Well, their application has been approved, and they will soon be accepting students who will receive a Bluegrass degree upon graduation. Students in the existing  BCOTM program should be able to transfer onto the degree track as well.

This will not be a music degree, but students will take many of the same courses that are required in a music program, all with a focus on bluegrass and traditional music.

McLain told us on Friday that he was very excited about this news, and he promised to get back to us soon with more information.

Congratulations to ETSU for this milestone – and to McLain, Jack Tottle and Richard Blaustein, who have worked tirelessly for years to achieve this status.

She was in attendance with her husband, Terry Baucom, and sent us this report.

“Terry was an instructor, along with Tom Adams, Mike Scott, Jim Rollins and Bill Emerson. Josh Goforth worked with the old time players on clawhammer and Tom McKinney was on hand for banjo set-up. There were over 50 participants this year.

A Faculty Concert was held on Friday evening, where I was honored to join the instructors as bass player and tenor singer, as Tom Adams played guitar and sang lead and Terry baritone. That was a lot of fun and was followed by a big jam session with the students. On Saturday night, Bill Emerson & The Sweet Dixie Band performed.”

The event must have gone well, as event producer Rod Johnston has already made plans to do it again in November, 2010.

Or you may find sidemen touring together while their primary musical employers are taking some time off for the holidays. There are two such mini-tours for the end of 2009 that should be of interest to bluegrass and acoustic music fans.

First up, The Nedski-Mojo Show, which began this past weekend, and continues through next week. It features banjo picker Ned Luberecki, who performs with both Chris Jones and Larry Cordle, and guitarist Stephen Mougin, who works with Sam Bush. Both are superb musicians and singers, and Ned could easily hold forth for half the show as a stand up comedian.

They have a string of concerts and workshops along the east coast leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday and you can be sure to catch a highly entertaining and musically challenging program if they stop near you. A full list of dates can be found on Facebook.

Then in December, mandolinists Adam Steffey and Kym Warner will tour together briefly in Virginia and Maryland, billed as Mandolin Sessions.

Steffey may be the most prominent bluegrass mando man in the biz these days. He has been named Mandolin Player of the Year six times by the IBMA, and his current CD and DVD releases are hits with the public. Most folks first came to know his music when he was a member of Alison Krauss & Union Station, and he has toured since with Mountain Heart and now, Dan Tyminski.

Warner is a founding member of The Greencards, a fascinating, genre-bending outfit of acoustic musicians who formed in the US, though none were native born. Kym hails from Australia, but lives now in Nashville.

You can find information about the Mandolin Sessions dates at Mandolin Cafe.

Also neglected in this area are upright bass players, the unsung heroes of the bluegrass band. A new event scheduled for January 2, 2010 is a step towards remedying that, starting with a one-day workshop in Roanoke, VA.

Billed as the Bass Strummit, it will feature instruction from Jason Moore, the celebrated bassist with Mountain Heart, assisted by co-host Mike Conner, along with instrument set up tips from bass repair specialist, Jerry Fretwell. Conner tells us that they are starting small, but have plans to expand if the first Strummit is successful.

“We can take up to 20 students in January. If this one goes well, we’re probably going to schedule something quarterly in different regions of the country, like DC, Nashville, and the northeast.”

Moore tells us that they will cover basics like left and right hand technique, practice habits, tuning and pitch, instrument setup plus more advanced skills like percussive sounds and hand positioning for certain tones and effects. He was also unwilling to accept credit for inventing something new.

“I don’t know of an all bass event being held before, but I am sure somebody has done it. There is no way Mike and I have come up with a new concept. : )

I really haven’t been teaching long but I do enjoy it. It has made me look at what I do instead of just doing it. I never really paid attention to myself until I had to explain something. It has made me a better musician and it is always good to have your bass in your hands.”

Jason did, however, credit Mike Conner with the idea for the Bass Strummit. Conner is the promoter for FiddleFest, an annual two day festival on the campus of Hollins University, near Roanoke.

“Mike was instrumental in this. I started giving lessons a while back, and after Mountain Heart played the Fiddlefest in Roanoke, Mike asked me about lessons. I told him to just come down to the house and we would see what we could do. He worked it out to be here all day and we covered a lot of ground. He did well and said he had an idea to try to get more people involved in the learning process. One thing led to another and here we are.

I consider this a great opportunity for myself. If I can help one person get better at something they enjoy, I have done something important. Music is a gift and I along with a lot of other people tend to forget that and turn it into a job. That is not always a good thing.

Music is meant to be enjoyed and if I can help people get more enjoyment out of it, I feel very good about that.

Many thanks to Mike for all of the leg work too. He is the best, and is a good bass player in his own right.”

The site is Mill Mountain Theater Atelier, an historic restored hotel in downtown Roanoke. Registration and accomodation details can be found online.

Instruction was provided by a team of resophonicians including Ickes, Curtis Burch, Cindy Cashdollar, Dave Giegerich, Jimmy Heffernan, Orville Johnson, Randy Kohrs, Megan Lovell, Sally Van Meter, Lou Wamp, and Michael Witcher. Noted builders Paul Beard and Tim Scheerhorn were also on hand.

Rob explained what went down…

“ResoSummit 2009 brought together more than 100 resonator guitar enthusiasts in Nashville last week — participants, faculty, and luthiers — for three days full of workshops and four nights of performances and after-hours jams. It was definitely ‘Total Dobro Overload’ by design, with the goal of sending participants home with enough materials, ideas and especially inspiration to make the next year a highly creative and productive time in their musical lives. We had participants this year from all over the United States as well as Germany, Israel, Ireland, and the U.K., and at every level from beginner to very advanced. Every year, this event sells out quickly, because as one past participant said, it truly is ‘like fantasy baseball for reso-players.’

This was our third year, and we’ve tentatively scheduled the fourth ResoSummit for the last weekend in October in 2010.”

ResoSummit photographer Lee Hiers sent along a number of photos to showcase the spirit of the weekend

This 3 day program (March 9-11) brings together people from a wide swath of the bluegrass world for a unique, guided, networking and educational experience.

As they describe it officially…

The purpose of the Leadership Bluegrass program is to pull together a cross section of people with exhibited or potential leadership qualities into a network of learning and communication. The results will foster a broad-based understanding of the total needs of the bluegrass community, which will help participants better prepare to determine the goals of the particular organization, company or group in which they choose to serve.

Leadership Bluegrass seeks to explore bluegrass music and its place in the larger world of entertainment through:

• A systematic study of the business of bluegrass, its institutions and organizations, their needs, problems and resources
• Exposure to a wide variety of current music leaders and notable persons
• Encouraging independent thinking, fresh perspectives and approaches. It is not intended to “indoctrinate” or pass on the current leaders’ views and ideas.
• Acquaintance with relevant issues facing bluegrass, their history and future possibilities
• Involvement of all related facets of the music industry which impact bluegrass
• High quality interactive sessions for the participants.

The fee for Leadership Bluegrass is $300 for IBMA members and $370 for non-members. Candidates are selected competitively, so acceptance is not guaranteed.

Find all the pertinent details online.

Stephen plays guitar and sings with Sam Bush. He knows his way around bluegrass harmony, and he’s come up with a learning tool that is top notch.

His recording studio, Dark Shadow Recording, has produced two CDs designed to help you learn to sing harmony naturally.

Bluegrass Tenor Singing (featuring Russell Moore)
Bluegrass Baritone Singing (featuring Ronnie Bowman)

What Stephen has done is to take five traditional bluegrass songs, and produce a great quality recording of each one. The songs are:

• Little Cabin Home On The Hill
• Mr. Engineer
• Blue Ridge Cabin Home
• My Little Georgia Rose
• How Mountain Girls Can Love

I spent some time with the tenor CD and it’s great. The recordings are well done and these are quality arrangements worth learning. The band consists of Adam Steffey (mandolin), Megan Lynch (fiddle), Ned Luberecki (banjo), Daniel Hardin (bass), and Stephen Mougin (guitar). The vocals, the focus of the project, are sung by Stephen (lead vocal), Russell Moore (tenor), and Ronnie Bowman (baritone).

The first track for each song presents you with the full mix of the tune so you can get a feel for what the finished product should sound like. We all like to sing along with recordings, so go ahead do so, but be sure to spend some time just listening as well. Listen to the blend of the three vocals.

The second track for each tune consists of just the choruses of the song, cut together back to back, with only the band and the lead vocal. This track is important. It will help you learn the melody, as well as the phrasing and dynamics. I worked with Little Cabin Home On The Hill, and noticed that the final chorus is a bit different than the others. It’s got a minor little frill that sets it apart. This is common in bluegrass, and I’m glad they included it in the arrangement.

Once you’re comfortable with the melody, phrasing, and dynamics of the song, you can move on to the third track. This track is identical to the second, back to back choruses, with the tenor (or baritone, depending on which CD you’re working with) vocal, and no others. This allows you to hear the part you’re trying to learn. Still in the context of the band, you’ll hear where the harmony part lies within the chords. You can repeat this track until you’re confident that you know the part, then move on.

The fourth, and final, track for each tune is the same as the first, but with the harmony part removed. On the tenor CD, you’ll hear the full mix of the song, solos and verses included. On the choruses however, you’ll hear only the lead and baritone vocals. It’s up to you to provide the tenor part. This provides you with a sort of “jam along” track, where you can try out your new skills.

This is a great way to learn these parts, and I think you’ll learn more than just the five songs included on the disc. You’ll learn to hear where the parts are, and should be able to take your new skills and figure out the harmony to other songs as well.

The Bluegrass Harmony Training Series CDs are sold individually for $15 + S/H or you can purchase both the tenor and baritone CDs as a package for $25 + S/H.

Here’s a video introduction to the series.

Wernick has long been known as a pioneer in bluegrass banjo instruction. His beginner book, Bluegrass Banjo, has sold better than 200,000 copies and his many instructional DVDs are also popular items. He was also a member of Hot Rize, a festival phenomenon in the 1990s who still performs reunion shows. Pete performs these days with Flexigrass, and as a duo with his wife, Joan.

His 25th Anniversary Winter Banjo Camps will be held in January 2010 at The Boulder Inn (Best Western).

• January 4-9: Basic Skills Banjo Camp
• January 11-16: Intermediate Banjo Camp
• January 18-23: Advanced Banjo Camp

Full details about these camps, including how skill levels are determined, can be found at www.drbanjo.com.

From a group of pickers at the 1984 Diamond Lure Bluegrass Festival in Ellijay, GA, SEBA has grown to more than 800 members, with 9 chapters in 3 states (GA, TN, SC). Their web site contains an exhaustive listings of events near their chapter cities, including SEBA sponsored jams and pickings, appearances by local (member) bands, and festivals, workshops and concerts throughout the southeastern US.

Their Silver Anniversary Superstar concert will be held on October 24 at the Gwinnett Performing Arts Center in Duluth, 30 miles north of Atlanta. Headlining are two award-winning bluegrass acts that despite their many successful recordings, are only rarely found performing live: Longview and The Daughters of Bluegrass.

Longview consists of top bluegrass artists JD Crowe on banjo, Ron Stewart on fiddle, Don Rigsby on mandolin and vocals, Lou Reid on guitar and vocals, James Kinhg on guitar and vocals, and Marshall Wilborn on bass. They have 3 albums on Rounder Records, most recently Deep In The Mountains in 2008. Membership has varied substantially since the band launched in 1995, designed to showcase traditional bluegrass.

Similarly, Daughters Of Bluegrass formed to showcase the many talented ladies who pick and sing. They have 3 CDs, also featuring a large varied cast of characters, primarily organized by North Carolina band leader Lorraine Jordan. More than 4 dozen top female artists have recorded with this group, tanging from fresh-faced teens to, well… highly-experienced women. For the 10/24 show, the band will consist of Dale Ann Bradley on guitar, Gena Britt-Tew on banjo, Frances Mooney on bass, Tina Adair Dishman on mandolin, Lisa Ray on fiddle, Lorraine Jordan on mandolin, Jeanetta Williams aon bass, and Mindy Rakestraw on guitar – all contributing as vocalists.

Before the show, SEBA will sponsor a full day of workshops, including sessions with Ron Stewart on banjo and fiddle, Don Rigsby on mandolin and vocals, and Dale Ann Bradley on guitar. You can see the full workshop schedule online.

Congratulations to SEBA for their Silver Anniversary – here’s to 25 more!

But lest you think the DVD itself is a joke, here is the real trailer, which offers a glimpse of what is actually covered in this 4 hour presentation, titled Become A More Complete Fiddler.

Click here to view the embedded video.

He takes Banks Of The Ohio and Pretty Polly and demonstrates them down in 3 different keys. Before going over them, Jim breaks down the scale and common positions for each key in turn. He shows where to find the melody, and where adjacent double stops are located, as well as licks and phrases that suit each song. He also goes over the different scales that inform these two songs, one in a diatonic major key, and the other based on a Dorian, “mountain modal” scale.

Attention throughout is given to both playing a melody-based solo and what a fiddle can do to assist the band sound in accompaniment. A booklet with transcriptions is also included.

The DVD will begin shipping next week (9/22) and AcuTab is accepting orders now. More details can be found on the AcuTab site.

Childsplay has an educational side to their endeavors, and will be releasing a series of free, online instructional videos for musicians interested in traditional fiddle styles and techniques.

In this first entry, Bonnie Bewick, who performs with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and teaches at the Boston Conservatory, offers advice about bowing.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Craig captures a good many scenes of the students in their classes and music labs, plus comments from program director Raymond McLain, adjunct faculty members Barry Bales and Adam Steffey, and country music star Kenny Chesney, who was a student in the program before he ever made a stab at Nashville.

He also speaks with Rhonda Vincent, whose two daughters attend ETSU, and whose fiddler, Hunter Berry, also went to the school. We also hear from current students who have traveled from all over the world to study traditional American music in East Tennessee.

You can find out more about this valuable resource for young bluegrass musicians online.

Guitarists anywhere in the world can sign up for lessons using Skype, free software that enables two-way video/audio chat. You can download Skype, but will need a video-enabled computer and either a built-in or aftermarket video cam.

Russ has released a number of fine CDs that feature his original compositions and his creative, often understated guitar playing. He has also been involved with influential groups like Fiddle Fever and landmark recordings like Skip, Wobble & Hop. Homespun has produced a number of instructional tapes and videos where he shares his wisdom with flatpickers.

Russ asks that anyone interested in lessons via Skype to please contact him by email.

Sierra Hull, the 18 year old fret wizard from central Tennessee will also soon be packing her grip for the long, long trip to New England, where she will study at the Berklee College of Music in Boston.

Like most high school seniors, Sierra spent a lot of time this past year pondering college, but unlike most of her contemporaries, she was also considering the trade-offs between furthering her education and pursuing an already burgeoning career as a performer and recording artist. Her debut CD, Secrets, was released in 2008, she fronts her own band (Highway 111), and maintains a very active touring schedule all over the US and Canada.

Recently, Sierra shared some of the thoughts that passed through her mind during the decision-making process.

“Berklee was really the only school that made me think very much about actually going on to study music at a college level. Prior to thinking about Berklee, I really didn’t imagine going to college due to the fact that I really want to tour a lot and do what I love – be on the road, make records, play with a band, etc.

They first contacted me when I was a sophomore in high school and at that point I’d never even heard of Berklee. They wanted to let me know that if I was considering studying music after high school that they’d love to have me come to school there. I didn’t think all that much about it then, until people starting saying… ‘Berklee! Wow… that’s a great school!’ So when my senior year of high school rolled around, I really started thinking that it was probably a good idea to at least have options, and that I should pursue the idea a little more and see what all Berklee had to offer. Alison Krauss really encouraged me to at least go check it out.

So… in February, I spent 3 days in Boston touring the college, meeting instructors and students, and discussing my situation. I was amazed to see how supportive Berklee really was of musicians that already have careers going and my current situation. After all – isn’t that the whole idea? For a music school to uplift and support musicians who choose music as a career? I guess it just took a while for me to realize just how supportive they were going to be. I immediately realized upon my visit in February that I was going to be very supported whether I decided to come to school at Berklee, or whether I decided to just go ahead and play music full time.

That really helped the pressure level along the way, and made me respect the staff and faculty very much.”

Berklee was indeed very interested in Sierra. At IBMA 2008, Berklee President Roger Brown was lobbying her hard – not unlike a coach recruiting a standout ball player they hoped to sign. Wherever she was, Brown or Berklee professor David Hollender was sure to go.

I’m sure that the attention was flattering, but moving to New England proved to be the biggest hurdle for her to leap.

“With all of these things pending with Berklee, I still hated the fact that Boston is such a long way from home. That in itself made the decision harder than you’d probably know. Having traveled a lot in the last few years, I’ve not been one to get homesick very much, but I imagine moving that far from home will bring a great deal of that along the way. With that in mind, I started thinking – ‘you know, if Berklee was in Nashville, there would be no question! I’d just go to school there.’ It was then that I started looking into Belmont University.

Claire Armbruster set me up with a visit there and we went to check it out. Belmont is such a beautiful and highly respected school and one that I would have enjoyed going to as well. Being in Nashville would have been so ideal also. However, it is not a fully focused music school and the music scholarships available there are much lower than Berklee, so that also influenced my decision.”

Sierra told us that she hasn’t yet decided where she will focus her studies at Berklee.

“There are so many options, that I almost feel like it’ll be hard for me to know until I get up there and actually experience it on some kind of level. Of course it would make sense for me to study mandolin, but I’d also really love to take some vocal classes and really learn to improve my singing as well.

I don’t know how to read music either, so I’d love to learn how to read as much as possible.”

She is also the recipient of Berklee’s Presidential Award scholarship, offered to only 3 or 4 incoming students each year. It is a “full ride” scholarship, never before offered to a bluegrass musician.

“I never imagined that they would give me of all people this scholarship, but I’m really grateful that they did. In fact, it’s probably the deciding factor in why I have decided to go to school. As you would imagine, Berklee is a really, really expensive school. With this scholarship, I am able to go to school completely free. It covers all of the tuition, the registration fees, housing and food as well as a free laptop.”

Having discussed this question with her at some length last year, I was curious what led her to to choose school and gigging over focusing full time on performing.

“There were a lot of factors that made me finally decided to give Berklee a try. I certainly put a lot of prayer and tears into the decision and still feel a little nervous about it all, but I do believe that God will lead me in the right direction. After all, He’s really the only one that knows what’s best for me in the long run.

Anyone that knows me, knows how much I love playing music, and how much I have longed to get out of high school and play music full time. There’s no way for me to try to put playing festival and gigs on the back burner completely to go to school, and I would never do that because that is where my heart truly is.

I was able to maintain a pretty busy tour schedule being in high school through working hard and having teachers that really understood my situation. I really feel like Berklee is going to be a similar environment. They all know where I am coming from and understand my situation and desire to continue touring and playing with the band.”

We also asked Sierra what she values in a music education, even as her professional career is taking off.

“The things you can learn with music are completely endless. I don’t believe that anyone could ever learn everything there is to know. So, in my opinion, just going to school doesn’t mean that you will learn everything you need to know in order to have a good career. I believe everything I have learned about music so far to be from personal experiences throughout the past 9 years. I’d still feel positive about just deciding to put school on the back burner and touring full time.

However, I really feel like God is giving me such a great opportunity to hopefully have the best of both worlds. Going to a school like Berklee will certainly just broaden my musical visions and open a lot of doors that I might not get to experience otherwise.

I’m not a believer that college is for everyone. For myself, I am totally someone who would enjoy going to college. I’ve always been one to study hard in school and do my best to make good grades. But if someone doesn’t have the drive it takes to actually go to college and soak in as much as they can, I think it can be a waste of time and money.

I’d definitely encourage it to those who have a hunger for learning and want to musically be all that they can be.”

We wondered whether Sierra had any Boston networking in place, and what her parents thought about he move so far from home.,

“I don’t know a whole lot of people in Boston to be honest. I kind of feel like I am just totally about to take on this journey with only God by my side!

However, I know that isn’t the case. I do have plenty of people that I know will be supportive and helpful as I go along. All the folks at Berklee have already made me feel like part of the gang and are just wonderful people. Rounder Records is just around the corner as well, so I’m lucky to have some friends up there too!

As far as my folks go – I know they really love me and will hate to see me go, but they are really happy for me. They totally left this decision up to me and have supported me in deciding to go which means a lot to me.

I’m lucky to have the parents I do.”

The Bluegrass Blog congratulates Sierra Hull on her scholarship, and Berklee on landing her as a student. I suspect that the simple fact of her attendance will get more young bluegrass musicians looking at Berklee next year.

The site offers prepared banjo lessons from Tony, with students invited to submit videos of themselves playing the lesson material, to which Tony will respond individually.

Registration costs $60 for 3 months which not only allows them access to the online lessons, but also to participate in the online forums, create their own student page, plus the ability to easily upload their own lesson videos using the site’s video management system.

Tony was eager to see things launch when we discussed the new site last week, and he assured us that students could expect individual attention to their lessons, even when he is on the road.

“The primary videos have already been shot – about 150 digestible lessons from beginning to advanced – with more to come.

Tablature is included with the lessons, and I will respond to each video sent to me.”

Here is an introductory video that offers a few more details about Tony, and this new learning system.

Click here to view the embedded video.

He was in Boston as a part of the publicity tour for his documentary film, Throw Down Your Heart, a date which coincided nicely with the official kickoff of Berklee’s new American Roots Music Program. B?©la, along with program director Matt Glaser, spoke with a group of students at the school.

From the Berklee report by Danielle Dreilinger:

Fleck started off by giving them practical advice. “There’s a lot more to being a good musician than sitting in a room by yourself,” he said. Even practicing should be tuneful, he said: “Play scales in a musical way.”

He soon segued to bigger questions, urging players to follow their instincts. He cited his old friend Andy Statman, who turned from bluegrass mandolin to klezmer clarinet.

“When you hear something that really turns you on, that’s a cue,” Fleck said. “It’s probably something you’ll be good at. Because usually your inner voice is right.”

Fleck’s inner voice has led him to bluegrass, progressive fusion, jazz, classical and, now, African genres.

“I’m a bit of a dabbler,” he said. Because few forms of music use the banjo, he said, “I feel there are some opportunities I have to do some things that haven’t been done.”

You can read the full reoprt at berklee.edu.

Mike thinks that folks will be able to learn a thing or two from these pieces, transcribed for the book by Matt Flinner.

“I just hope folks get as much joy from playing these tunes as we did.

Keep in mind that we did 95% of these arrangements without written music, so it’s a little strange for me to see it in written form. But I hope that these pages will help fill in some gaps for people if they just can’t seem to transcribe it off the CD by ear.

Believe me….  I understand.”

The book has just been published, and will be available within a few days from Elderly Instruments, who will be the sole distributor.

Ron Block gave us an inside look with some photos he took on Tuesday (7/21), and I have a report from Mike Mitchell, who runs the Floyd Music School in Floyd, VA, who escorted a group of his young musicians to DC for the trip.

The students from Floyd were even interviewed for local TV in Roanoke.

Mike shared some of the highlights (and lowlights) of their trip…

On Tuesday the 21st students and teachers from the Floyd Music School went to the White House for the much publicized First Lady’s Music Education series. We were hosted in the lower east wing. Around 150 students (from schools listed below) were in attendance and the kids and teachers alike got to practice a little close up hero worship.

Alison Krauss and Brad Paisley were introduced by Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and someone from one of the Country Music associations in Nashville. That feller introduced Brad, Alison, a fifth grader from Nashville, and his backup guitarist and never once acknowledged Dan Tyminski, who came in to back up Alison on Angeline the Baker, they tore it up of course!  But the FMS group was so surprised by the slight that we hollered a big “Danny” when he got on the stage.

We were expecting a  “two hour interactive songwriting workshop” but, none the less, enjoyed a one hour moderated session.  Brad played two of his tunes and Alison and Dan fiddled one and sang one, “I Know Who Holds Tomorrow.”  They discussed how they were brought up to be performers and good players. Alison noted that she was a Midwest fiddle competition kid but really found the best fiddling when she came to the South, mentioning Kentucky and Virginia.  They both stated that a move to Nashville, following a good business model, investing the due amount of time, money and sweat were the ingredients of their success.  I found it interesting that Paisley, when asked (by an FMS student) how much home time he had, said “about four days a week” in contrast to Alison, who said “mostly when I’m recording.”

The kids were all enthralled with these stars, and many of my students said that they had been newly inspired.

Although we were invited to attend a private concert by these artists, the White House people escorted us out of the building and claimed no knowledge of the invitation.  Apparently the photo opportunity was over and the kids were not needed.  So, confused and a little disoriented, we went back to our hotel.

I want to share our disappointment not to pick a fight or start any trouble, but in support of my students and their families who were very excited about this event, and spent considerable time and money to be there for it.

Moving on, we regrouped, went to Ruby Tuesdays in Arlington, then saw the Monuments at night and caught a great concert given by the USAF rock band on the Capitol Building Steps. They did a bunch of great 70’s R&B classics and were a really tight, good cover band. Their CD, which they gave out free to the kids, included all original material from band members.

The other schools and music camps in attendance were:

• Mountain Music School, Big Stone Gap, VA
• W.O. Smith Nashville Community Music School in Nashville, TN
• East TN Children’s Choir: East Tennessee Children’s Choir in Bristol, TN
• Girard Academic Music Program, Philadelphia, PA
• Girls’ High School, Philadelphia, PA
• The High School for Creative and Performing Arts, Philadelphia, PA
• The Southwark School, Philadelphia, PA
• The Shawmont School, Philadelphia, PA
• The Northeast High School, Philadelphia, PA
• The Longstreth School, Philadelphia, PA
• The Greenfield Albert Middle School, PA
• The Conwell School, PA

Mitchell is a singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist as well as a music teacher. He performs as a solo artist and as a member of Blue Moonshine.

Mike is especially excited about his twin fiddle show on August 8 with Buddy Pendleton at the Steppin’ Out Festival in Blacksburg, VA.

The Philadelphia Inquirer had two stories about the visits to the White House by the several Philly area schools. Find them online here and here.

The 40 page book contains transcriptions for Steve’s opening breaks or primary solos on all 15 tunes, plus Tony Trischka’s harmony banjo parts for the title track and Wally on The Run. All the solos (3 finger and clawhammer) were transcribed by Trischka.

These banjo solos should be within the reach of most advanced beginners or intermediate pickers, and notes from Steve about playing each one are also included.

The book sells for $19.95 and is available wherever banjo instruction materials are sold, or directly from Homespun online. You can also pick up both the book and the CD for $29.95.

Homespun has recently begun to offer online distribution of their videos, starting with some older titles. Using software developed by Mod Machine, any of their titles offered for digital distribution can be downloaded for instant viewing on your computer. You’ll need to use this software any time you view the video, but you won’t need to be online to do so once it has downloaded to your computer.

They have 53 titles available for download at present and are adding new ones regularly.

Tomorrow (July 15) will mark the 36th anniversary of the day when Clarence was killed by a drunk driver, cutting short the budding career of a true guitar innovator, not to mention robbing his family and friends of his companionship.

Roland will share stories from their early days with The Kentucky Colonels, and Katy will offer up some of their music. They will also discuss the book he has recently published, The Essential Clarence White, which includes transcriptions for 14 songs he recorded in 1962.

Tune in online at 9:00 a.m. at www.bluegrasscountry.org to hear the show.