This jam is especially designed for kids and beginners learning to jam. Classic family-friendly tunes from the Garcia/Grisman album “Not For Kids Only” will be played at a slower tempo and lyric sheets with chord changes will be provided. Bring your instrument and jam along. Participation is encouraged for all ages and levels!

Hosts:
Andrew ‘AJ’ Herkert is a Madison, Wisconsin–based musician, children’s author, and bluegrass enthusiast with 25 years in the festival community. He serves on the Sugar Maple Music Festival Music Committee, holds a Master of Arts from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, and previously resided and studied on the west coast with residencies in both Seattle and San Francisco. A Madison native, AJ resides in Dane County with his wife and their two children.

James “Jim” Carroll is based in Plymouth Wisconsin and aspires to be inspiring. He says he only knows enough to know he doesn’t know anything, just shows up and does his best. Definitely fell in love with festival culture and bluegrass music 5 years ago, and is hoping to make the spaces he’s in a better place using nothing more than a can do attitude. Just happy to be here!

Zac Loritz is a wisconsin based musican. He is 26 and started his musical journey 4 years ago at the age of 22. It started as a fun thing to mess around with and quickly turned into a lifelong passion. Seeing how music can bring so many people together from all walks of life inspired him to try and facilitate that for others. At the end of the day, he is a simple man, with a simple plan: Be musical, have fun, and somehow acquire 40 acres and chickens.

For more information and an advanced songbook, follow and message Andrew AJ Herkert on Facebook:  www.facebook.com/ajherkert 

Two sisters, Ella (age 10) and Grace (7) White are the latest recipients of the Helen Schneyer Memorial Scholarship for private lessons in violin.

Their interest in folk fiddling was sparked by attending the Sugar Maple Music Festival in the summer of 2023. There they saw MadFiddle perform, and Grace immediately said “I want to do that” and Ella said “Me too!” And just like that, their mother Katy White reports, “Two fiddlers were born.”

They consulted with MadFiddle director Shauncey Ali to learn the requirements to join, and get recommendations for private lesson teachers in the area, settling on Maria-Rosa Germain, with whom they began studying in October of 2023.

Ella started MadFiddle in 2024, and Grace joined in the fall of 2025, and according to their mother,

“absolutely LOVE it.” They have gone on the Mad Fiddle camping trip each year, and love to play folk music around the campfire. Since joining, they have played in all the concerts, attend weekly rehearsals, and practice daily at home.

They report that private lessons “teach you how to play violin… In MadFiddle, you have to already know how to play, and when you have the basics, you can explore other styles of music. Private lessons give you a base.”

The Helen Schneyer Memorial Scholarship was started by the Madison Folk Music Society with memorial contributions given to Mona Wasow, sister of the late folk singer Helen Schneyer. The scholarship is designed to provide an opportunity for applicants of any age to increase their appreciation for and performance of folk music.

Since Mona Wasow’s initial contribution, the scholarship fund has been supplemented by donations made at MadFolk concerts to the fretless guitar, and direct contributions from new and renewing MadFolk members. Donations and applications are always welcome, consult the madfolk.org website for details.

Congratulations Ella and Grace!

Reprinted from MadFolk newsletter with permission from author Meg Skinner

The Jam Class will be held by Bruce Thompson during the festival weekend at shelter #2

Are you curious about jumping into Bluegrass Jams but not sure where to start?

The Sugar Maple Music Festival is thrilled to host its first Wernick Method Jam Class at the festival this year, taught by Bruce Thompson! Class will be on-site both Friday afternoon and Saturday morning of the festival and requires registration separate from the festival.

For more information about the class, check out the class flyer here. Registration can be done onsite but pre-registration is preferred (and there’s a discount with pre-registration) through the Wernick Method website here.

Buy discounted tickets for our 23rd festival during this incredible one-day sale!

Deeply discounted two-day passes the 2026 Sugar Maple Music Festival will be on sale this year for one day only – Cyber Monday, December 1, 2025. Our 23rd annual festival promises to be extra special, and you won’t want to miss it. For just $40, you’ll be able to pick up a weekend pass for the July 31 and August 1, 2026 event. This same pass will cost $75 at the gate in July, so mark your calendar and don’t miss this chance to save $35 per ticket. Sugar Maple tickets make great holiday gifts! 

Order your cyber tickets on our ticket page (starting at 12:01 am December 1.)

Shauncey Ali is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, educator and author who blazes a creative path in the acoustic music world. His voice fuses a deep knowledge of American fiddle music with extensive experience in classical and Celtic orbits, a love for improvisation and sensibilities influenced by pop, rock and Scandinavian music.

Shauncey is the creator and director of MadFiddle, a youth violin ensemble that performs fiddle music from around the world. The group is comprised of students ages 5-17 and can be seen performing with the energetic adult backing band, Highway 151. MadFiddle has released three captivating recordings and appeared at saloons, opera houses and street corners.

In episode 3 of “Notes From The Jam Tent”, Ben Bice interviews Shauncey Ali, creator and director of MadFiddle. You can see Shauncey and MadFiddle perform on the main stage on Saturday at The Sugar Maple Music Festival.