Press release from Mars Hill University:
Junior Appalachian Musicians, Inc. is calling all students and teachers of traditional old time and bluegrass music to participate in JAM Day on Saturday, April 21 on the campus of Mars Hill University. JAM Day will provide multiple learning opportunities for kids through workshops and activities, as well as a training seminar for JAM instructors. A student performance will start at 4 p.m. and is open to families, friends and community members in Belk Auditorium. Activities are free for all participants.
Workshops for the young musicians will be taught by area JAM teachers and other master musicians, and will include various levels of fiddle, banjo, guitar, mandolin, bass, mountain dance, singing, storytelling, a tour of the Ramsey Center’s Southern Appalachian Archives, and more. JAM Day also gives kids the chance to meet and play music with new friends in the spirit of the social culture of mountain music.
Participants are advised to pre-register by April 11 at www.jamkids.org/marshill2018 in order to receive a meal at no cost and have first preference for workshop choices. On-site registration will be available at Ferguson Hall beginning at 9:00 a.m. for those not pre-registered, and sign-in for those registered will start at 10:00 a.m. Parents are welcome, but not required to attend with their children, and additional arts/crafts activities will be available for younger siblings. Children should bring their own musical instrument(s) to participate. More information is available online or by calling the JAM, Inc. office at (276) 773-0573.
JAM, Inc. is the parent organization for 42 after school traditional music education programs in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. JAM, Inc. provides communities with the tools and support they need to teach children how to play and dance to traditional old time and bluegrass music together. JAM Day is one of the many benefits they provide to kids and teachers at no cost, in addition to helping start new JAM programs in areas with limited arts education opportunities for children. A second JAM Day will be offered in partnership with the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation at the Blue Ridge Music Center in Galax, VA on May 19, 2018.
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