Washington and Lee’s Bluegrass Ensemble presents its fall concert Nov. 11 at 8 – an event that’s free and open to the public. The program will feature a first – the debut of Dueling Basses. It might surprise you to find enthusiasm for this traditional Appalachian music on a college campus, but as Sandy Hausman discovered at the Old Fiddler’s Convention, blue grass has made a comeback.
The Old Fiddler’s Convention in Galax is a must for Jon Lohman. He makes a point of attending this yearly event to play and take notes for his employer – the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities.
“You know when I started in this position as state folklorist there was a lot of concern among older people that this music was dying out," he recalls. " They were real nervous about kids being too into video and Internet was a stressful thing, and I can tell you the music has never been stronger with kids. Every year it blows your mind more.”
This year, more than 100 people under the age of 16 entered the competition. Pat Jarrett, who’s been coming here since 2012, was impressed.
“These kids are outstandingly talented, and I think the oldest one is maybe 15, and they were playing like pros!" he says. "They were attracting a crowd before they even took the stage.”
13-year-old Presley Barker brought his guitar, teaming up with three other musicians at a camp ground the night before the contest. Ask Barker about the experience, and he displays three hallmarks of bluegrass culture – modesty, community and fun.
“I had a lot of fun, especially backing all my friends up. It was a big honor to play with Carson Peters and Owen Snyder and Kaiser George. He plays with Shadow Grass with me – my band. And was the crowd particularly with you on this one? I think they were. I think they had a good time. So did we,” he concludes.
Many young musicians got an early start. Ruth Shumway, for example, took up the fiddle at age three.
“My aunt recommended to my mom that she start me in a classical method known as Suzuki, because it helps your brain with math and things, and like coordination," she explains. " I liked it okay I guess, but once I had my first recital, I knew that I wanted to be on stage as much as I possibly could.”
And most work hard to master and maintain their musical skills.
"I practice two hours every day," Shumway says. "That goes for classical music and bluegrass and old time. Is it going to be a career for you? I hope so. Hopefully I’ll be able to eat, but who knows.”
The ranks of young bluegrass musicians have grown dramatically since 2000 when school guidance counselor Helen White, an award-winning composer and fiddler, launched a program called Junior Appalachian Musicians or JAM.
“My interest was in giving kids that weren’t necessarily athletes or good students – giving them something else to try, and giving them a place to belong. In fact the tag line for JAM is building community one tune at a time,” White explains.
At first, she had doubts.
“After that first semester we had about 20-25 kids signed up for the program, and they were like, ‘We don’t like this kind of music,’ but we put those kids on stage, and put their picture on the wall by the cafeteria, and we had their extended families come out to the Allegheny Jubilee to play for a dance, and the next semester we had 90 kids want to be in the program, and you know I’d love to think they loved the music, but as much as anything they loved the attention, and then the love of the music and the fun, the camaraderie – that really works together.”
Today there are 40 JAM programs in six states, and 70-year-old guitar-maker Wayne Henderson, who recalls being one of very few children who played bluegrass, says its future is assured.
“I don’t see how it could be in any kind of trouble," Henderson says. "When you see these young ones that are playing this type of music that are so good, and they keep working on it, come to this event in hopes of winning a ribbon, and it’s a big deal at Galax.”
Presley Barker and Ruth Shumway know that. She placed second in the youth fiddle competition, while Barker’s band came in first.