I’m very sad to say that The Beggarmen has come to an end. An epic project such as this can hardly go unacknowledged and yet my emotions are so tangled that writing a post about it seems almost impossible. I am very lucky to have been able to make music with these fine men and superb musicians for so many… Read More The Beggarmen (2001-2016)
This beautiful Irish landscape was created by my father-in-law Jon Dutcher as a gift for my parents. Regardless of how you feel about green beer or the question of the snake metaphor, today is a day to celebrate the depth of beauty and humanity in Irish culture now and for centuries past. If you’re looking for a… Read More A day to celebrate!
My cousin Linda posted this article on Facebook this week and I can’t get it out of my mind. It was published sometime in 1983. This is a profile of my paternal great-grandfather, Homer Rayburn. He grew up in Tennessee and raised his family in Niles, Michigan. I didn’t know him well because he died… Read More Lineage
I’m very proud to present our 8 year old son Atticus performing his original song “Flying Notes”: The lyrics are: “Notes fly, notes fly, notes fly, notes fly; flying notes, flying notes; sink down low, sink down low; back again, back again; here’s the ending of the song!” Beautiful and factual! You can see the… Read More Notes Fly
With the help of a grant from the Community Foundation of Johnson County (Iowa), the Iowa City Senior Center and its intergenerational folk choir, the Family Folk Machine, produced a music video for the song “Brown Gold,” which celebrates the wonders of composting. Our family is so delighted to be a part of this!
I’m so lucky and grateful to be in the band for the Family Folk Machine, a community folk choir based in Iowa City. The Family Folk Machine was founded by and continues to be directed by my friend Jean Littlejohn. Jean is an incredibly talented musician as well as a very warm and kind person and she is… Read More Blooming Where You’re Planted
Most of the time that we have a babysitter booked, we’re working. It might look like a night out on the town but it’s really a night out for everyone else. We’re on the job playing music. I mean, it’s really fun, sure. And yes, Joe and I are in the same band so we have… Read More Date Night
As a music teacher, one of the questions that I get most often from parents is “how early can we start music lessons?” The answer varies hugely from one child to another but without question, the best way to begin down the road of music making is to expose children to live music. As a… Read More Upcoming show at my favorite venue in Iowa City!
Here’s to a year of slow going, of taking time to putter, taking time to breathe, of “walking up the mountain rather than running up the hill” –Debbie Rosas Atticus and I up at the cabin before the polar vortex shoved us inside Nothing entrances like flame After only 11 short years and multiple rejections,… Read More Here’s hoping that 2014 proceeds as it began
Friends and family, I am asking a favor. This event means a lot to me, my music students, my son, and his dance school. Please consider attending, bringing your family, and telling everyone you know about it. You most definitely will not regret it. I’m attaching a note from Tréa Champagne, Director/Instructor at Champagne Academy… Read More 3rd Annual Irish Christmas Ceili
Tara McGovern 