|
Mountain
Music School • July 27th - July 31st, 2009
About Mountain Music School
For many years, Mountain Empire
Community College (MECC) has trained and educated the
local workforce of Southwest Virginia. Equally
important, MECC has been the area's cultural center for
Appalachian crafts and music. For the past 35 years,
Home Craft Days has been the premier festival
celebration of Appalachian culture and music in the
region, for students and adults interested in learning
"claw-hammer" banjo styles and guitar. More recently,
the College has broadened the program offering classes
in string band, shape-note singing, beginning and
intermediate fiddle and traditional ballads.
The 5th Annual Mountain Music School will bring together
students of all ages for a week of learning, music, and
fun. The Mountain Music School is dedicated to the
preservation and continuation of Appalachian music and
culture and will offer "ear training" classes in
beginning "old-time" fiddle, claw-hammer banjo, folk
guitar, mandolin, dulcimer.
A string-band class for
intermediate/advanced musicians (guitar, banjo, fiddle,
mandolin, bass) will be offered if there is enough
interest. In the future, classes will be added as may be
requested by students.
The faculty from MECC's
traditional music program will include well-known local
musicians Todd Meade, Ron Short, Joan Short, and Steve
Souther. Students will also be treated to class visits
and afternoon concerts by master musicians. All
afternoon concerts will be open and free to the general
public as well. The Mountain Music School will wrap-up
on Friday afternoon with a celebration and
student/instructor concert open to family and friends of
students and faculty. All students will receive a
Mountain Music School tee-shirt.
The Mountain Music
School will enroll youth and adults ages 10 and over.
The School will be offered for one week July 27th - July 31st 2009
and will operate from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m., Monday
through Friday, on the Mountain Empire Community College
campus in Big Stone Gap, Virginia.
|
