Tyler Grant & Augusta Heritage

This will be my fourth time teaching Guitar at Bluegrass Week and no matter what I get involved in it is always the highlight of my summer.
The staff is charming and helpful, the instructors are top-notch and the students are eager to learn. The food in the cafe is good too. Above all
else, though, THE JAMMING IS INCREDIBLE! I am one of those instructors
that might be up picking til three or four in the morning, even though I have to teach a class at nine (don’t worry folks, I’m a pro at this and I
can handle it . Instructors pick with other instructors and also with
students. We are there to help get everyone involved and playing as much as possible. There are slow/medium tempo jams for beginners and intermediate players, and then the sky is the limit if you want to get
involved in something more up to speed. This is a great place to make
connections with other students and with the faculty. I have made
life-long friendships and musical connections through Augusta and every
year I see students making connections of their own. Many students come
not just for the classes, but to make new friends and musical partnerships
that may turn into exciting new bands. I have never had a student go
away from Augusta without feeling the same joy and inspiration I do.
Everyone plays a part, and both instructors and students have plenty of
opportunities to shine. Every year I go home from Bluegrass Week with
sore fingers and a bucketful of fresh inspiration. It’s kinda like a revival meeting, with music and friendship the focus. I believe that everyone should play music. Bluegrass Week is not just for those who want to become professional players. It provides a framework for how music
fits into our daily lives and how it relates to our community. I have
never seen so many people full of joy as I have at the Augusta Heritage
Center. There is so much to do. In my years as an instructor I have
learned much about Bluegrass, Old-Time, Blues and Swing Music, and have become a better player for it. By the end of the week I am always playing and singing better than when I arrived.
I have also been able to soak up the West Virginia culture which abounds
in the region. Those of you who have attended Augusta know what I am
talking about. For those of you who are curious about it I can tell you
that in that region of West Virginia the music just seeps out of the hills and forests. The campus of Davis and Elkins College is the perfect setting for this event, and the West Virginia culture, folklore and
musical heritage is undeniably evident. I have learned to contra-dance
(the evening dances are always fun, especially when the Swing Week gang is
around!) and how to fit into a real-deal old-time jam. It really is an
amazing event and I always come away from Bluegrass Week buzzing with excitement.
This year’s instructor lineup is one of the best I have seen and I am thrilled for the opportunities that all of the students will have to learn. We just want to make the light bulbs go off and show you how much
fun you can have with music. And we want to make you all better players.
I am also thrilled to hear all of these great musicians and to get the
chance to play some music together. It’s gonna be a blast. Come join
us for Bluegrass Week 2010. It does not matter what level you are, we are there to make you feel comfortable and there is no pressure to be anything
but the best player you can be. Everyone has his/her own musical spirit,
and the Augusta Heritage Center is there to help us all unlock that spirit and make the most of it.
I’ll see you Bluegrassers and Swingers the first week of August! Woohoo!

Tyler Grant
Guitar Instructor-Bluegrass Week
www.tylergrant.com

Augusta Bluegrass Wk Lineup

Here’s the lineup:

AUGUSTA BLUEGRASS WEEK STAFF
Augusta Heritage Center
August 1- 6, 2010
Elkins, WV
www.augustaheritage.com
Bluegrass Week runs concurrently with Swing Week

GUEST MASTER ARTIST
Jesse McReynolds
GUITAR
1. Jeff White – Advanced
2. Tyler Grant – Intermediate
3. Jim Watson – Beginning
BANJO
1. Tony Trischka – Advanced
2. Charlie Cushman – Intermediate
3. Richard Bailey – Beginning
FIDDLE
1. Darol Anger – Advanced
2. Chris Brashear-Intermediate
3. Tammy Rogers – Beginning
MANDOLIN
1. Herschel Sizemore – Intermediate/Advanced
2. Sharon Gilchrist – Beginning/Intermediate
3. Mike Compton – Monroe Style Mandolin
DOBRO
Mark Panfil – All Levels  
BASS
Mike Fleming – All Levels
STAFF MUSICIANS
Ira Gitlin
David McLaughlin
Mary Burdette
INTRO TO BLUEGRASS VOCALS (Level 1)
Chris Stuart & Janet Beazley
BLUEGRASS HARMONY VOCALS (Level 2)
Robin & Linda Williams

Bluegrass Week at Augusta Heritage Center

My name is John Rossbach, and I’m the coordinator for Augusta’s Bluegrass Week. I made my living playing bluegrass and old time music for the past 30 years. Last year I got off the road and moved back to my home state to work more closely with programming for the Augusta Heritage Center in Elkins, West Virginia. Augusta presents 11 different theme weeks centered on musical traditions that make up the roots of our culture.

I’ll be writing about things dear to me and the types of musicians and singers who have inspired our traditions. Just like the pioneers of bluegrass, I listen to various styles. I’m not interested in what Miles Davis referred to as “museum music.” I’m after the living and breathing life forms that come out of these traditions. I’ll discuss the importance of bluegrass as a vocal art form and of the intricacies of its 3 part vocal harmony arrangements.

I love listening to earlier generations of fiddlers in the Cape Breton, Southern Old Time and Texas styles. Those Kenny Baker LPs from the 70’s still slay me as much as those earlier Howdy Forrester recordings. To my ear, Roscoe Holcomb as a banjo player shares musical values with Earl Scruggs that separate the wheat from the chaff. However, I’ve probably spent as much time listening to Mark Knopfler in his post Dire Straits years as I did to Bill Monroe, the Stanley Brothers, Flatt & Scruggs, Reno & Smiley, Jim & Jesse, the Lilly Brothers, Norman Blake, Doc Watson, the Louvin Brothers and the Carter Family in my formative years.

I’ll be highlighting some of the accomplishments of our revered Augusta instructors and guest artists. For a sense of what Augusta is all about, check out the web site at:
www.augustaheritage.com.

Musically Yours,

John Rossbach