The Saturday Lessons Program kicked off its fourth year on October 10 at the International Bluegrass Music Museum (IBMM) in Owensboro, KY. The group lessons program provides instruction in fiddle, guitar, mandolin and banjo to students and community members of all ages. Students are taught in groups of 10-15 for 45 minutes twice a month at the museum, and loaner instruments are available for those who do not have one.
Students range in ability from beginner to intermediate, and some have been attending Saturday Lessons for several years. The group lesson format is a good way to introduce newcomers to bluegrass music, says fiddle instructor Randy Lanham. And compared with individual lessons, the program is more affordable at $30 for the fall semester. “A group lesson goes slower. It’s not quite as much information, not quite as fast, and it’s a great way to learn with the cheaper price and less time required,” says Lanham.
Beginners learn familiar bluegrass standards such as “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” and “Blue Moon of Kentucky.” More experienced students work together as in a band format and learn more advanced musical parts, says Lanham. “There are about 25 students that have been coming for years. With them, we teach not only the melody part, but the harmony part and solos. And they learn a variety of songs: a patriotic song, an Irish song, a gospel song,” he says.
The first day of lessons kicked off smoothly, according to Lanham. “Sometimes the first day can be chaotic for new students. There are broken strings, instruments are out of tune and some students show up at the wrong time. This went really well, we didn’t have a lot of those problems.”
Participants come to the Saturday Lessons program from a variety of communities and from all walks of life, with many students coming from local schools, says Lanham. “Another museum program I’m involved in is the Bluegrass in the Schools, and that generates a lot of interest in lessons, so the two programs kind of go hand in hand.”
The spring Saturday Lessons program is twice as long, classes are generally larger, and it culminates in a performance of all students in the Kentucky BlueGrass AllStars at the IBMM’s River of Music Party (ROMP). The spring semester registration fee is $60, and each additional immediate family member is only $30. Students performing at ROMP will also receive free 3-day admission to the festival as an AllStar, as well as a 3-day complimentary pass for a parent or friend. The next Saturday Lesson term begins February 20, with a registration deadline of January 30. For more information call 270-926-7891 or visit the IBMM website at www.bluegrassmuseum.com.
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