Bringing The Kids Into Bluegrass Music

Stan Hitchcock with son Scott and nephew Alex We had an old fashioned musical Christmas. It was a big family gathering in Danville, California with four excellent musicians, and a 17 member appreciative audience that contributed loudly during sing-alongs. The musicians were Stan Hitchcock, son Scott along with nephew Rev. Michael Sharps and son Alex. It was our own private bluegrass concert complete with folding chairs! I always knew that my nephew Michael was talented musically, a gift his Rio Vista congregation now enjoys, but I was really impressed with my 16 year-old grandnephew Alex, who improvises like a veteran musician. It seems that Alex has tapped into the California Bluegrass Music Association’s Kids on Bluegrass program, which offers opportunities for young musicians to train with professionals at music camps statewide.

Nationwide the Foundation For Bluegrass Music program, Bluegrass in the Schools, is working to provide materials and support to educators, schools, libraries and home school curriculums so that a new group of young musicians and fans can grow-up in bluegrass. I spoke with Nancy Cardwell, the “go-to” person for Bluegrass in the Schools at the International Bluegrass Music Association. Nancy told me that with funding for arts and music education being sliced from school budgets the Bluegrass in the Schools program offers an innovative resource to fill in the gaps.

It seems that musicians are donating time, festivals are folding in teacher trainings (check out the upcoming schedule for Wintergrass Festival in Bellevue, Washington, Feb. 25-28) and instrument makers are lending their products to ensure that roots music stays vibrant and grows with a continuous flow of young new musicians and fans. “You hear about developing a lifetime sport, well bluegrass is like a lifetime activity” says Nancy. “What the young people learn and keep from bluegrass music is a lifetime appreciation and activity so different from the Tuba that they check in at graduation!”

Take a look at the links below and pass it on information to educators in your area. Let them know you will work with them.

I would like to hear about what you are doing to bring kids into roots music and I will let others know.