Led by Randy Lanham, the spring session of bluegrass music lessons begins Saturday and culminates in a performance at ROMP Festival on June 24.
“This being the 20th year of me teaching lessons and ROMP’s 20th year, I’m excited about our spring lessons,” said Lanham, who serves as the Museum’s Education Director. “A performance on stage at ROMP is always so fun, but marking the 20th year will be epic. Since we launched the Bluegrass Music Academy last fall, we are focused more on teaching students the same songs, the same way, so students can play together, forming more bands and groups that go into the community and play. Music with a mission is our slogan, and that’s exactly what we want to do, equip people to play together and serve together.”
Lessons take place every other Saturday and are held at the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum. The registration fee for the entire session is $95, with each additional family member discounted to $55 each. The Hall of Fame has instruments on loan available for a refundable deposit of $50 per instrument, available while supplies last.
With music education at the core of its mission, the Museum offers multiple levels of lessons — from beginners with no experience to advanced players who learn to play in a band setting.
Group lessons are currently offered for banjo, fiddle, mandolin, guitar, and band classes. The group classes last approximately 45 minutes and are limited to 25 students each. Each class is led by an experienced instructor with assistants to facilitate learning.
For those who complete the program and perform at ROMP, each student will receive a T-shirt and complimentary ticket plus three guests for Saturday at the festival.
Registration is open online at bluegrasshall.org or by calling the Hall of Fame at 270-926-7891.
More information can be found at bluegrasshall.org/education/lessons.
Through grant opportunities and funding from the Kentucky Arts Council and the Micheal E. Horn Family Foundation, the lessons are heavily discounted in an effort to make the music more accessible to anyone who wants to learn to play.
“My first time to touch a fiddle was at a Saturday lesson at the Bluegrass Museum,” said student Gracen Fletcher. “These lessons gave me an affordable opportunity to test an instrument to ensure it was the right fit for my personality. In addition, the Saturday lessons gave me the opportunity to perform music at public venues.”
