INSTRUCTORS
Aisha Ivey earned her doctorate in music education from Florida State University. A champion fiddler, she has won the southeast United States Scottish Fiddle Championship for 10 years in a row (2006-2015). She has also won awards for her Irish, Old-Time and Scandinavian fiddle playing. Aisha is president of The Florida State Fiddlers Association and she teaches the Old Time Ensemble at Florida State University. She has recorded several CD's with different musicians and she has written some instructional fiddle books as well. Aisha is an active teacher, performer, researcher and promoter of traditional fiddle styles.
Gathel Runnels has played fiddle and banjo for over 40 years. Originally a banjo player he quickly switched to fiddle after discovering that his grandfather was an old time fiddler. Gathel has played with and learned from some of the early masters of bluegrass music and has performed with The Sullivan Family, Mac Wiseman, Chubby Wise, Carl Sauceman and the Green Valley Boys, Josh Graves, Joe Stuart, Jim Brock and others. He started out playing with John Stuart and the Bluegrass Five and has gone on to play with The Deep South, Sweet Dixie, The Bluegrass Parlor Band, The Sand Mountain Boys, Clear Blue Sky, Cottonmouth Creek, The Bluegrass Cartel, The Herb Trotman Band and many others. He currently plays with the Cedar Creek Drifters and regularly attends the Jacksonville Old Time Jam.
Drew Thomas grew up contra dancing while her parents played in dance bands in Central Florida. At festivals, she would idolize clogging groups before joining the Hot Pepper Steppers of Tallahassee in 2016. A welcoming force in the old time community, Drew will encourage any and every one to stand up and start tapping their feet. She is an active member of the Tallahassee Old Time community who can be found at jams playing banjo, guitar, a banjo ukulele, or clogging along.
Andy Martin earned his bachelor’s degree in music education from Florida State University. He has been playing banjo for over 40 years and has shared the stage with artists such as David Grisman, Del McCoury, Tony Rice, Blue Highway, and The Steep Canyon Rangers. Andy was a founding member of the critically acclaimed Dappled Grays, an Atlanta-based, new acoustic/bluegrass band, as well as 16 Tons, a traditional bluegrass band in Athens, GA. He began playing fiddle in 2006, which led him to the Old Time community. His 3-finger banjo style has evolved into a melodically oriented and rhythmically solid approach to various forms of traditional American music. He is the current Vice President of the Florida Fiddlers Association and is the author of Banjo Kung Fu: The Art of Listening. Andy is very excited to be sharing his talents at Sparrow!
