The Cat and The Fiddle- A private music school committed to helping students learn & love traditional music.
09/18/2025
A big thanks to all the folks who joined us for the Capon Bridge Square Dance last Saturday! It was a ton of fun and we look forward to doing it again in a couple of months. Mark your calendars for November 29th to make sure you don't miss the next one!
09/15/2025
We're happy to announce that Victoria Stanish is joining us as a music teacher at The Cat and The Fiddle! Tori plays and teaches a variety of woodwind and brasswind instruments including saxophone, clarinet, flute, trumpet, and trombone as well piano and voice. She also teaches stringed instruments for beginners and will be available for private lessons during after school hours.
Tori is the band director at Romney Middle School and a graduate of West Virginia University where she earned her degree in Music Education. She has taught private lessons for several years and has performed professionally in musical theater productions in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Her style combines strong musical training with a supportive and encouraging approach, so students feel confident while learning.
You can contact Victoria about music lessons by emailing [email protected] or texting (814) 673-2263.
09/10/2025
Square dance this weekend! We're just a few days away from the next Capon Bridge Square Dance on Saturday, September 13th. It will be starting at 6PM at the Capon Bridge Firehall. Music will be provided by the Critton Hollow Stringband and the caller will be Janine Smith.
Food won't served but you can bring a picnic dinner or support a local restaurant, some of whom will be offering a discount for square dancers on Saturday evening which you can find out more about then.
09/08/2025
Old Time Jam in Capon Bridge tomorrow night! Join us at The Cat and The Fiddle from 6 to 8PM, September 9th, for another evening of great old time tunes.
The next Capon Bridge Square Dance is less than two weeks away! Join us next Saturday, September 13th, from 6 to 9PM(or earlier for the Kids Barn Dance) at the Capon Bridge Firehall and enjoy an evening of fantastic music played by the Critton Hollow Stringband and fun dances from Appalachian tradition called by Janine Smith.
08/25/2025
The second Tuesday Night Capon Bridge Old Time Jam of the month is coming up tomorrow evening! We'll be jamming from 6 to 8PM on August 26th at The Cat and The Fiddle. Hope to see you there!
08/21/2025
Hey folks! Wanted to let everyone know that due to a scheduling conflict with the previous date earlier in November, the Fall Recital for The Cat and The Fiddle students has been moved to Sunday, November 30th, from 2 to 4PM. The recital will take place in the Old Capon Bridge Middle School building.
08/18/2025
We're excited to spread the word that Kate Warren will be joining us as a piano and ukulele teacher at The Cat and The Fiddle! Kate has done an excellent job leading the Kittens Clubhouse Early Music Education summer program at the school and she'll now also be offering private lessons in classical piano for beginner to advanced students and ukulele for beginners.
Kate Warren holds a Bachelor's degree from Shepherd University in Music Education and has over 5 years of teaching experience. She is also a trained Piano Tuner, Sound Healer, and offers gig work for performances and private events. As a teacher, she aims to help all her students unlock their musical potential through individualized lessons and performance opportunities. Kate feels that the joy of connecting through music is something that should be experienced by people of all ages.
You can get in touch with Kate about music lessons by emailing [email protected] or texting (571) 416-0705.
08/14/2025
The next Capon Bridge Square Dance is coming up one month from now! Join us at the Capon Bridge Firehall on Saturday, September 13th, from 6 to 9PM for an evening of great music and dances with the community. Janine Smith will be our caller and Critton Hollow Stringband will be providing the music.
08/11/2025
We'll be back to jamming at the The Cat and The Fiddle tomorrow night! Join us from 6-8PM on Tuesday, August 12th for another great evening of old time tunes with friends.
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Embracing that yearning that many of us have experienced, The Cat and The Fiddle was born from two people deciding to step away from a corporate life in the city to find a simpler way of living in rural West Virginia. At the end of 2016 Richard and Dakota Karper moved from Baltimore, MD to Hampshire County, WV where Dakota has been teaching fiddle from her living room and various pop-up locations in the area. Quickly outgrowing these spaces and with more than 20 students, the time has come to build a building.
The name “The Cat and The Fiddle” comes from the age old nursery rhyme “Hey di**le di**le, the cat and the fiddle, the cow jumped over the moon, the little dog laughed to see such sport, and the dish ran away with the spoon.” A delighted Dakota as a small child would have this rhyme told to her over and over by her mother. This was the first introduction to the word ‘fiddle’ that would someday become one of her greatest passions in life.
It is our hope that The Cat and The Fiddle will become the place where many people fall in love with music and learn to play an instrument for the first time. This music studio will be a place that not only teaches fiddle, but with 4 classroom spaces and a workshop area, many teachers can come together to provide weekly lessons in Fiddle, Banjo, Mandolin, Guitar, Bass, Piano, Vocals and more. Besides weekly private lessons, it will be place for visiting musicians to teach workshops, jams to be held, and possible plans to include after school programs and early development classes.
Construction is scheduled to begin in Capon Bridge, WV in early 2019 with a goal of a grand opening by the end of the summer.