Junior Appalachian Musicians (JAM)
At the Sparta Elementary School on Wednesday afternoons, you will hear the sounds of the next generation of old-time and bluegrass musicians coming into their own. Children as young as seven and eight years old, wielding fiddles, mandolins, banjos, and guitars, cluster in small bands or in circles around their instructors.
Helen White, a guidance counselor for the Alleghany County schools, founded the Junior Appalachian Musicians (JAM) program in 2000. The idea was to make learning mountain music an option for all kids through subsidized instruction and instrument rental fees. That would in turn inspire pride and interest in the young people’s own heritage and would help provide a healthy place where the community could come together, all while injecting new life into the region’s traditional music scene.
JAM students learn in a small-group setting, with a heavy emphasis on playing by ear, as opposed to relying only on sheet music or tablature. The classes are taught by some of the region’s most talented artists, many of whom grew up playing old-time or bluegrass. Students also learn about the history of the music, take field trips to music venues, and spend time with musical elders from the community.
The idea has proved popular, and JAM and other similar programs have spread across the mountain regions of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. Many of the programs in North Carolina receive support from the North Carolina Arts Council; these programs are known as TAPS (Traditional Arts Programs for Students).
To learn more about lessons and student performances, visit the websites of Junior Appalachian Musicians, Inc. and the North Carolina Arts Council.
Excerpted from Blue Ridge Music Trails of North Carolina by Fred Fussell with Steve Kruger.
Here’s a video profile of several TAPS programs in North Carolina:
Learn more about local JAM programs and TAPS programs in Western North Carolina:
- Alleghany JAM
- Ashe JAM
- Avery JAM
- Blue Ridge JAM (S. Jackson Co.)
- Boone JAM (Watauga Co.)
- Buncombe Co. JAM
- Caldwell JAM
- Folk School JAM (Clay & Cherokee Co.)
- Haywood Co. JAM
- Henderson Co. JAM
- Jackson Co. JAM
- Madison Co. JAM
- Morganton JAM (Burke Co.)
- Pacolet JAM (Polk Co.)
- Stecoah JAM (Graham Co.)
- Stokes JMM
- Surry Co. TAPS
- Swain Co. JAM
- Toe River Arts TAPS (Mitchell Co.)
- Transylvania JAM
- Yadkinville JAM (Yadkin Co.)
Visit the Down The Road on the Blue Ridge Music Trails Podcast Library to hear more about the Junior Appalachian Musicians program, the rising stars of mountain music, and music traditions and stories across the mountain and foothills of Western North Carolina.
