mmg.com.au

Buskers will entertain residents on the streets of Rochester on Friday morning as part of the Girgarre Moosic Muster.

The seventh annual Moosic Muster starts in Girgarre on Friday and continues until Sunday.

Free concerts, open mike sessions, community jamming and more than 20 free workshops will be on offer from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon.

There will be 28 workshops which include guitar, banjo, mandolin, double bass, percussion, ukulele and violin, different playing techniques, musical theory, singing skills, poetry, and clogging, a form of traditional dancing.

Rochester resident Di Burgmann is the workshop convener at the event and believes it is going to be one of the biggest musters to date.

“If it’s not too hot we are expecting big things,” she said.

“We’re looking forward to it, I think it’s going to be a buzzer.”

She said the most popular workshop last year was singing as it was “non-threatening” as it did not include an instrument.

She said the workshops on Saturday would be the highlight for musicians starting out and the concerts on Friday night would give more advanced musicians a chance to display their skills.

Moosic Muster director Jan Smith said the muster’s tutors could have people playing, singing or dancing within an hour.

Mrs Burgmann said last year more than 500 people passed through the workshops.

"We are so grateful for the people who volunteer their time (to run) the workshops,” she said.

She said the festival began with musicians at the monthly Girgarre Market which began expanding until the idea of the annual Moosic Muster was formed.

“It was a few musicians from Melbourne playing under a tree on a haybale (at the Girgarre Market), and then it went from 12 to 50 (musicians),” she said.

Mrs Burgmann said children would be able to take part in ukulele and guitar tuition, singing, poetry, and simple instrument making on Saturday morning.