John Mowad brings more than 53 years of experience to his teaching. Over the years John has played jazz, blues, rock and country guitar. John describes his fiddle style as “Yankee Independent:” a lively blend of Old Time, French Canadian, New England, and Celtic and is one of Vermont’s top fiddlers in the American Old Time style and repertoire. John is also a composer and has made many arrangements for the Vermont Fiddle Orchestra, for whom he was assistant director and backup leader from 2003 - 2013. John approaches his teaching with kindness and patience and is especially known for his ability to bring out the individual style of his students. For advanced classical string players, he is an ideal teacher to go to in order to “crossover” and get a handle on the stylistic uniqueness of fiddling as well as a great source of general information about folk music in North America and Europe.
"John is a knowledgeable, patient, and encouraging music teacher. I feel strongly that my daughter has remained committed to playing her instrument due to the positive rapport that she has established with John and because he makes it fun." -Eve Frankel
Fiddle: 1st grade to adultMandolin: 5th grade to adultAcoustic Guitar: 5th grade to adultMusic Theory and Composition: For intermediate to advanced musicians of any age