Digging for the Roots of Bluegrass Music Residency
Charles Pettee’s three to five day in person or virtual residency program for grades 2-5 offers up to four 45-60 minute classroom sessions per day, plus an optional assembly program(s) for the entire school, during which the students will experience first-hand the multicultural tapestry of music styles from the past (Celtic, West African [Blues], European Classical, ballads, southern folk, Gospel), that have combined to give us Bluegrass music! Each day, the students will enjoy hearing, and singing along with, that day’s unique “focus instrument” (guitar, banjo, mandolin, violin, harmonica, voice). They will learn how each instrument works, how it is played, and from which country or part of the world it originated. In addition, if desired, students will learn to compose and perform their own original folk song, with the option to present this song to the school at the closing assembly! Students gain an appreciation for the diversity of cultures represented in southern US folk music, and a deeper understanding of how music and culture combine to make new art forms.