Pickens County, SC is located in the upstate piedmont region, near Greenville. The highest point in the state is in Pickens County – Sassafras Mountain. It is also home to Table Rock State Park. With a history steeped in agriculture, the area has many bluegrass and country music traditions which students in the YAM programs are learning to carry on. There are several annual festivals celebrating Southern Appalachian Music. Ben Hagwood Elementary School is part of the Pickens County, SC YAM (Young Appalachian Musicians) initiative, supported by P.O.S.A.M, Inc (Preserving Our Southern Appalachian Music, Inc.), Pickens County Schools, Pickens Recreation Department, Pickens Senior Citizens’ Center and the Hagood Mill Historial Society. Central Academy of the Arts YAM is for students grades three through five at Central Academy of the Arts. The program offers fiddle, mandolin, guitar and banjo. Central Academy of the Arts YAM meets on Mondays right after school for a forty-five minute class.
For more information about the YAM program at Ambler Elementary, please contact:
Kim Keasler, Program Director, [email protected]