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monstertone - Posted - 03/28/2024: 13:20:52
I was blessed to have been exposed to music, & dancing, including introductory instructions, by parents & grandparents. Grandmother had a Baby Grand piano ever since I could remember & sight-read Rag Time music. My Mother, the youngest of three sisters, was not only a dancer, but having enrolled me in lessons on both piano as well the family 3/4 violin, I figured her sisters also equally skilled. Had Mother advised rather than focusing on harmonica & model airplanes, popularity among women escalated with vocal skills & dancing, I might have paid more attention,
Sometime after graduating from High school, ('59) Fine Arts, including Music, in any way, shape, or form, ceased to exist in guv-ed schools, much to the chagrin of those of us who were fortunate enough to have participated, & later came to recognize benefits beyond music itself. I don't see circumstances changing, therefore, rectification is incumbent upon us.
The following links may be found useful.
Smoky Mountain Banjo Academy Scholarships
The Bluegrass Heritage Foundation offers various outreach opportunities, including their Play It Forward, which includes a free instrument lending program, for young people. There are, of course, a few insignificant hurdles to jump in order to qualify, although nothing beyond K-12 capability.
Edited by - monstertone on 03/30/2024 20:17:05
BG Banjo - Posted - 03/29/2024: 08:56:33
The Minnesota Bluegrass and Old Time Music Association has a program called Grass Seeds for kids. I don't know a lot about it.
minnesotabluegrass.org/Grass-Seeds
When I was a kid I was not at all interested in Bluegrass and probably wouldn't have gotten very excited about it if it was in the school. I wanted to play rock, like everyone else except, the Jazz nerds. Bluegrass is an acquired taste, I think.
Edited by - BG Banjo on 03/29/2024 08:57:46
chuckv97 - Posted - 03/29/2024: 09:27:20
Maybe an acquired taste to some,, but I think bluegrass benefits from more exposure and having school kids learning and singing basic tunes like She’ll Be Coming Around the Mountain,, Wildwood Flower,, Jimmy Brown the Newsboy, Blue Moon of Kentucky with bluegrass instruments is a good thing. (not sure how much $$ is invested in school music programs these days, though)
Owen - Posted - 03/29/2024: 10:18:48
The Frontier School Division covers a lot of ground in northern MB. With a large proportion of Metis and/or F.N. families, fiddle music has been a large component of their music program for quite some time. [Fwiw, I like the fact that local wishes appear to carry some weight.]
Here's a link to their website:fsdnet.ca/programs-services/ac...r%20year. Here's a link to a recent wind-up showcase conce"> fsdnet.ca/programs-services/ac...r%20year.
Link to a recent wind-up/showcase concert: youtube.com/watch?v=A7Bj-Jdk8Zs
... and, for good measure, a link to a bit of Casey Barker, one of my and my wife's favorite young fiddlers [Frontier fiddle program played a significant role in his development] at a Barrows coffee house session [nite before the b-i-g Festival]: facebook.com/528345879/videos/...008605423
... and I'm all bragged out .... for now. 
Edited by - Owen on 03/29/2024 10:28:12
Paul R - Posted - 03/29/2024: 20:37:02
I don't know what the situation is today, but they were cutting programmes when I was teaching. Still, serendipity could come knocking one in a while. The Mariposa Folk Festival created Mariposa in the Schools. Thus, I was able to bring musicians in - Ken Whiteley, and Sharon, Lois, and Bram individually just before they formed the group. And a great folkie name Rick Avery, who later phoned me up and said, "I'm getting an Ontario Arts Council grant. How would you like to have a folksinger in residence at your school?"
Musicians who play at the Live Wire concert series here are supposed to do school visits as part of their obligation.
Owen - Posted - 04/12/2024: 06:19:28
Not re. bluegrass specifically, but this opinion appeared on my Facebook page this a.m.:
monstertone - Posted - 05/01/2024: 11:00:05
Thanks for posting that link, Owen.
