Kid's Academy
The Pemi Valley Kid's Academy is a free three-day learning program held Friday through Sunday at the Pemi Valley Festival. The goal of the program is to teach children (age 8-17) to play, sing and perform bluegrass music with a key component of learning how to play by ear. The curriculum consists of sectional instruction with their assigned instrumental teacher (fiddle, guitar, banjo, upright bass, mandolin, dobro) and ensemble practices with the whole group to practice arrangements and harmony singing. The program's grand finale is a performance Sunday afternoon on the Main Stage. Tunes for the weekend are tentatively: Keep on the Sunny Side and Cottoneyed Joe (more info to come).
Ellen Carlson has been teaching at Kid's Academy's at different festivals for 10 years. She teaches at Grey Fox and Joe Val and has also taught at Strawberry Park. Currently, she co-runs the Fiddleheads Acoustic Music Camp, leads the New Hampshire Fiddle Ensemble (a ensemble focused on learning and performing fiddle music of various styles in the traditional way), plays with Newfound Grass, High Range and other groups, and has taken her Masters of Education from the classroom to private fiddle lessons and school programs that bring fiddling and music from the 1800's into schools. She will be joined by other top-notch musicians.
Schedule
- Thursday, 5:00 - 5:45. Meet and learn to sing the song.
- Friday, 10 - 11, 4:00 - 5:00 Rehearse
- Saturday 10 - 11 and 1 - 2 Rehearse
- Sunday 9:45 meet, 10:30 performance
To register for the Kid's Academy, please download and fill out sign up form and return to Pemi Valley Productions.
