Upper East Tennessee – Sullivan County JAM offers lessons in fiddle, clawhammer banjo, three-finger banjo, guitar, mandolin, bass, singing, and band to small groups of students in 4th through 12th grade in after school settings. The program is available for students grades four through twelve at the Sullivan Central Middle School, Mondays, 4:30-5:45. The program is sponsored by the TAMHA (Traditional Appalachian Music Heritage Association) in Blountville, TN.
The Traditional Appalachian Musical Heritage Association [TAMHA] was formed in 2001 as a non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring that the rich heritage of traditional music of southern Appalachia will be understood and celebrated by the people in our region and throughout the world. Their goal is to preserve the musical heritage through performance by musicians and establishing a resource for those interested in this genre of American music. TAMHA encourages and promotes the teaching of traditional music to our younger generations so they too might gain an appreciation of their musical heritage from the Appalachian region. No discussion about TAMHA would be complete without mention of its founding father, Ralph Blizard (1918-2004). Concerned by the thought of the musical heritage he had known all his life would soon be lost to younger generations, he along with other concerned musicians founded the TAMHA organization. Ralph has been an advocate of teaching our musical heritage in public schools. He served on the Tennessee Arts Commission and is internationally known for his long-bow fiddle style. He was awarded the 2002 National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. He was given the Governor’s Award by the Tennessee Arts Commission in 2003. Learn about plans for the Ralph Blizard Museum in historic Blountville.
For more info about current events, class schedules, and registration, visit our Upper East Tennessee Music Group page.
For more information, please contact:
Kim Allison, [email protected]
Mark Blizard, [email protected]
Sponsored By
