The Walker Family Band
Peace, Joy, Music
For over two decades The Walker Family Band has delighted audiences throughout the Southeast with a distinctive take on traditional styles, performing Irish dance music and American old time music with a forward reaching attitude. We especially enjoy sharing original tunes, which grow naturally from these basic roots and from our thorough training and experience in classical music and jazz. On stage The Walker Family Band creates a confluence of sound with an end game plan; a fresh connection with each audience. Based in the Piedmont North Carolina, we play festivals, weddings, private parties and other events. True to Irish and American tradition, we share our experience and knowledge by conducting multi-instrumental workshops and by hosting an annual summer camp. The Walker Family Band Music Camp is attended by families and students from coast to coast. Adult musicians are attracted to the camp by its musical diversity, relaxed style, and exceptional faculty!
Summer Fiddle Camp
The summer of 2022 marks two decades that The Walker Family Band has partnered with The Blowing Rock Conference Center to host a summer camp of music, dance, art, performance, relaxation and reflection that brings families together from across the country.
This summer, we celebrate our 20th Anniversary year with friends who have become our “music family” over these past 19 wonderful 4th of July weeks together. We are truly grateful to have made so many dear friends at each camp. We would be truly delighted to welcome YOUR FAMILY into our fold!
Music Education is Important!
Sharing music connects people! Music can transcend our differences, calm our fears, aid physical and emotional healing, and bring joy to our hearts and the hearts of others. Collaborating musically creates an environment of familiarity; opens doors of opportunity to communicate on a more personal level. Sharing music in a traditional way is inclusive and accepting of everyone…we all come to camp as students and teachers! Attending The Walker Family Band Music Camp as a family allows parents to share an educational opportunity with their kids in this easy going setting that provides every member of the family…musicians and non-musicians of all ages…a truly unique summer vacation experience!
THANK YOU to EVERYONE who have joined hearts and hands over many years
to make The WFB Summer Music Camp a place of love, acceptance, and joy.
Teaching & the Walker St Fiddlers
The Walker Street Fiddlers is a performance group led by Scott Walker in Greensboro, NC. Scott, a veteran teacher, is nationally recognized as a fiddle and Suzuki cello teacher. This group exemplifies Scott’s ability to combine musicians of all ages and playing levels into a performance ensemble that is not only exceptionally entertaining, but also one in which the members truly enjoy playing together no matter the diversity of ages and abilities. Scott’s gift for inspiring excitement for music within his students has nurtured musicians of all ages for over 40 years. The performers pictured here represent just one generation of Walker Street Fiddlers from a 20 year legacy! This active group performs at local events, parties, festivals, and brings good cheer to retirement communities. Their performance season runs from September through May.
Weekend Workshops
The Walker Family Band sponsors three annual Weekend Workshops in the same spirit of the summer camp in Blowing Rock. The workshops listed below are each sponsored by a member of The Walker Family Band. Weekend workshop formats include some of the signature classes and activities that define our mission of promoting a holistic approach to music and life.
Linda Minke kicks off each new year with the Florida Fiddle Fest, in Neptune Beach. This workshop is held in February over the President’s Day weekend, a perfect month to visit sunny Florida. With a school holiday on the following Monday for many families, this date allows time to comfortably make the trip from NC and enjoy a weekend of merriment and music making with summer camp friends!
Jennie Walker is currently developing a spring workshop she calls the Asheville Fiddle Bash! Just as the mountainsides begin to shine in brilliant greens and the chill in the air gives way under a sunny glow, families have a perfect opportunity to escape cabin fever! Pack the instruments in the mini van and head to Asheville for some picking and singing with Jennie, Scott, and Landon!
Scott Walker is host at Haw River State Park, just north of his home base in Greensboro, NC, for The Walker Family Band fall workshop. This charming state park is alive with color the first week in November. School has started; winter looms while summer camp memories linger; and summer is such a long wait. But, no need! Haw River State Park features on site lodging and meals, so the livin’ is easy and good times await you at the Haw River Workshop.
It All Began When...
The Walker Family Band had its beginnings in 2002, when Scott, his daughter Jennie, his brother Landon and close friend and musical associate, Scott Manring began playing and recording together when they found chances – which did not come very often. The Scotts were in Greensboro North Carolina, Jennie in Austin, Texas, and Landon in Jacksonville, Florida. Our one and only album, “Travelin”, named after a song of Jennie’s, was only produced at the cost of many road miles between us.
The band members have experienced many changes since those beginning days, and not all due to age! Jennie is now in Asheville, teaching, performing, and with her husband, raising her two beautiful children. In 2016, Landon married Linda Minke, from Jacksonville, Florida, and now we have a delightful and talented new family member in our band! For more history, go here.
The WFB’s instrument combinations and variety of styles creates a wide range of sonorities and musical feelings! Depending on the style or mood of the music, Scott (w) and Linda can add more fiddle and/or cello behind Jennie as she leads with her infectious smile and faultless fiddle. Landon’s bass anchors the sound. Scott (m) shares his genius on many types o’guitars. He and Scott (w) both play guitar in a low DADGAD tuning. If the band needs the evocative sound of an accordion, Landon can provide. When tunes ache for the banjo, Scott (m) is on call. Linda adds a variety of percussive sounds and has the ability to impart emotions of romance to tragedy as she delicately plays her Celtic harp.
Each band member brings a unique perspective and experience to the group, creating a musical blend that is as fresh and fun for the musicians as it is for their audience!
The Walker Family Band members obviously love to play together, especially when they perform each other’s music…and they play together as much as they can! The band performs in various configurations of its original self, and at various venues and situations all over the southeast. One of the main calendar events is the production of a week-long summer fiddle camp. 2020 marks the 18th consecutive year of “The Walker Family Band Summer Fiddle Camp” at the Blowing Rock Conference Center… we hope in perpetuity.
The WFB band members are all teachers, combining their love of building community through the sharing and learning of music. Collaborative work with like-minded teachers and generous support personnel, has enabled The Walker Family Band to attract many wonderful families to their workshops and camp. The members of The Walker Family Band are gratified to have shared their music and mission with students and their families for almost 20 years. Even more gratifying is the love and support that students and families have given back! The Walker Family Band looks forward to many more years of sharing Music, Peace and Joy.
