In this west-central Minnesota town, fiddle jams draw players from ages 3 to 86
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In every corner of Minnesota, there are good stories waiting to be told of places that make our state great and people who in Walt Whitman’s words “contribute a verse” each day. That's the theme of our series “Wander & Wonder: Exploring Minnesota’s unexpected places.”
Darlene Schroeder was a late bloomer on the fiddle.
It was an instrument she had loved since childhood, when her grandfather played fiddle at barn dances. She remembered that there was joy in the music and the community it created.
A decade ago, Schroeder decided to learn to play fiddle herself after retiring from a career at the Minnesota Department of Human Services.
It wasn’t long before she was jamming with other fiddlers. The players coalesced into a group they dubbed the Sunburg Community Fiddlers.
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Schroeder was asked to give lessons to some local kids. So they opened the group up to players who might not know how to hold a fiddle, but nevertheless share a love of music.
Today, the group, which now falls under the broader umbrella of Sunburg Community Music, draws together players ranging from age 3 to 86. It holds monthly music workshops, individual lessons and four concerts a year. Every June the city of Sunburg helps put on a music camp.
Instruments are free to use and there's no charge for lessons.
At a recent Saturday workshop at Hope Lutheran Church, one of the venues where the group regularly gathers, beginners squeaked through the basics, while professionals made everyone stop in their tracks and listen.
Shroeder, the unpaid impresario behind the organization, flitted around the room, her grey hair pulled into a ponytail, helping players with their instruments.
“We don't have aspirations for becoming a great orchestra,” said Schroeder. “What we're really happy about is making music in community. That’s our core value.”
As the group expanded in recent years, Schroeder started buying old fiddles, then guitars, mandolins, ukuleles and a couple of basses so more people who lacked an instrument would be able to participate.
She successfully procured grants from entities like the Southwest Minnesota Arts Council-Willmar Area Community Foundation, and pulled in funds from local donors.
“It's my quality of life,” Schroeder said. “It's what I want to do. I think it makes a difference in people's lives and in families' lives.”
Schroeder’s passionate about the value of generations playing music together and is known for her zeal in recruiting new players.
“I walked into preschool, and Darlene was there and said, ‘Do you want to play the violin?’” recalled 9-year-old Nora Paulson. “And I'm like, sure.”
But Nora’s mom, Renee Paulson, was less sure about committing because of one of the rules. Schroeder would teach kids for free, but a parent had to learn, too.
“And I thought to myself, ‘I'm not sure that that's gonna work out, because I have zero musical background,’” said Paulson.
Paulson decided in the end to go for it and learned to play violin alongside Nora. Now she’s taking on the bass.
Paulson said she appreciates how supportive Schroeder has been with her daughter, sitting alongside Nora when she played in church to help ease her fear.
“I want to be really good,” said Nora. “I want to make over my fear of stage fright.”
Her mom loves how welcoming and non-judgmental musicians are in the group.
“They don't care if you're good or bad, and they're willing to help you get better,” Renee Paulson said. “And it's just so good for the soul to hear the music come together."
Schroeder’s 33-year-old son Dempsey helps lead the sessions. He’s an accomplished string player and enjoys mentoring others, “watching them grow” each time they get together.
Maggie Harp, a retired 78-year-old music teacher, has been playing with Dempsey Schroeder for years and now also helps bring along the younger players at the community gatherings.
Harp said it’s a place where beginners can play alongside professionals and feel supported, not intimidated. “There's not a lot of places where people can just come and play and not be threatened,” she said. “We've got something really unique here.”
The group is growing as people come from surrounding communities to join, which Darlene Schroeder takes as evidence that the concept is resonating with people looking for community.
“There's a lot of people who have a hard time with all the things going on nationally, having a positive attitude. And for me, it's like, then we go do music.”
