The Crooked Road (TCR) is offering two youth music workshops as part of its Traditional Music Education Program.
A Professional Development Workshop for Musicians will be held on Saturday, March 16. Build an Event! – a youth presenter workshop, will be held on Saturday, April 6.
Both events will take place from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Heartwood in Abingdon.
The Professional Development Workshop for Musicians will serve 24 musicians from Southwest Virginia*, ages 16 and older, who are in the beginning to intermediate stages of their careers. Participants will gain a heightened awareness of importance of professionalism in self-representation and develop skills that will benefit their work as musicians.
The workshop was conceived by TCR’s Education Committee in response to a specific need in our community: the need to improve the quality of artist bios, web presence, stage presence, and communication skills for artists who are representing themselves and who are interested in having a career in the music industry.
Workshop topics include Becoming a Professional Musician, Being Your Own Booking Agent, Writing an Effective Bio, Captivating an Audience, and Internet Marketing. Presenters will include: Sammy Shelor (Lonesome River Band); Richard Rose (Barter Theatre); Josh Trivette (Moonstruck Management); Katie Hoffman (Appalworks); and Kris Truelsen (Bill and the Belles).
Build an Event! is a fast-paced, hands-on workshop for high school and college-age students between the ages of 15 and 22 who live in Southwest Virginia* to develop festival and event management skills. The workshop will explore event conceptualization & marketing, programming (booking, artist relations and contracting), event logistics (event and festival management), and concert production (sound, recording, & lighting).
Presenters include representatives from some of the region’s premiere festivals, institutions, and events including Richard Emmett (Blue Ridge Music Center), Charlene Tipton Baker (Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion), Jason Gallimore (Chantilly Farm), Jessica Taylor (FloydFest), Will MacMorran (ETSU & Northeast State Community College), and Charlotte Whitted (Tazewell County Fiddlers’ Convention).
Both workshops are offered at no cost to attendees, and Build an Event! participants will receive a $25 honorarium upon completion of the workshop. Lunch will be provided at both workshops.
To apply for the workshops, applicants must submit an essay of 200 words or less outlining their personal experience and why they would like to participate. Applicants should include workshop title and their name; age; school (if applicable); mailing address; email address; and telephone number at the top of each essay. Essays should be sent by email to admin@thecrookedroad.org, or by U.S. Postal Service to The Crooked Road, One Heartwood Circle, Abingdon, Va. 24210.
Essays for Professional Development Workshop for Musicians must be received by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 20. Essays for Build an Event! must be received by 5 p.m. on Monday, March 4. Applications will be reviewed by members of TCR’s Education Committee and participants will be selected based on merit, experience, and enthusiasm. Applicants will be notified within one week of the application deadline. Interested persons are encouraged to apply for both opportunities.
The workshops are supported by grants from the Appalachian Regional Commission and the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Foundation.
For questions or for more information, contact Jonathan Romeo, The Crooked Road’s Program Manager, at (276) 492-2409 or jromeo@thecrookedroad.org.
* Southwest Virginia includes the counties (and associated towns) of Bland, Buchanan, Carroll, Dickenson, Floyd, Franklin, Giles, Grayson, Lee, Montgomery, Patrick, Pulaski, Russell, Scott, Smyth, Tazewell, Washington, Wise and Wythe; and the Cities of Bristol, Galax, Norton and Radford.
The Yates Family will be among those attending workshops in Abingdon.
