Songs from Canal Days
CD with Linda Sigismondi
Folk-Style Music; Slides, Songs, & Stories
Bill Schilling
with Carol Gaj; Bill
Schilling & Folks
Dulci-More:
Folk & Traditional Musicians
Folk Music at
Weatherbury Farm
Available
for Concerts, Programs, Artist in Residence, Workshops,
Lessons
Updated
Bill Schilling
has been singing and playing various folk instruments for 55 years. He has
performed for audiences of all ages in many settings from coast to coast. His
high-energy performances may include songs, slide programs, and/or stories
selected specifically for your group. His performances often involve members of
your group with audience participation songs or activities. Bill
Schilling with Carol Gaj; Bill Schilling, Linda Sigismondi, & Marge Diamond; or Bill Schilling &
Folks provide harmonies or more combinations of instruments. Since Bill
believes that his music should be inclusive, he is involved in many groups which share music. Check the home
page of Dulci-More: Folk & Traditional Musicians (Bill
is the founder and leader (called Fearless Leader) of this group); of the
annual Dulci-More Festival (Bill is the director); of the Canton
Folk Song Society (Bill is one of the original members); of the Dulcimer Society of Trumbull County
(Bill has reorganized and leads this group); of Folknet (Bill
is a charter Executive Committee Member & has served terms as
Vice-President and as President); or of Folk Music at
Weatherbury Farm (Bill is the Music
Coordinator and a Workshop Leader for these resident workshops at a Farm
Vacation Bed & Breakfast in Avella, PA started in 2005); for information
about one of these groups. Bill has also been the
leader of the Folk Service at the First United Methodist Church of
Warren, a member of Wings of Fire, a praise team at the First United Methodist
Church of Lisbon, and served as music leader and part of a worship team at a
Saturday evening Vespers Service and at the early service (during the summer
months) at the First United Methodist Church of Lisbon.
Dulci-More Festival 26
The Annual Dulci-More Festival was held on Memorial Day Weekend from 1995 through 2019. After postponements for two years, Dulci-More Festival 26 was finally cancelled on March 1, 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a decrease in the volunteers available to ensure being able to put on a quality festival. Check the link above for some information about what the festival was like. With this cancellation, there is the possibility that there will not be any future Dulci-More Festival and/or the possibility that if there is a future Dulci-More Festival that it might be in a much different format, at a different time of the year, and/or at a different location.
Concerts
Bill plays 6 and
12 string guitars, autoharp, hammered and fretted dulcimers, bowed psalteries,
6 and 12 string banjo guitars, National steel guitar, ukuleles, recorders,
bazooka, jug, and an assortment of inexpensive or homemade instruments. His
large repertoire of songs includes old favorites or more recent ones by some of
today's singer-songwriters; many to bring a laugh or some to bring a tear to
the listener; ones with special emphasis for particular audiences; or the
occasional original. The concerts become complete as Bill talks about
instruments, songwriters, locations, and other related information on the
songs; or tells stories about the songs, his personal experiences, or many
other subjects. Most of Bill's engagements are for concerts, and he has
performed them in a wide variety of settings all across the country.
Folk
Music at Weatherbury Farm
Folk
Music at Weatherbury Farm is Bill’s newest
venture. Developed along with Dulci-More members
Marcy, Dale, and Nigel Tudor at their Weatherbury
Farm Vacation Bed & Breakfast in
Schilling’s Slides,
Songs, & Stories
The unique
combination of photos and folk-style music, which is Schilling’s Slides,
Songs, & Stories, uses a cassette tape to control a dissolve unit with
two or more slide projectors for flowing, interesting changes between slides, not
the harsh changes associated with single projector shows. The programs include
Bill’s own spectacular natural world photography with live and taped
performances of songs, which compliment the slides.
Finally available
as of
To Order: Send check or money order for $17.00 per CD ($15.00
for CD plus $2.00 for shipping/handling) to Bill or Linda. Use this link to open a printable Order Form
(in a new window) to send along with your order.
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Linda
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Several other
recordings are partially completed or are in the active planning stages with
work to begin whenever possible. Another recording with Linda is under
consideration. Another recording may feature
Bill
has nine books available presently, 5.5” X 8.5” soft cover copies of Dulci-More
Folk & Traditional Musicians Public Domain Songbook – Volumes 1, 2, 3, and
Christmas Volume, and 8.5” X 11” plastic bound copies of Autoharp Volume (with
Melody Chord Numbers) and General Volume (with DAA Dulcimer
Numbers), (both updated to include over 300 pages in July, 2002),
and plastic bound copies of Sing Along Volume (with Lyrics & Chords)
and Lyrics
Volume (with Lyrics Only) available since 2004, and Octave Volume (with DAA
Dulcimer Numbers), newly available in 2018. Check the Dulci-More
Public Domain Songbook page, the Dulci-More
Public Domain Autoharp Songbook page, or the Octave Volume (with DAA
Dulcimer Numbers) for more information, song samples, and indices.
He has done the computer layout and design for another book and welcomes
questions about your project. Use this link to open a printable Order Form
(in a new window) to send along with your order.
The 8.5” X 11”
volumes are all available from Elderly Instruments for those who would
like to order with credit cards. They say, “Huge
songbook – almost 300 titles – with melody, lyrics, guitar chords and numbers
for dulcimers tuned D-A-A. Chord Charts for D-A-A, D-A-D and D-G-G-tuned
dulcimers, too, as well as notes about basic theory and harmony. All songs are
in the public domain, including 45 songs for Advent and Christmas. Great for
singers and other instruments, too! Spiral-bound.” “2002 Revision. Huge songbook – 295 titles including 45 for Christmas –
with melody, lyrics, chords and a special numbered tablature for autoharps of
all kinds! Play chords or melody style on hundreds of familiar songs, plus
detailed notes about basic theory and harmony, a section on chord button
configurations and lots more. All songs are in the public domain – great for
singers and other instruments, too! Spiral-bound.” “2004 Revision. Huge
songbook – 295 titles, including 45 for Christmas – chords and lyrics to all
the songs in Schilling’s song compendia for dulcimers and autoharp! Chords are in
the “
Bill Schilling and Linda Sigismondi
Bill Schilling, Linda Sigismondi, & Marge Diamond
This trio from
all over the state of
Artist in
Residence
With ten years of
experience as a classroom teacher, Bill can enrich you elementary school, youth
group, club, organization, camp, or other event through short-term artist in
residence programs featuring music, sound, or multimedia performances and
experiences for your students, members, guests, campers, or (even) adults.
Bill’s Workshop
Subjects include: Beginning/Intermediate Autoharp; Beginning/Intermediate Bowed
Psaltery; Beginning/Intermediate Mountain Dulcimer; Beginning Hammered
Dulcimer; Beginning Instrumental Accompaniment Styles; Campfire Songs, Skits,
& Stories; Children’s Songs; Folk Revival Songs; Folk-Style Songs &
Instruments; Humorous Songs; Hymn/Gospel/Spiritual Sing; Jugs, Tubs, Kazoos,
Whistles, Washboards, Shakes, & More; Multi-Media Programs; Shaker Songs; Singer/Songfinders; Songs from Canal Days; Songs from the
Appalachians; Songs of Land & Water; Songs of Love; Songs of Peace; Songs
with Good Choruses; Traditional Songs; Vocal Accompaniment for Folk-Style
Instruments; and Vocal Styles. If there are other subjects you would like
covered, let Bill know since the creative part of putting these workshops
together is great fun for him. Go to Workshop descriptions.
Lessons
Bill is available
to give lessons on most of the instruments he plays and presently gives lessons
at two locations in the
Select
Featured Performances and/or Workshops
Since its beginning
in Spring 2005, Bill has been the Music Coordinator
and an instructor for many weeklong and weekend courses for many instruments
and subjects at Folk Music at Weatherbury Farm in
Bill has led a
weeklong beginning autoharp workshop at the John C. Campbell Folk School
in
Some
of the events where Bill and/or Bill with one of his groups have performed concerts
and/or given workshops include: Algonquin Mill Craft Festival, Beaver Creek
State Park, Buckeye Dulcimer Festival, Canfield Fair, Central Ohio Dulcimer
Festival, Central Ohio Folk Festival, Chestnut Ridge Dulcimer Festival, Cleveland
Metroparks Art in the Park at Chagrin Reservation,
Columbiana County Fair, Columbiana County Historical Society, Defeated Creek
Dulcimer & Old Time Music Fest, Dulci-More
Festival, Emerald City Folk Festival, First Night Salem, Fort New Salem
Dulcimer Weekend, Great Dulcimer Round-up, Hale Farm’s Music in the Valley,
Harmony Harvest Campout, Hockhocking Folk Festival,
Johnny Appleseed Festival, Kent State Folk Festival,
Lawrence County Fair, Lisbon Historical Society, Little Mountain Folk Festival,
McKinley Museum Celebrations, Mill Creek Park and Morley Perfroming
Arts Pavilion at Mill Creek Park (opening for
Musical
& Performance Affiliations
Bill is the
Founder and Leader of Dulci-More: Folk & Traditional Musicians,
director of the annual Dulci-More Festival, a Charter Executive
Board Member who has served as President & Vice-President of Folknet:
Northeastern Ohio Folk & Traditional Music & Dance Society, Leader of
the Dulcimer Society of Trumbull County,
a Founding Member of the Canton Folksong
Society, the Mountaineer Dulcimer Club, Music Leader for Vespers and other
Services at the First United Methodist Church of Lisbon, and a Member of the
Leader
of Harmonica Play Along for Guinness World Record in 2007
On
I determined that
we would once again use Frere Jacques (Are You
Sleeping) as the song for everyone to play together. I chose the song for
several reasons. I wanted something that almost everyone would recognize so
that I would be teaching how to play the song rather than teaching the song and
how to play it. I wanted something short enough and with enough repetition that
I would have time to break it apart and teach it in very recognizable segments.
I wanted something that I could create some arrangement for (thought about
ahead of time, but done on the fly once I heard how well people were picking it
up). I wanted something that I could play and lead without thinking much about
it (very necessary since I am not really a harmonica player, but I understand
the instrument well enough that I have taught thousands of people the basics of
playing one).
Longtime Dulci-More member and harmonica player Don Blair (also the
most recent leader of the Steel Valley Harmonica Players and leader of the
Grooving Grandpas Harmonica Group), went along and organized a few other
excellent harmonica players from around the area to join us at the microphones
on the stage to help keep everyone together and sounding good. During the five
minutes that we needed to play the song to establish the record, everyone
played together a few times, just the men, just the women, just the children
all played on their own, and the whole group did the song as a round as well.
Photos, a description of the event, and a link to a YouTube
video taken from a crane looking down on the event are available at http://www.clemetparks.com/events/guiness.asp.
It was a fun event, and I was very pleased to continue a long association with
that festival and its predecessor and to be a part in establishing the official
Guinness World Record for the Largest Harmonica Play-Along up to that time.
Links to
Other Home Pages Developed by Bill
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Links to
Other Pages
These links may
be to other organizations with which Bill is involved, other sites that have
agreed to share a link with Bill and/or to include this page in their listings,
other sites that have provided a service to this page, other sites in which
Bill has an interest, or other favorite sites of Bill’s.
Contact Bill Schilling by e-mail.
Return to Bill Schilling’s Home Page.
Contact
Information
984 Homewood Avenue
Salem, Ohio 44460-3816
