The Harry and Lavon Webb Education Center, a part of Roanoke, VA’s Jefferson Center, has announced an evening bluegrass camp for middle and high school students in January of 2025.
The Jefferson Center was born from the old Jefferson High School near downtown Roanoke, which had fallen into disuse when it could no longer function as a public school. In need of a great deal of upgrading and refurbishment, it stood empty for many years until it was revitalized as a multi-use facility by the city, with a special charter to serve as an arts education hub for young people. Now it is the home of several arts organizations whose offices are housed at the Center, one of Roanoke’s premiere concert halls, and a number of after school educational offerings for area teens.
Their January Bluegrass Camp will run from 5:00-7:00 p.m., January 13-16, at the Jefferson Center. Teaching will be multi-instrumentalist P.J. George, who has worked with prominent groups like Bearfoot and Old Crow Medicine Show, and Seph Custer, adjunct instructor of Appalachian music at nearby Hollins University.
Designed for young pickers with some skill and knowledge of bluegrass instruments and/or singing, a video audition is required to be accepted for the camp, which will run Monday through Thursday evenings, starting January 13. Spots are available for fiddlers, banjo players, guitarists, mandolinists, and bass players.
The course of study includes:
- Monday – Introduction and Ice Breakers, Introduction to Bluegrass and its History
- Tuesday – Set Preparation
- Wednesday – Soloing and Instrumental
- Thursday – Recording and Performance
The Music Lab at the Jefferson Center has a fully equipped digital recording studio, and Camp students will have an opportunity to experience that during the sessions.
Registration fees for the Camp are $150, and scholarship assistance is available.
Full details can be found online.
