Junior Appalachian Musicians
SoundCorps is proud to be the Chattanooga affiliate of the Junior Appalachian Musicians Program, providing traditional instrument instruction in banjo, fiddle, and guitar for Hamilton County students in grades 4 -8!
Who: 4th Graders - 8th Graders who want to learn to play banjo, fiddle, or guitar
When: Tuesdays 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. (12 Week Semester starting June 11)
Where: R.I.S.E. Chattanooga Community Hub 2901 Taylor St Chattanooga, TN 37406
Cost: Sliding Scale Tuition starting at $13 per week ($156 per semester), scholarships are available.
How: Register Here
SoundCorps is the Chattanooga affiliate of the Junior Appalachian Musicians (JAM) program to serve the young people of Hamilton County, TN. JAM seeks to introduce young people to the joy of performing on traditional music instruments by offering low cost lessons in fiddle, banjo, guitar, and other instruments of the Appalachian region to small groups of students in after-school settings.
Our first day of this 12 week program kicks off on Tuesday June 11 at 5:00 p.m. Classes will be offered at the R.I.S.E. Chattanooga Community Hub, 2901 Taylor St, Chattanooga, TN 37406, once a week. Children will need to commit to attendance at all weekly classes. Transportation from school to the JAM site will not be provided. Parents will need to pick up students at 7:00 pm.
Tuition for the 12 week program is $156. Payment can be made in cash, check, or card. A limited number of need-based partial and full scholarships are available, please email program director Matt Downer about applying. [email protected]
Students will receive an after-school snack and instructional sessions once a week for this fee. Instruments will be provided as available on a loan basis for JAM students during the time of their participation in the program.
Registration and payment are due on Friday, June 7.
History of the Junior Appalachian Musicians Program
Realizing the need to preserve a vital aspect of mountain culture as well as the need for positive activities to underserved youth, Helen White, then a guidance counselor at Sparta Elementary School, founded the first JAM program in Alleghany County, NC in the spring of 2000 with help from other local musicians and educators. Interest in the program spread rapidly with assistance from the National Endowment for the Arts, NC State Arts Council, Blue Ridge National Heritage Area and “The Crooked Road – Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail.”
In 2007, the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation provided funding to allow the development of a regional infrastructure. The Dana Foundation, Virginia Commission for Arts, the Virginia Foundation for Humanities, the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Harris and Frances Block Foundation and the Tides Foundation have provided funding for materials development.
“Junior Appalachian Musicians” was incorporated in 2008 as a non-profit 501(c)3 tax exempt corporation to promote a shared vision of JAM and to provide an umbrella through which to offer resources, training materials and activities to benefit programs individually and collectively. Currently in over 50 locations in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia, JAM affiliates are providing access to the joy of music to thousands of youth while instilling renewed interest and pride in their heritage. Click here to learn a whole lot more about JAM.