Allegheny Echoes
There’s still time to register for the 15th annual Allegheny Echoes Summer Workshops at Marlinton, WV. This
summer’s session runs from June 19th to the 24th, and once again participants will be staying in
the Marlinton Motor Inn. A few openings remain in most of the classes, but don’t delay.
In addition to the usual favorite instructors, several changes have been made this year. For the first time, bluegrass dobro is offered. Chris Stockwell, a highly accomplished dobro player, will be teaching a class on the instrument that he describes as “pretty much changed my life.” AE also has a new bluegrass mandolin instructor. Brandon Shuping comes from a strong family background of bluegrass and traditional music. At age 12 Brandon was playing upright bass with his mother and father, the late Garland Shuping, who played banjo in the 1970s with Jim and Jesse, among others.
For those wanting to try a different type of guitar playing, Jon Mosey will teach finger-style picking. Jon is an accomplished ragtime/Piedmont blues player and his students will learn several tunes in this genre.
Returning participants also will notice several changes in the line-up of instructors. In old-time banjo, Paul Gartner, a former back-up guitar instructor, returns to teach beginning banjo. Tim Bing will teach an intermediate class this summer while Andrew Dunlap moves up into the advanced slot. Jim Mullins, a multi-instrumentalist from St. Albans, WV, returns to teach beginning fiddle.
Also this summer, the creative writing program, headed again by Kirk Judd, will join with the Pearl S. Buck Birthplace Foundation. Students will attend a foundation workshop and receive a tour of the Buck birthplace home and museum.
Several changes have been made in the masters program. Pam Lund, a longtime beginning fiddle teacher at AE and well-know
multi-instrumentalist from Pocahontas County, will appear for an afternoon session.
Other new masters are Daniel Benjamin Dover Wilson, Jim McKown and Laura Treacy Bentley. Dan Wilson is a
highly inventive bluegrass banjo player. Jim McKown is a frequent winner of old-time banjo in various contests.
Laura Bentley is a poet, fiction writher and writer in residence for the Marshall University Writing Project.
It’s been a long winter for some of the AE family. Pat Shields, who again will teach backup guitar, writes “winter has been COLD for Ga. two big snows, 4 inches or better...had to call off schools for 10 days out here in the country. I don't mind a snow day, but a snow week gets tedious. Clay's frozen, so can't mix any, so I went to work on the woodshop, and am getting back into the bee business. Maybe somebody around here can make a living for me.”
Jim Hamilton writes from sunny Southern California that he took second place in old-time banjo at the recent Topanga Festival and his band won third place.
A professionally produced DVD of last summer’s activities will be available in the AE store.
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