Deb Cavanaugh has been leading children through folk songs, movement, and instruments most kids won’t encounter anywhere else — and on October 2, her Music with Miss Deb program opens a new nine-week fall session at Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs. She brings mountain dulcimer, limberjack, and crankie to an interactive Friday morning built around singing, props, percussion, and a deliberate mix of traditional American folk songs alongside music drawn from other cultures.
About the Show
Music with Miss Deb is a family music class led by Cavanaugh, a roots musician, singer-songwriter, and self-described “artist educator” based in the Taconic Mountain foothills of upstate New York. The program runs nine sessions on Friday mornings and is designed for pre-K students and families. Each session draws on traditional folk material alongside songs from other cultures in what Cavanaugh calls “an organic learning environment” where rhythm, melody, and movement each get time.
Cavanaugh’s path to this work runs through decades of playing. She began singing as a toddler and was performing harmony by age three. Her musical range spans classical voice training, blues, rock, Motown, Old Time, traditional ballads, and Irish dance tunes. Her primary instrument is the mountain dulcimer, and she also plays the limberjack and crankie, instruments rooted in American traditional music that rarely turn up in a typical children’s music setting. David Van Pelt of Hillview Sounds has noted that “her reverence for the instrument rings through every note.” Her recorded work includes Tunes for Tots, a five-song EP, and Love Songs and Lullabies, a collaboration with her ensemble Dandelion Wine. In May 2019, she traveled to China to teach music in bilingual preschools, adding a chapter to a career that has always treated music education as a serious practice.
Venue & Logistics
Caffe Lena at 47 Phila St in Saratoga Springs is a folk club and listening room, and a natural home in the capital region for a program like this one. It is the venue where Cavanaugh has held three CD release concerts over the years. The October 2 session begins at 10:00 a.m.
Tickets
Enrollment in the nine-week series runs $120 for the whole family, one flat rate covering every Friday morning session. Scholarships are available for families who need financial support; interested parties should email the organization to inquire. Additional session dates are listed on the event page. Buy tickets