The John C. Campbell Folk School Online Class Highlights!!

I'm at the Folk School with Marjorie Langston teaching glassbeadmaking this week via Lessonface. What a fantastic experience! I was concerned that the spirit of the school wouldn't translate to virtual learning but I shouldn't have worried a moment! Our class is full of sharing, learning, and laughter much like in-person classes. We were so busy today that I don't have pictures but I definitely plan to share several tomorrow! 

That is so great to hear Terry, the class looks so fun!  Excited to see photos of the work your students create!

Recent photo looking up to Orchard House from Tower House!
If you've never been to the Folk School this is a fairly well known view!

Holy wow- this is incredible!

Day 2 of our glass beadmaking class is almost over.  What an amazing and positive experience!  We have a wonderful group of 19 students who have helped us create that special Folk School feeling.  Support from Folk School and LessonFace staff has made this new experience almost easy and is so appreciated.  

So happy to hear that Marjorie! I can not wait to see photos of your set-up, as well as student/teacher work. Hope you enjoy the rest of the week!

I wasn't really sure how this endeavor would go, but it seems like it has worked well, at least for some of the students (the ones I have heard from). I wonder if the format doesn't work for others, though (who stay quiet). I'd love to see the Folk School keep offering online classes, which make them more accessible to more people. It would be great if we could reach the right people, though, and I'm not sure how to do that—if we just need to trust students to know when an online class is right for them, or if there are ways to describe the experience so potential students can better assess if they should sign up. I just hate the thought of disappointing anyone!

we are having so much fun!!! i've missed folkschool so very much and this class is gonna hold me over till i can come again! thank you so much folkschool, lessonface, terry and marjorie and tammy....you put a smile on my face!

kathy

Agreed! Emily, I know we can't eat the sticky buns, but if there is any way we could get a photo of the sticky buns...I am guessing this forum would be forever indebted to you.

My writing class met Saturday and Sunday this past weekend. Wow, what a great group of writers! Powerful words, great stories, and in a very brief amount of time. I'm pleased and proud of every one. We had students from San Diego, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Southport, North Carolina, and Georgia. Some had never attended the folk school in person, and I think the online format made it possible for them to participate easily. I too am hoping for more online classes--of course, I can't wait to get back on campus! 

Willy, I'm not planning to bake mine until the weekend, but here are some from the Folk School kitchen in a past class. :)

Oh my goodness Emily! These look absolutely perfect! I may need to take your class now...

Who knew Zoom would be such an effective way to teach clogging?! Many students have told me "pros" include:

--less expense, travel, and time commitment

--feeling more adventurous and less embarrassed to try out steps right in class--they can mute and turn off the camera at times

--close views of my feet during instruction

--easily watching archival dance videos through a shared screen

The downsides of course are that we are not in person with each other.  I would love to continue teaching this way as a supplement aspect of my work. It is a way to reach folks who for any number of reasons, cannot physically come to the Folk School.

I'm taking Terry Hale and Marjorie Langston's glass beadmaking class, with several friends I've met at their in-person classes at the Folkschool as well as several beadmaking friends from Atlanta where I live.  I love being there and taking those classes, but there is something really special about being with them even virtually.  And the demos are fantastic!  Everyone gets the best seat in the house, with their fabulous camera set-up!  We see all the details with perfect clarity!  I really hope we can continue with some combination of in-person learning with the Zoom when we are finally able to get together again!  I miss them all and I miss the Folkschool!  It is SUCH a wonderful place - magical!  Thank you for this!! 

What a joy to be able to return to the John C Campbell Folk School even if it is just virtually. This Lessonface platform is allowing us to visit with old friends and learn new glass magic tricks by the masters: Marjorie Langston and Terry Hale. It is so good to be with everyone and feel the Folk School community vibe. Hearing about all the improvements in the studio makes me homesick for a Folk School experience. Now if I just can get my dot mojo going I will be a happy!

Taking this online class, "Treasures from Glass and Fire" with Terry Hale and Marjorie Langston, has been just the thing I needed! After spending a year, working alone in my studio, I needed to see my glass peeps and to get a jolt of inspiration. The class has been super... very well organized and presented with ample time for questions and interaction between class members. It has served to remind me, once again, what is so special about JCCFS... how these classes feed our thirst for continued learning and like-minded camaraderie

. Thanks for making this opportunity possible!  

I am taking Marjorie and Terry's  virtual  "Treasures from Glass and Fire" presented by the John C Campbell folkschool and Lessonface.  I  must say that this is THE BEST virtual course I have taken (and I've taken a few).  It's clear that Campbell spent time upfront to select an excellent platform for the courses and as always spent time with instructors to develop content that is perfect for virtual learning.  As students, there are a number of us who know each other from previous Campbell in-person classes and from Marjorie and Terry's glass making "events".  What a nice reunion it has been to be able to see the faces of my friends and write them notes after having not seen them this last year.  I salute the Folk School on a winning series of virtual courses.  I want to take more!  

joEl, that black and white bead is so awesome!!! mojo level - off the chart!

It's sad not to be able to be at the Folk School in person, but I'm so glad you have decided to present some virtual classes! I am taking Marjorie Langston and Terry Hale's glass beadmaking class this week and it has been awesome! One of the few good things that have come out of this past year has been the discovery that so much can be done with virtual classes!  There's no question that I'll be back at the Folk School in person when I'm able, but I would like to hope that online classes will continue to be a part of the curriculum.  I will definitely be registering for more of them!

Thank you Folk School for giving us this opportunity, and thank you Terry and Marjorie for being such fabulous teachers and sharing your expertise and comaraderie with us in this incredible class!

Katrina Stone here!  We've recently completed  a Macrame Class on line!  How terriffic! 12 students from coast to coast all of whom were a joy!  We learned how to tie the knots, we learned the weaving...We also had a wonderful time talking about our past and future folk school experiences. We each made an original macrame with recommended materials in the colors of their choice.  They were great!  The students in the class were patient with my Zoom learning curve but I had much higher confidence with the 2nd class. Such a pleasure!  I have invited the students to post pics of their projects on this forum.  In the meantime here are a few of mine for your viewing pleasure. Thanks Lessonface team and the Folk School for extending the invitation to participate.

You are spot on with choosing Lessonface! I am excited to be participating in my first online course with Marjorie and Terry in Creation in glass and fire. I decided to try it because I knew the instructors as friends and knew their kindness would navigate me through my first online experience.  It couldn't have been better!. I am thankful for being able to connect with friends in class and have always enjoyed class format of John C. CAMPBELL  school.  Seeing the videos of classes later is so helpful! 

I can't believe it's already Friday!  Weeks at the Folk School are always faster than those anywhere else.  I've so missed the opportunity to be at the Folk School during the pandemic, and this week's online glass bead making class has been the perfect remedy.  Thanks to the Folk School, to Lessonface, and especially to Terry and Marjorie, our talented, patient and encouraging instructors, for making it happen.  The class has been wonderful -- the camera setups Terry and Marjorie have arranged has given us students the best possible view of the demonstrations, the class content has been very helpful and given us so much to practice and master, the chance to see pictures of beads other students made after the demonstrations has been an added benefit, and, even though we are present only on Zoom, the camaraderie is still there and lots of fun).  We have laughed a lot and I needed that.  I do miss the adult camp aspects of physically being at the Folk School (the Folk School's beautiful campus, the three meals a day cooked and cleaned up after by someone else, walks on the grounds, in-person Morningsong, and the chance to visit one on one with other participants), but I would definitely do this or another online class again.  Next week?

Thanks to the Folk School, LessonFace and Marjorie and Terry - what a fantastic week this has been! This was a learning experience far beyond what I thought possible from an online class. LessonFace was easy for me to use and close-up cameras permitted each of us to see demos from the best possible point of view. I enjoyed visiting with friends I already knew from the Atlanta area while getting to know and making new friends from distant states. It had the Folk School benefits of camaraderie and learning while making the class more economical and convenient for me than the on-campus experience. Marjorie and Terry shared their years of knowledge and expertise, with additional tips coming from  other students through the chat feature of LessonFace. I will definitely look for more online classes with Marjorie and Terry using LessonFace at the Folk School! Martha Fuerst

I am an amateur lampwork dabbler - I just do it for fun and a creative outlet. This platform allowed me to take my very first John C. Campbell class, Treasures from Glass and Fire with Terry Hale and Marjorie Langston. So much wonderful instruction and camaraderie was packed into the 5 day class! We had lots of demos on glass techniques, some shorter, some longer, and I LOVE that I can go back and view the videos for any part I need to see again. Sharing our work among the twenty or so in the class was a really fun part of each day, and added to my learning as well. we learn not only from the teachers, but each other, as well. The video feed was excellent and gave me a very close up view. The technology interface was easy - peasy and the one time I had a tech support question, the Lessonface people responded almost immediately. Although I love being in - person, I will definitely take another class this way again! Thank you for a terrific experience, can't wait for the closing ceremony!

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I have received some more of my beads out of the kiln, and I am super excited!

The raked dot (star) beads showed me new techniques and these are the best pendants I have ever made. Kudos to the terrific teachers!

The oval bead used several techniques we learned: Using raku, stringer control, murrini placement with trapped air bubble, leaves being pulled out of dots, and reduction colors.

Like so many, I was concerned about reaching all levels of students and not being present to tune a string, to listen individually, or just to hear a side comment that would lead me to better understanding of what folks are experiencing.  I certainly don't know if 100% of the students felt satisfaction, but the majority were very vocal in saying the experience was very positive for them and that learned a lot. Zoom music lessons are relaxing in a way because no one hears your mistake and you don't have that pressure of "keeping up" with everyone in group which often leads to frustration in a music class. I had a couple of folks say they were over their head, level wise, but knew it going in, and despite that learned so much from the others and had no regrets taking the class.  I did have some to experience conflicts with scheduling, family needs, etc, but they said they watched the video, so I didn't get as much feedback from them.  For many harp players, that live far from JCCFS, they want to fly to class, but they can't fly with their harps, so this was a perfect way to attend without worrying about transportation. Thanks for making this happen!