A few weeks have passed since Leslie and I held our first bluegrass jam class on February 5, 2019. It was a big milestone for us–the result of several months of work in which we have established Wayward Strings and, with a great deal of help from the Wernick Method organization and mentors like Leigh and Gilbert Nelson, learned the basics of running a bluegrass jam class.
We were very happy with our first class. We had a group of 16 students who were all willing to put themselves outside of their comfort zones and learn the basics of jamming. Every single student led at least one song that afternoon, and that’s an accomplishment for everyone. Our venue, Harry’s Guitar Shop, was a wonderful location for our class–Harry was a gracious host and it was also a treat to spend an afternoon surrounded by beautiful instruments.
It has been a number of years since I did any teaching–it’s something that I did earlier in my IT career, but that I seldom do any more in my day-to-day work. I was very very happy to reconnect with teaching–I had forgotten how much I enjoy it. Helping people understand something new, especially when the topic is something that I love, is really fun and rewarding. I look forward to improving my bluegrass teaching skills and settling into this new role.
Our next class is coming up soon–it starts May 1! We will be teaching a class that meets once per week for 6 weeks. This is a new format for Leslie and me–neither of us have ever attended a weekly jam class, but we have both wanted to do so. The weekly format will let us focus on different topics each week, and students will have time each week to practice new skills and prepare for the next class. Registration is currently open and we’d love to have you join us–let’s build up those jam skills! Next thing you know, you’ll be jamming in downtown Raleigh during the IBMA World of Bluegrass in September.