Send a banjo picker to college

We got this note from Ivan Rosenberg, a respected resonator guitarist and clawhammer banjo player in the Pacific Northwest. He is hoping that readers of Bluegrass Today might respond and help send Cluny Macpherson to college on scholarship.

Cluny MacphersonThe Class Act Canada contest will award 10 deserving students from around the world with an all-expenses-paid education at Sprott-Shaw Community College in British Columbia, Canada. Currently in Round 2, contestants upload videos describing their educational goals, and the top 20 vote-getters will advance to the final round. Currently in the top 20 with around 70,000 votes is one of British Columbia’s top bluegrass musicians, Cluny Macpherson, from the band Flash in the Pan.

His current video shows off his banjo chops while making the case that music is also good medicine – Cluny intends to work in the field of geriatric nursing, and his band is always happy to drop in on area nursing homes to help lift the spirits of elderly residents.

If Cluny gets in the final round – and we can help him get there with our votes – judges will pick the 10 winners using several criteria, one of which is being able to use “social networking sites, video-sharing sites, blogs and more to get as many votes as possible.” Readers of Bluegrass Today certainly fit the bill! Please visit Class Act Canada to see Cluny’s video.

According to the contest rules, each IP address can vote 10 times in a row each day. No personal information is required, and just takes seconds to vote. I’ve bookmarked the site and visit it daily, and with the help of more bluegrass fans, we can hopefully help a great picker get a world-class education and make a difference in the lives of our oldest and wisest. Round 2 ends this Friday, so vote soon and often!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSd2Pisft2A

Go here to vote.