Virginia Tech, here in Southwest, VA, is reaching out to elementary schools in the area with a string program.

The Virginia Tech String Project will provide affordable string music instruction for third and forth grade students of both public and private schools in the area. Classes will be held on the VT campus on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons.

Why is this of interest to us?

Mandolinist Jeff Midkiff is the Master Teacher for the String Project. Midkiff grew up in the area, and attended VT where he studied music education. He has conducted several youth orchestras, composed and performed his own pieces with the orchestras around the country, and toured internationally as a member of both the McPeak Brothers and Lonesome River Band.

The program begins later this month when Midkiff, along with other teachers, will visit area elementary schools to recruit students for the program. Classes will begin September 4, 2007.

Rebel Records has reissued two more classic out-of-print recordings as download-only releases.

First up is a Lonesome River Band album from 1988, one which many recent fans of the band may learn about for the first time. Saturday Night, Sunday Morning came out on LP several years before the band took the bluegrass world by storm with Carrying The Tradition, but featured the drive and agreesive style that later (and current) editions of the band perfected.

This release featured founding members Tim Austin on guitar and Jerry McMillan on bass, along with Brian Fessler on banjo and Adam Steffey on mandolin. As you might guess from the title, this project features a mix of secular and spiritual material, with Adam’s instrumental take on Daybreak In Dixie.

You can sample the tracks or purchase the music in iTunes.

Makin’ Tracks by The McPreake Brothers was first released in 1983 on County Records - the last of the three McPeake projects for Rebel/County. By this time, the three brothers (Dewey, Larry and Mike) had established themselves as one of the premiere bluegrass vocal groups of their day.

Living in Southwest Virginia as I do, there were many opportunities to see them perform live, but they never toured far from their homes near Wytheville, VA, and their fine harmony was kept a secret from many bluegrass fans around the world - other than from these fine recordings.

Check out this valuable reissue on iTunes.