Upcoming Group Classes & Workshops

The Folk Farm Music School offers in-person adult music classes and workshops in Sebastopol, serving musicians throughout Sonoma County and the North Bay. Our classes explore the musical genres of folk, bluegrass, old-time, country, and Americana. Our classes focus on jamming, harmony singing, fiddle, rhythm guitar, fingerstyle guitar, banjo, mandolin, dobro, upright bass, songwriting, and ensemble playing. Classes are designed for adults who want to strengthen their musicianship, learn new skills, and become more comfortable playing and singing with others.

Classic Country Jamming

Fall 2026

Proficient Beginner - Advanced

With Ryan Harlin & Michaela Mae

A woman with brown hair, sitting cross-legged on green grass, playing an acoustic guitar, in a wooded area with trees and white flowers.
A man with long curly hair, glasses, and a beard playing an acoustic guitar outdoors with greenery in the background.

If you love the timeless sounds of Hank Williams, Buck Owens, Patsy Cline, Merle Haggard, Loretta Lynn, George Jones, and Johnny Cash, this class is for you. Designed for musicians who are comfortable on their instrument, this class is all about learning to play classic country music in a group setting. We'll build a repertoire of tried-and-true country songs while sharpening the skills that make a band sound tight: solid rhythm, listening, tasteful fills, backing up singers, and stepping into instrumental breaks with confidence. Pull up a chair cause we've got some boot scootin’ songs to play!

Course Goals:

  • Build a repertoire of classic country songs

  • Strengthen rhythm and accompaniment skills in a group setting

  • Learn how to support singers and complement other musicians.

  • Develop confidence taking instrumental breaks

  • Become more comfortable playing in jams, bands, and music gatherings

Prerequisites:

  • Play one of the core acoustic roots instruments: guitar, mandolin, fiddle, banjo, upright bass, dobro, or another instructor-approved instrument

  • Ability to transition between basic chords with relative ease

  • Comfort keeping a steady rhythm and following chord progressions by ear or from a simple chord chart

8 Week Course: August 18-October 6th

Tuesday evenings

5:30-6:45pm OR 7:00-8:15pm

Ages: 18 years +

Register

Gospel Harmony

Fall 2026

Beginner - Advanced

With Michaela Mae, Christine Wilhoyte & Ryan Harlin

A man with long curly hair, glasses, and a beard playing an acoustic guitar outdoors with greenery in the background.
A woman with brown hair, sitting cross-legged on green grass, playing an acoustic guitar, in a wooded area with trees and white flowers.

This 8-week course is designed to help you recognize, sing, and discover three-part gospel harmonies. Throughout the course, we'll learn a collection of gospel songs from the roots music tradition while developing the listening skills that make it possible to find harmony parts by ear. If you've ever wondered how experienced harmony singers seem to instinctively know where to go, this class will help demystify the process and guide you toward that long-awaited "aha!" moment. Students will expand their harmony singing abilities and gospel repertoire in a warm, communal environment. The spirit of the gospel songs we sing welcomes and celebrates people of all races, religions, genders, and sexual orientations.

Course Goals:

  • Develop the ability to hear, recognize, and sing three-part harmonies

  • Learn practical strategies for finding harmony parts by ear, rather than relying solely on memorization

  • Expand your repertoire of traditional gospel songs while strengthening your ensemble singing and listening skills

Prerequisites:

  • Comfortable singing in tune and matching pitch

    Ability to learn melodies by ear or with the aid of lyric/chord sheets

    No previous harmony singing experience is required, but students should feel comfortable singing in a group

8 Week Course: August 19-October 7th

Wednesday evenings 7:00-8:15pm

Ages: 18 years +

Register

Sing & Strum

Fall 2026

Beyond the basics beginner

With Christine Wilhoyte & Michaela Mae

A woman with brown hair, sitting cross-legged on green grass, playing an acoustic guitar, in a wooded area with trees and white flowers.

Many guitarists find that they can play chords relatively comfortably until they try to add singing. This class is designed for students who aren't quite ready to jump into a jamming class and want to build the coordination and confidence needed to sing while maintaining a steady rhythm on guitar. Through simple folk, country, and Americana songs, we'll break the process into manageable steps while developing the skills that make accompanying yourself feel natural and enjoyable. Whether your goal is to play at home, around a campfire, or eventually join a jam session, this class will help you take the next step toward making music with others.

Course Goals:

  • Develop the coordination to sing while maintaining a steady strumming pattern

  • Build confidence accompanying yourself on a variety of roots music songs

  • Strengthen rhythm, chord transitions, and listening skills through guided practice.

Prerequisites:

  • Ability to play basic open chords (such as G, C, D, Em, Am, and A)

  • Ability to change between common chords at a moderate tempo while maintaining a simple strumming pattern

8 Week Course: August 17th-October 5th

Monday evenings 6:30-7:45pm

Ages: 18 years +

Register

Fiddle Improvisation

Fall 2026

Beginner-Intermediate

With Dave Pascoe

Whether you're a relative beginner looking to get their bearings or an intermediate player hoping to unlock new possibilities, you'll leave this class with a laundry list of basics to help you build confidence improvising on this utterly fretless, wildly magical instrument. Through a combination of easy fiddle tunes & vocal numbers, we'll explore simple, straightforward techniques to embellish melodies, generate novel ideas, and start to find our voice through improvisation.

Course Goals:

  • Be able to quickly identify melodies in various keys

  • Learn common ornaments & melodic embellishments

  • Understand chord structures and how they work on the fiddle

  • Conquer your nerves when put "on the spot" with a solo in a new song

Prerequisites:

  • Be able to play major scales in a few fiddle-friendly keys (D, G, A, C)

  • Have an open mind and eager ears

  • Be patient & kind with yourself

8 Week Course: August 19th-October 7th

Wednesday Evenings 5:30-6:45pm

Ages: 18+

Register