Contact: Sue Ella Boatright Wells
August 16, 2007

MECC Mountain Music Classes Set to Begin

The Crooked Road Music Trail has breathed new life into Appalachian old-time music. From Galax to Gate City, Meadows of Dan to the Breaks of the Mountain, musicians are taking advantage of the opportunities to play music that the Crooked Road is creating.

Mountain Empire Community College has long been one of the prime sites to hear old-time music. For 36 years, Home Craft Days has been the premier music and craft festival in the Southeast. The third Mountain Music School was a rousing success, graduating 61 students ages 10 through adult, and the school is currently planning for an even bigger year starting July 28 through August 2, 2008.

MECC’s night-classes are growing each year to include shape note-singing, dulcimer, mandolin, old-time fiddle, guitar, blues guitar, lead guitar, old-time banjo and a string band class for advanced musicians. Some guitar classes are offered during the daytime, but most students attend class one night a week from 6 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. These classes are college credit courses. Some classes may count toward teacher re-certification.

“We are not just celebrating our historical heritage with our music classes,” says Sue Ella Boatright Wells, MECC Workforce Development Director. “We are preparing to carry that music into the future as cultural tourism continues to grow in our region.”

For more information about MECC’s traditional music classes, contact Boatright Wells at (276) 523-2400, or visit http://www.me.vccs.edu/programs/music/index.html.

Banjo and String Band are just some of the classes available at Mountain Empire Community College. Night classes are growing each year with most students attending one night a week from 6 p.m. to 8:45 p.m.

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