Sporting their signature look of a simple red polo shirt and a fiddle in hand, the North Allegheny Fiddlers took to the Maywood Recording studio in McCandless recently to lay down some new, and old, tracks.

This is the third time that Dennis Morton, who started the NA Fiddlers in 2002, professionally recorded the musicians in action. With a collection of more than 200 fiddle tunes in their repertoire, Morton wants to share the variety of music with others.

“Most of the tunes we play are old-timey or Appalachia tunes that were played up and down the mountainous regions of the East Coast from the 1800s to the early 1900s. Pockets of communities had their own styles, and the music became popular with the invention of the phonograph and radio,” Morton said.

The group’s website at nafiddlers.net includes recordings and a selection of songs they play, such as “Old Virginia Reel.”

“It is almost like we are archiving history with these tunes. Some tunes are right from here in Southwestern Pennsylvania,” he said. “We do toss in some Scottish, Irish, Scandinavian, Cajun, and more, to mix it up, though.”

NA Fiddlers is made up of students from sixth through 12th grades. Many of the members already are in the school orchestra. But while orchestrally trained to read notes from sheet music, these fiddlers are taught to play in the traditional aural style or simply by ear, Morton said.

“In orchestra, students are encouraged to play the notes that are on the page the way the composer wrote them, but with the NA Fiddlers, we teach it by ear. Students can also add notes to the songs and improvise on some of the melodies by adding open strings,” said Morton, a strings teacher at McKnight Elementary School and a Franklin Park resident.

In addition to orchestra, some of the fiddler players also are members of the North Allegheny Golden Strolling Strings.

While called different names, it’s just one instrument.

“The fiddle is a violin and the violin is a fiddle. They are just played in different styles. If you play Bach/Beethoven/Mozart, it is a violin. If you play country/folk/bluegrass, it becomes a fiddle,” he said.

Fiddle music has a distinctive, lively tune.

“The fiddle provides a fun style that has a happy, bouncy feel. It is normally used at barn dances and keeps everyone on the same beat. Most people love the sound and can easily tap their toes to the songs,” Morton said.

To harness the skill of learning by ear, the NA Fiddlers participate in a weeklong fiddle camp in the summer. A local fiddler Mark Tamsula helps instruct various styles at the camp.

“At first, it takes some time to adapt to playing by ear, but after completing the workshop and participating in the ensemble for a few years, students can hear a song and play it without too much trouble,“ Morton said.

After the summer workshop, Morton sets up various performances throughout the Pittsburgh area, including church festivals, retirement homes and various school functions. Students get together and review the tunes and learn to play them faster.

Students do not need to be in the orchestra program to participate, but students do need to know how to play the string instrument, Morton said.

The school board has been very supportive of our group over the past 23 years, he said.

Sophomore Ananya Doizhode is a first-year fiddler with the group.

“I think the fiddlers are a lot different in that there is no formal sheet music, just playing by ear. There’s also a lot of different instruments and sounds. I’ve been able to try the banjo, bass and mandolin. Overall, it’s nice to have a unique experience that orchestra classes can’t provide,” said Doizhode of Marshall.

Junior Chloe Bayer has played the viola for nine years in the district and is in the Honors Chamber Orchestra. She has been with the NA Fiddlers for four years.

The viola and violin have similarities, but the viola is larger, deeper sounding and utilizes different techniques than the violin. One major difference between the two is the clef the instruments use — violas in alto and violins in treble, Bayer said.

“In NA Fiddlers though, it doesn’t matter if you play the viola, violin or cello because we all learn the music by ear. That’s what makes fiddlers unique,” said Bayer of Marshall.

Many of their performances are accompanied by other musicians playing different instruments. Unfortunately, the group’s longtime guitarist Dick Litz, a retired teacher both at McKnight and Franklin elementary schools, passed away in 2024.

Litz’s granddaughter was a member of the NA Fiddlers and played with him.

“Not only was Mr. Dick Litz a solid player, but he was a good friend and a colleague that I worked with at McKnight Elementary for many years. Yes, he will be missed,” Morton said.

When he died, the group received donations and purchased a banjo in honor of him with one of the artistic student members of the group designing artwork for the front of the instrument.

Several local musicians have been filling in for Litz since then, including Bob Smith, a parent of an fiddler from eight years ago, who plays guitar. Jason Mohr, a teacher at North Allegheny Intermediate, has offered to play guitar and mandolin as needed.

“Sometimes students that graduate come back and play with us. It is always cool to see their love of music carrying them beyond high school,” Morton said.

Next up for the group is the free indoor January Ice Jam Bluegrass Festival, which runs Jan. 16-17 at the Ramada by Wyndham in Beaver Falls. The NA Fiddlers are expected to perform around 2 p.m. Jan. 17.

To learn more about the NA Fiddlers and to view a schedule of performances, visit nafiddlers.net.

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