Will Branch's Weekend Folk Stardom

<strong>Will Branch</strong> is a certified teacher in the Music Together program and a bona fide weekend rock star. Off the Cuff spoke with him about hunting memoirs and newborn jam sessions.<br /><br /><strong><em>Your band's name, Fox &amp; Branch, sounds like a hunting memoir.</em></strong><br /><br />Zero creativity involved. My last name is Branch and Dave's is Fox. Our first gig was as &quot;Branch and Fox,&quot; but Dave has seniority.<br /><br />That was 15 years and nearly 1,000 shows ago. We've played festivals, clubs, restaurants, coffeehouses, libraries and schools. I do most of the singingalso guitar and banjo. Dave plays guitar, too, along with the fiddle and washboard.<br /><br />Locally, we play the last Sunday of every month at Anodyne Coffee in Bay View. It's an 11 a.m. show for children and parents, and it's free.<br /><br /><strong><em>“Music Together”isn't all music together?</em></strong><br /><br />Music Together is actually an international program. It's a body of music as well as an approach. Children develop musically just as they do verbally: by imitating, playing and making mistakes. Music Together creates a space for just that. It's a rich learning environment and fun.<strong><em><br /><br />Classes are for children (from birth through kindergarten) and caregivers. Do newborns really jam?</em></strong><br /><br />You're never too young. There are infants in several of my classes. They sit in their parent's lap and bounce to the music. There's a clear pattern of response that starts in infancy. They're absorbing.<strong><em><br /><br />What kind of music are we talking about?</em></strong><br /><br />Big repertoire300-400 songsfrom all cultures and traditions. There are unusual scales and time signatures. Most importantly, it all sounds greatgreat musicians, recorded and mixed well. That's important, because when a child has a favorite, they want to hear it over and over.<strong><em><br /><br />Do you hear them in your sleep?</em></strong><br /><br />My only music dreams contain new melodies. When I'm lucky enough to write them downI've written a few songs that way.<br /><br />I do have a Music Together favorite, though: one of the klezmer pieceswe do a circle dance to it.<strong><em><br /><br />Do your neighbors move a lot?</em></strong><br /><br />Well, the classes aren't taught at my house. Otherwise, I would get complaints. Other occupants of the building have talked to me. I try to arrange it so that everyone is happy.<strong><em><br /><br />If people are interested in joining the party?</em></strong><br /><br />Check out the websites <a href="http://www.mrwillsmusictogether.com" target="_blank">www.mrwillsmusictogether.com</a> and <a href="http://www.musictogether.com" target="_blank">www.musictogether.com</a>.