Cherryholmes – Luegra

Yesterday (Saturday), I attended the Southeast Michigan Bluegrass Music Association Annual Picnic and Hall of Honor Presentations. This year it was held at a park in Bath, Michigan, a town about 1- miles northeast of Lansing. The town is famous for a tragic event. In 1929, the city’s school was destroyed by a bomb planted by an irrate school board member. The bomb was supposed to detonate in the evening when no one was there, but instead exploded in mid-morning, killing 38 students. Google “Bath Michigan School Massacre” to learn more.

Moving on, in what would normally take a little more than an hour to drive from my house, took almost two hours due to the number of construction sites on the highway, along with Michigan State University football traffic. There was about 50 people in attendance, with about a dozen people being Hall of Honor recipients and relatives.

One of the recipients, who unfortunately is no longer with us and his wife was accepting the award, was Deja (pronounced “dee-jay”) Davenport. He served as a country and bluegrass DJ (ironic?) at WBYW in Grand Rapids until the station closed in 1997, then created a bluegrass program called Access to Bluegrass on AccessVision cable television network out of Battle Creek. The show lasted from 1997 until Deja’s passing in 2006. Starting out with local bluegrass bands, the show also showcased national touring bluegrass acts such as Cherryholmes, Larry Cordle, and Rhonda Vincent as word spread of the program’s success. Fortunately, most of the shows were videotaped and are now available for viewing on YouTube. To view the 500+ shows, do a YouTube search on “Access to Bluegrass Archive.”

Standing members in attendance were also able to get a quick meeting in to quickly discuss pertinent matters. We are considering sponsoring a monthly jam session at a number of locations, but there seems to be two distinct problems:

Not a lot of places, be they venues, meeting halls, or even a private house, are not too keen on a bunch of people showing up that are unfamiliar. There have been instances of some pickers looking at jam sessions as a place to do some drinking, and other places like bars or restaurants don’t warm up to people showing up to jam and not ordering food or drinks. Private homes may not have ample parking in the area, which makes neighbors ticked off.
The level of players attending is difficult to decipher as well as divide into groups. There are amateurs showing up as well as those that are practically professional pickers. If only one circle is formed, then either the pros get bored with the simple songs, or the amateurs get frustrated because they can’t keep up. One hopes that there is enough space to divide the groups, but then there is also the problem of attitude. Some people try to take over a jam session without question, which can turn off others faster than playing ability.

Another concern with the Association is the lack of students applying for the SEMBA Youth Acoustic Music Scholarships. The Association has enough money for a few scholarships each year through donations, and I spoke to one student that was at the picnic who received a scholarship this past year. I had to convince her to apply again this year, as she thought that it was only for one year. Once again, we need to hit the music stores, schools, and specific media outlets to promote this program. Anyone reading this that knows of a youth 12-18 years old in the southern Lower Peninsula of Michigan that is studying bluegrass, folk, or old-time music on an acoustic instrument, have the parents of that kid contact SEMBMA at smbluegrass@gmail.com or go to the website at www.smbluegrass.com .

Chew on it and comment.

Last week, this article popped up on the Google search page: https://www.guitarworld.com/features/how-to-keep-your-kids-interested-in-playing-guitar . As expected with Google and its spying, I get a lot of articles related to music, and most of them I tend to ignore. However, this article piqued my curiosity, and after reading it, saw that it had some good information.

While the article leans toward young electric guitar players and keeping them interested in continuing to play, the information presented can be used to motivate young musicians of any instrument, including bluegrass instruments. Young people get interested in the fun of playing guitar, mandolin, or fiddle, especially when they see other young bluegrass musicians on stage getting a lot of attention. However, convincing them that regimented practice is what makes success, and informing them that flashy playing doesn’t just come in a few minutes, can be difficult. Moreover, there are a lot of other distractions, including video games and social media. The article makes some great suggestions, so let’s go over them an cover how this can work with bluegrass youngsters.

Take them to a gig – Especially during the summer, bluegrass festivals abound. While most seem to be in the mid-east and south of the US, there are many spread out in the northeast, mid-west, and western parts of the country. Add to that folk and old-time fiddle festivals that also showcase instrumental talent. One can stay for just an afternoon or evening, or camp out for the extended weekend. These events give the chance for the youngster to see a number of bands/artists, and bluegrass festivals have that treasure of the band members talking and shaking hands directly with their fans. What could a young musician value more than talking with someone playing the instrument that he/she is starting on? Moreover, many of these festivals have instrument workshops for amateurs to learn a few tricks from the professionals. Do some internet searching for music festivals in your state.

Buy a new piece of gear – What bluegrass musician doesn’t have a capo? Or get the kid a new, better strap. Pay attention to how he/she is playing. Perhaps instead of guitar, let them try a mandolin, or bass. Check with perhaps getting some sort of “jam” recording or video so that he/she has a virtual band to practice with.

Keep the instrument accessible – Instead of putting it in the case after practice, have it on a stand so that it can be easily seen and picked up to practice with at odd times.

Online lessons – In-person lessons always seem to work the best, but they are not always convenient. YouTube, of course, has tons of free lessons, but there are also web sites like ArtistsWorks that have big-time bluegrass guitarists, fiddlers, banjo players, and mandolinists offering in-depth lessons for a subscription. Again, pay attention to what the student needs, then ask around.

Learn with them – An excellent parent/child bonding is to both be learning the instrument at the same time. You can actually learn from each other.

Introduce them to other musicians – As stated earlier, band members at bluegrass festivals totally appreciate their fans, and will spend hours after a performance talking to people, signing CDs, and taking photos. So many of these artist will be flattered to know that a youngster is learning the same instrument, and will usually sit for a few minutes to show a technique or give the kid a guitar pick as a souvenir. Bluegrass musicians are so easily approachable. One of the fun things about staying at festivals overnight are the jam sessions happening as someone’s trailer. It is not uncommon for a person that you just saw on stage earlier come walking up to join in. Also, pay attention to bluegrass bands that have younger players. Cherryholmes was a great family band years back, but today one can see The Petersens, Williamson Branch, and the Cotton Pickin Kids show up at festivals.

Set some fun challenges – Find some songs that might be just a wee bit more difficult than what is currently being worked on, then present them in a short while. Perhaps implement some different types of music into the bluegrass fold. Billy Strings does this a lot, yet still keeps it near the bluegrass idea.

Find the right amount of encouragement – Follow all of these previous concepts, but don’t suffocate the kid, nor push them into hating music. Remember that all kids are different, even within one family, and it is possible that while one child may be a banjo prodigy, the next sibling could not care less about music and wants to play baseball instead. Ask other parents of musically inclined children what has worked for them, and try those ideas out. Just keep tabs on what works, and always be positive with the student’s progress.

Hopefully some of these thoughts will help parents with bluegrass students keep them motivated and produce the next Billy Strings, Molly Tuttle, or Sierra Hull.

Chew on it and comment.