Henderson County 7th grader Miles Krueger rocks out in a way that looks different from many of his peers: on his banjo.
Krueger and his sister, 5th grade fiddler player Abby, are two of the students in the Junior Appalachian Musicians program or JAM, an afterschool outlet for students in Western North Carolina to connect with their local music Heritage.
The siblings meet twice a week as part of the Henderson County JAM program, sponsored by the French Broad Valley Music Association.
Alleghany County Schools’ guidance counselor, Helen White founded the program in 2000 as a positive outlet for children to learn to play the traditional music of their region and instill in them a sense of pride about the region.
“Helen White began to notice that she wasn’t really seeing a lot of the local kids in the school system around at all the local and regional traditional music events,” JAM Executive Director , Brett Morris said. “That combined with the general lack of arts education opportunities and after school opportunities, she decided that she might find a way to offer a program that could teach the kids traditional music and connect them with their heritage.”
Soon after White kickstarted JAM in Alleghany County, the program was picked up by the North Carolina Arts Council which led to grants allowing the program to spread across Appalachia – including the Western North Carolina counties of Buncombe, Henderson, Haywood, Madison, Jackson, Swain, and Transylvania.
Every year, the Council grants a series of JAM programs funding through Traditional Arts Programs for Students (TAPS). TAPS is a combination of a series of after-school programs created by community request for traditional arts to be shared across generations. The initiative connects grade-school students with local traditional artists.
TAPS supports the Buncombe County JAM which is hosted by the Black Mountain Center for the Arts. Children in the program have their choice of instruction on guitar, fiddle, or banjo by local masters of traditional music.
On Wednesdays during the school year, the Center is transformed into a learning space, Executive Director Lori Cozzi said.
“Students are meeting in the theaters, the dance studio, the art galleries, the art classrooms, and outside as well if the weather is nice,” she said.
The small group instruction is designed to teach youth to play music in a way that fosters regional styles and generates community.
At the Buncombe County JAM, students are taught by one of five instructors who are all celebrated mountain musicians including Folk & Traditional Arts Master Artist Fellowship recipient, Travis Stuart.
“We always start out with games or a square dance. Get the young kids in, get everybody dancing,” Stuart said. “Then we break into our groups: banjo, fiddle, or guitar. Sometimes we have a jam day where we all just play together.”
The effects are evident, mountain musician and Henderson County JAM instructor Carol Rifkin said.
“Performing has changed a lot of those kids’ lives,” she said.
Miles Krueger agreed. “My favorite part is the ability to perform all over,” he said. “We played at the Mountain Folk and Dance Festival. We played at the Mountain State Fair. That ability is very unique. I feel like not that many kids get that opportunity to go all over.”
Helena Hunt got her start in the Haywood County JAM at the age of eight. Mentored by Travis Stuart on the banjo, Hunt would carry her love for old-time and bluegrass into adulthood. In college, Hunt studied bluegrass and old-time at East Tennessee State University.
After graduation, she became a professional performer and instructor, even going back to her roots to teach in the JAM program for a year.
Hunt said connecting the youth of Western North Carolina with their music heritage gives them a sense of pride in their home.
“I think it’s important because I think it helps them appreciate this region more,” she said. “I think that teaching young people about it now helps them appreciate the area that they grew up in. It connects them to it more. That’s how it was for me.”
For more information about JAM visit https://www.jamkids.org.
