The Bluegrass Music Academy is kicking off the spring session of group lessons on April 30. The semester culminates with a performance at ROMP Festival on June 24.
Led by Randy Lanham, the Academy includes lessons on Tuesday evenings. It offers fiddle, guitar, mandolin, banjo, band, and bluegrass instruction.
Each student who performs will receive three single-day passes to ROMP and a band T-shirt. Lanham said the opportunity to play at ROMP is always exciting.
“This is always a highlight of the lessons, as we get to show off everything we have learned on the big stage,” he said. “Each student that performs will receive three single-day passes to ROMP and a band T-shirt.”
A basics class is open to children ages 6-8, while beginner class attendees must be at least 9 years old. However, no experience is necessary for the beginner classes. Instruments can be loaned with a $50 deposit.
Students in the Bluegrass basics can expect to learn sing along songs, play the banjolele, write a song, play musical games, and “just have fun all around.” Beginner instrument classes start with the basics and move at a slow pace. For the beginner plus classes, attendees must have some experience and know the basics of their instrument or have been through at least one semester. Intermediate class moves faster as students are expected to already know how to play but they learn new songs and how to play along with each other.
The band class is for those who already know how to play, read chord and tab charts, and are ready to play along with other instruments in a big group. Students in the band class also have the opportunity to perform at nursing homes. Sarah and Parker Malone help run the band class and lead an outreach group to play once per month.
Chris Armstrong teaches guitar, Mackenzie Bell and Orville Snyder teach fiddle, Brayden Hood teaches mandolin, Randall Howard teaches banjo, and Sarah and Parker Malone teach the Bluegrass Basics kids class. Lanham helps and oversees all classes and leads the band class.
The Academy costs $95 per semester, with each additional family member discounted to $50. Scholarship requests can be sent to [email protected]
“Music with a mission is what the Bluegrass Music Academy is all about and we want to help all students reach a level where they feel comfortable getting out and sharing their music with others,” Lanham said.
For those who can’t make the in-person lessons, online video lessons are available where instructors break down line by line and part by part to teach easy songs on fiddle, guitar, and mandolin. Those lessons can be found at BluegrassMusicAcademy.org.
For more information or to register, contact Lanham at [email protected].
