Find answers about our programs, scholarships, square dances, and how to support music education in Hampshire County.
We serve children and youth ages 8–18 from low-income households, with a special focus on families in Hampshire County and nearby rural communities where access to arts education is limited. Scholarships remove financial barriers to private lessons, group classes, and traditional square dance programming so that cost is never a reason to keep a person from participating.
Our primary service area is Hampshire County and neighboring communities in Hardy, Mineral, Morgan, and Frederick County, VA, reflecting the small towns and unincorporated areas where families often travel long distances for enrichment opportunities. Enrollment is open year-round, and students who enter the program can continue receiving support through age 18 as they grow in skill, confidence, and leadership.
We welcome students who may not otherwise have access to robust music programs — whether they attend public school, are home-schooled, or learn in other settings — creating chances for ensemble playing, kid jams, and performance that they might not otherwise have. Our programs are family-friendly, and parents and caregivers are encouraged to attend, volunteer, and take part in music and dance alongside their children whenever possible.
We are committed to making our programs as accessible as our small, rural venues allow, and we work with families to problem-solve around transportation, mobility needs, sensory preferences, and other disability-related accommodations in advance of each session or event.
Cacapon Music and Dance Foundation welcomes students and families of all races, ethnicities, gender identities, religions, and family structures, and we are committed to providing a respectful, affirming environment for all.
Folk music and dance are more than entertainment — they are how communities remember who they are, tell their stories, and welcome the next generation into something larger than themselves. In our corner of Appalachia, old-time tunes, ballads, and square dances carry the history, humor, and heart of the people who have lived here for generations, and when young people learn this music, they step into a living tradition that connects them to their neighbors, their elders, and the land they call home.
Square dancing matters because it brings people together across age, background, and experience, giving kids, teens, parents, and grandparents a rare chance to be true partners on equal footing. On a dance floor, everyone moves to the same beat, learns the same calls, and shares the same laughter, building confidence, empathy, and a deep sense of belonging with every figure.
In rural communities like ours, distance, cost, and limited programs can keep families from accessing sustained arts education, even though music is proven to support academic success, emotional well-being, creativity, and self-confidence in children. Cacapon Music and Dance Foundation exists to close that gap by offering high-quality, culturally rooted music instruction and multigenerational square dances close to home.
Cacapon Music and Dance Foundation (CMDF) grew out of a lifelong love for the local music of Hampshire County. Executive Director Dakota Karper grew up immersed in the rich heritage of old-time tunes played by neighbors and elders, and after years of offering lessons on the side, in 2017 she began teaching fiddle full-time from her living room.
2019 — With the support of friends, students, and neighbors, Dakota built and opened The Cat and The Fiddle, a small roots music school and community hub in Capon Bridge. That same year she partnered with The River House to launch the first "Music Makers" scholarships, helping families who needed financial support to access lessons.
2022 — As demand grew, an individual grant made it possible to start the Capon Bridge Square Dance, bringing multigenerational community dancing back to town on a regular basis.
2023 — The scholarship program and community events had outgrown what one person could hold alone, so Dakota gathered a small group of dedicated community leaders to form CMDF, which received 501(c)(3) status that same year. The youth scholarship program was rebranded as the Karper Creatives Scholarships and expanded, while the Capon Bridge Square Dance series received ongoing support and structure.
Today, The Cat and The Fiddle continues to operate as its own separate studio while partnering closely with CMDF to provide teaching space, instructors, and shared programming. Together, they have helped dozens of local children access music education and built a lively calendar of jams, workshops, and dances that keep traditional music at the heart of community life in and around Capon Bridge.