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Sterling Masat has been named as the newest member of the Commercial Music faculty at South Plains College in Levelland, TX. He will serve as bluegrass music instructor in the program, teaching banjo and guitar, and leading bluegrass ensemble classes. A Texas native, Sterling performed as a youngster with his siblings in The Masat Family [...]
A faculty position has come open in the Commercial Music program at South Plains College in Levelland, TX. This is the program where banjo legend Alan Munde taught for so many years, and where bluegrass multi-instrumentalist Joe Carr still resides. South Plains is accepting CVs and interviewing candidates now for an instructor who can teach multiple instruments [...]
We have written a number of times about the four year degree in bluegrass which is now available at East Tennessee State University. The folks at ETSU are understandably proud of getting state approval for this degree program, and have crowed a bit about it being the first of its kind. But in fact, the [...]
While East Tennessee State University remains the only college to offer a four year degree in Bluegrass, Old Time, and Country Music Studies, another college in Tennessee has recently added a two-year associate’s degree program in bluegrass music. Volunteer State Community College in Gallatin now offers an Associate of Science in Bluegrass Music within their [...]
The East Tennessee State University Pride Band, featuring top students from the Bluegrass, Old Time & Country Music program, performed recently on Bristol's Big Room, a local music show broadcast on BTN-TV in Bristol, TN. The university is located in nearby Johnson City. Their set started with a strong vocal performance from our own John Goad, [...]
A number of faculty positions have been announced in the Bluegrass, Old Time, and Country Music Studies program at East Tennessee State University. This department, organized under the ETSU School of Appalachian Studies, nows offers a bachelor's degree for studying American acoustic, bluegrass and country music at the campus in Johnson City, TN. Three non-tenure track [...]
Tony Trischka was last week's special Master Class presenter at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. As we reported this Spring, a major anonymous donor has made it possible for Berklee to bring in top professional banjoists each semester for the benefit of the school's growing population of enrolled banjo students. Berklee professor and [...]
For almost thirty years, East Tennessee State University has been known for its efforts to promote and preserve traditional Appalachian music. Under the initial supervision of Jack Tottle, then Raymond McLain, and now current program director Daniel Boner, the original but limited instrumental instruction and band classes have grown into one of the largest university-sanctioned [...]
Swiss-born North Carolina banjo wizard Jens Kruger spent two days earlier this week at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, sharing his wisdom with the banjo students there. His visit was sponsored by the Berklee American Roots Music Program, and made possible by the support of the Banjo Artist Residencies program, funded by a [...]
The Bluegrass Pride Band, the elite performing group of the Bluegrass, Old Time & Country Music program at the East Tennessee State University, made their debut performance for the 2011-2012 academic year on Friday (8/26) in Kingsport, TN. The school offers a four year degree program for students who are interested in a professional career [...]
