 |
|||||||||||
|
Life & Style
|
 |
 Click here for printable version of story
By Susan
Williams "WE come searching for ourselves, waiting for the mountains to say our name," some students once wrote in a workshop sponsored by Allegheny Echoes. The very idea that the mountains have something to say inspired poets and musicians to form Allegheny Echoes four years ago. The nonprofit group gives students a chance to work for a week with instructors in the mountains each June. To raise money for students' scholarships, poet Kirk Judd, musicians Mike Bing and John Blisard and others will perform March 17 at the Empty Glass Cafe, 410 Elizabeth St., Charleston. The workshops will then take place June 24-30 at Snowshoe Resort, featuring a host of subjects reflecting mountain music, verse and culture, such as introductory to advanced classes in banjo, fiddle, guitar and dulcimer, to classes in Appalachian woodenware and basketry. Judd said he and friends such as Bing complained for years "in late-night sessions" that too many workshops did not necessarily use West Virginians or West Virginia themes. They finally decided, "Why not do it ourselves?" said Judd, who has also co-edited the anthology "Wild Sweet Notes: Fifty Years of West Virginia Poetry." In conjunction with officials at Snowshoe Mountain Resort, they began holding week-long sessions at Snowshoe. From both students and staff, "we have met with enthusiastic enthusiasm," said Judd. "People tell us it is one of the best workshops they have been to. We do not distance ourselves from the students. It is now more like a family reunion than a structured workshop. Everyone likes everyone." The organization is dedicated to preserving and passing down West Virginia's rich cultural heritage. The instructors try to give participants "an opportunity to understand and appreciate the role the arts and humanities have played in the history and development of West Virginia and Appalachia," a brochure explains. The numbers of people attending continue to rise. Last year, the event attracted about 80 students, and more are expected this year. The students have ranged in age from 8 to 65, and scholarships make it possible for even more to attend. Judd performs his poems to the accompaniment of music. He had also heard Stephen Vincent Benet's "Hell Broke Loose in Georgia," also known as "Mountain Whipperwill," done to music, he said. "I realized some time ago that the rhythms in my poetry matched old tunes." He also frequently reads his poem "The High Country Remembers Her Heritage" to a tune the Bing Brothers play, "Grumbling Old Man and Growling Old Woman." Judd's poem includes this line: Hear your granddaddy in the high fiddle string, your rogue uncle in the banjo ring and your shoe button aunt in the corner guitar keeping time. Bing said he and Judd have been friends since their high school days. "Kirk was always around," he said, adding that at some point it seemed logical to combine the poetry and music. While Bing has been playing for 25 years and Judd has written poetry for as many years, "it took a long time to develop what we do," he said. The Bing Brothers, Judd and two other West Virginia groups will be traveling to Ireland in October, where they will perform. Blisard, from Big Chimney, is also an instructor at the workshop, and, among other things, he helps with the logistics of the workshops throughout the year. One of those jobs is lining up master presenters for the classes. This year, he will have Dunbar resident Brooks Smith, who has played clawhammer banjo for 65 years, come to the workshop. "These personal connections to the students are more than just having someone listen to music. We want to make sure this doesn't die out," Blisard said. Blisard has learned to play many kinds of music, but it is the traditional banjo and fiddle music that keeps drawing him in. "I have no choice. It sort of picked me. But what impresses me more than anything is the community of people drawn to this music," he said. Sherrell Wigal is a poet from Roane County, and she also helped to found Allegheny Echoes. Like a description of a workshop, she wrote, "These mountains echo with the tunes the old ones play, the tales they tell." For more information about Allegheny Echoes, turn to their Web page at www.alleghenyechoes.com. To contact staff writer Susan Williams, use
e-mail or call 348-5112. | |||||||||
