One of the great opportunities we have
as a result of our travels is seeing a wealth of young, promising
bluegrass musicians in a variety of settings. Often we get to see
children between the ages of eight or nine and mid-teens brought to
the stage to perform with major bands, almost always to loud
applause, even cheers. At other times we see family bands who perform together either locally or nationally. Seeing enthusiasm from audiences for young
musicians is encouraging to the kids themselves as well as their
parents. They both get jolts of affirmation and encouragement to
continue to pick and improve. Most, of course, will not become
professional musicians or gain recognition beyond their home town or
region. This is fine. With proper nurturing, they'll have a lifetime
of satisfaction and fun playing in local or regional bands, making
the occasional festival appearance, and participating in local jams.
These are the places where grass roots bluegrass most flourishes.
There are, however, significant dangers for developing musicians in
isolating them to their own town or region without exposing them to
the larger world of young musicians to sharpen their skills and to
gain an appreciation for the work, dedication, and talent necessary
to rise within the music world.
We see excellent Kids Academies at a
number of festivals. These academies serve a lot of functions, not
the least of which is to give parents at festivals some respite from
overseeing their children between, say, age six and sixteen. However,
much more importantly, the academies give young people an opportunity
to play and sing with others of their relative ability, to enjoy each
others' company, and, in good settings, to have time to break into
smaller groups to jam together and develop friendships with other
young musicians they'll see at festivals for much of the rest of
their lives. Some academies break students down by experience levels
while others feature only large group instruction and practice.
We've seen excellent programs at Gettysburg in August, the MACC
(Musicians Against Childhood Cancer), Pemi Valley, Jenny Brook, and
other festivals. We've read great reports about the childrens'
program at Wintergrass in Washington State. And, of course, the IBMA
Kids on Bluegrass program offers a range of outstanding opportunities
for more advanced young pickers. HoustonFest, in Galax, VA in early
May is all about young pickers, a mecca for young bands and jammers.
I know that California Bluegrass Association has an active youth program at all it's events, but
sadly, we haven't been able to get that far west. I'm sure there are
many others I'm not familiar with.
Lots of parents take the time to stop
to tell me about their kids or give me the CD they've produced. I
often ask the kid if he or she is going to kids academy. Responses
differ, from enthusiasm to something along the lines of,
“uh...er...we don't do that.....” suggesting to me that the
parents may think their kid is too good to be involved in a
“children's” activity. Parents making this response are missing
out on several opportunities for their kids. The first is that, if
they really are that good,
the kid could make a significant contribution to helping other kids
learn or helping prepare for the end of the weekend performance.
Also, they're electing to miss the chance for their son or daughter
to get to know other young people who are at the festival, finding
people they could later jam with or just hang out together with at
the festival, as well as developing friendships that could further
develop at upcoming festivals through the years. Finally, there's the
very real possibility that their kid could actually learn something
from the instructors or other kids that would help lead to
improvement. After all, jamming together helps build both technical and personal skills.
It
might seem to be a little early to start thinking about the IBMA
meeting coming in Raleigh, NC from September 29 – October 3, 2015,
but for young pickers, it's never too soon to plan for bluegrass
Nirvana. A couple of years ago, IBMA formed a Youth Council with a
member of the Board of Directors taking direct responsibility for
working with the staff and youth representatives to create, plan, and
make a reality of a strong youth program. 2013 and 2014 saw this
program grow exponentially. A room was set aside for young pickers to
come to a “get-to-know you” early on featuring free pizza.
Activities included getting to jam with invited bands (Della Mae,
IIIrd Tyme Out, Michael Cleveland, and others), preparing a high end
band selected from across the country to play on the Plaza Stage
during Saturday of Wide Open Bluegrass, and working with younger
players. At any part of the day, one could come past the Youth
Council area and find small groups of young people ranging in
experience from emerging young professionals to near beginners
jamming in the surrounding hallways and in the Youth Council room
itself. The Youth Council activities and room became an almost
mini-convention of its own. Young musicians seeking to grow,
challenge themselves, and contribute should be supported in a serious
effort to attend IBMA.
Being a parent of
an emerging child in any endeavor can be a risky and satisfying
affair regardless of whether the talent lies in sports, music, arts,
academics. The risks of pushing too hard, reaching too high, or
neglecting to encourage and enable talent are significant. Don
Dilling, father of former IIIrd Tyme Out banjo player Steve, has told
me of coming to Steve's room to say good night only to find him
asleep in his chair cradling his instrument. Larry Stephenson sings
of “The sound that set my soul on fire.” Finding a balance
between encouraging and pushing, and remembering that of the
thousands who begin an instrument, only a very few rise to the top,
presents important cautions. When I was a teacher, however, it always
seemed to us, as staff, that kids in music programs were among the
nicest and most well-rounded youngsters in school. Lots of that came from the group nature of making music. Let's make sure that they stay that way.
