by Tom Morley
April 27, 2022
10:31 AM
On Monday, May 2, Chattanooga-based fiddle player and teacher Tom Morley will host his 100th weekly play-along music session on his Facebook page—a session that continues to draw players who tune in every week and play along from their homes across the U.S., Canada and abroad—and in a way, it all dates back to a request from Chattanooga Tourism.
“When everything shut down for COVID, I didn’t know what I was going to do. Every gig my band had was cancelled for the foreseeable future. I couldn’t give lessons or lead my regular Monday night music sessions in person. I had no online presence and no thoughts about how to get one. Then Chattanooga Tourism Company called and asked if my band, Stringer’s Ridge, could do a Facebook Live concert for St. Patrick’s Day, just a few days away. I said yes, and then figured out what ‘Facebook Live’ was and how to do it.”
That concert, shared by Chattanooga Tourism Company, got more than 12,000 views within a couple of days. “I quickly realized that Facebook Live would work for my students; that I could sit in my kitchen and play tunes and they could play along with me from their homes. The first one was just to give my local students a way to play after their planned concert was cancelled. I figured it was a one-time thing, but some students requested another one, and then players from other parts of the country learned of it and started joining in online. Before I knew it, I had a whole community of Irish music players from all around the world playing along with me every Monday night.”
Over the past two years, Morley has had players tune in from 41 states, six Canadian provinces, and dozens of other countries, including Japan, Hungary, Egypt, France, Mexico, England, and Scotland. “It’s amazing to me, but there are even two ladies in Tipperary, Ireland, who are regulars almost every Monday, even though the session is at midnight for them local time.”
The players range from other professionals who teach and use Morley’s session as teaching aids, to people trying to build confidence in their playing, to those who just join to enjoy the music, and the online camaraderie, like Morley’s parents in Indiana who seldom miss a Monday night. “That’s a nice bonus, to be able to give a concert for my parents once a week and see them join in on the conversations.” he said. “Players from around the world know each other now and converse back and forth in the comments as they would if they were gathered around a table in a pub,” he added. “The way the regulars have become friends with each other just makes me happy.”
Mary Calvin of Fairhope, Alabama, was one of Morley’s fiddle students before he moved to Chattanooga. “I can’t believe I still get to play tunes with Tom more than four years after he moved to Chattanooga,” she said. “He pulled us all through the darkest days of COVID with something to look forward to every Monday night. Now, I come for the new tunes, old tunes, and the new friends.”
Janice Kibbe of Hampden, Massachusetts, says she was lucky to find the sessions early in the pandemic. “A teacher friend told me about them, and I have learned so many new tunes and am thrilled to be part of the group from afar!”
Mary Abbass of Labrador, Canada says she stumbled onto the session when she was trying to learn to play fiddle early in 2020. “I already play guitar and accordion and now I’m making great progress on fiddle thanks to how Tom presents the music in a way that pleases both the slow players as well as those more advanced. And he takes the time to answer every question, either in a comment after the session, in an email or with a Zoom session. I hope he continues with another 100 sessions at least!”
Even as the world continues to open up more, Morley says he will continue hosting his online music events. “As long as people tell me they want it, I’ll keep offering it. “Ultimately, I’d love to invite all the players here to Chattanooga to play together. Whenever I mention that, the comments light up with smiles and hearts, so I hope that’s a possibility for at least some of them down the road some time.”
To tune in to Tom Morley’s 100th Facebook Live Irish Trad Music session on May 2—and subsequent sessions—visit his Facebook page at 6pm Eastern Time on a Monday at www.Facebook.com/TMorley. All sessions are archived on the site and available to view any time after the fact.
by Tom Morley
April 27, 2022
10:31 AM
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