I'll Fly Away" from a recital in October 2024.
"Brushy Fork at John's Creek" | Performance + Lesson Preview
Dakota Karper peforms "Brushy Fork at John's Creek" on fiddle and shares a preview of a full lesson on how to play the tune. #oldtimemusic #fiddle
Virginia Ballard Sings "Fur Elise"
The Cat and The Fiddle teacher Virginia Ballard sings Fur Elise by Faouzia. You can schedule in person lessons with Virginia now! She teaches voice at all levels as well as piano, violin, and ukulele for beginners. To sign up or inquire about lessons, you can email [email protected] or text (540) 409-7703.
"Road To Malvern" | Performance + Lesson Preview
Dakota Karper peforms "Road to Malvern" on fiddle and shares a preview of a full lesson on how to play the tune. #oldtimemusic #fiddle
"Angeline The Baker" - Student Performance
The Cat and The Fiddle student Lee performs "Angeline The Baker" on fiddle with guitar accompaniment by Dakota Karper at a recital in October 2024.
"Hunting the Buffalo" | Performance + Lesson Preview
Dakota Karper peforms "Hunting the Buffalo" on fiddle and shares a preview of a full lesson on how to play the tune. #oldtimemusic #fiddle
"Stay All Night" - Student Performance
A student fiddle performance of "Stay All Night" with banjo accompaniment by Dakota Karper at a recital in October 2024.
"Gunboat" | Performance + Lesson Preview
Dakota Karper peforms "Gunboat" on fiddle and shares a preview of a full lesson on how to play the tune. #oldtimemusic #fiddle
Where the River Meet the Road - Student Performance
The Cat and The Fiddle students Henry and Johnny perform "Where the River Meets the Road" by Tim O'Brien on fiddle and banjo.
Leather Britches | Performance and Lesson Preview
Dakota Karper peforms "Leather Britches" on fiddle and shares a preview of a full lesson on how to play the tune.
Embracing that yearning that many of us have experienced, The Cat and The Fiddle was born from two people deciding to step away from a corporate life in the city to find a simpler way of living in rural West Virginia. At the end of 2016 Richard and Dakota Karper moved from Baltimore, MD to Hampshire County, WV where Dakota has been teaching fiddle from her living room and various pop-up locations in the area. Quickly outgrowing these spaces and with more than 20 students, the time has come to build a building.
The name “The Cat and The Fiddle” comes from the age old nursery rhyme “Hey di**le di**le, the cat and the fiddle, the cow jumped over the moon, the little dog laughed to see such sport, and the dish ran away with the spoon.” A delighted Dakota as a small child would have this rhyme told to her over and over by her mother. This was the first introduction to the word ‘fiddle’ that would someday become one of her greatest passions in life.
It is our hope that The Cat and The Fiddle will become the place where many people fall in love with music and learn to play an instrument for the first time. This music studio will be a place that not only teaches fiddle, but with 4 classroom spaces and a workshop area, many teachers can come together to provide weekly lessons in Fiddle, Banjo, Mandolin, Guitar, Bass, Piano, Vocals and more. Besides weekly private lessons, it will be place for visiting musicians to teach workshops, jams to be held, and possible plans to include after school programs and early development classes.
Construction is scheduled to begin in Capon Bridge, WV in early 2019 with a goal of a grand opening by the end of the summer.