Natalya and John are both experienced teachers and are extremely knowledgeable about the context and history of traditional Appalachian Music. They have presented workshops in classrooms and festivals all across the country. John teaches Applied Music lessons, String Band and Songwriting at Warren Wilson College and Natalya, a highly regarded fiddle instructor, is currently working toward a Master’s in Appalachian Music at ASU.
“Natalya and John came to my music class at UNCA this past November and absolutely mesmerized my students!”
– Lewis Wills, Instructor at the Reuter Center for Continuing Education, University of North Carolina, Asheville
History of Appalachian Music Workshop
Appalachia has a rich musical heritage which includes the union of slave music from Africa, the fiddle music of the Scots-Irish settlers, and the musical traditions of the indigenous people of the region. We will discuss the instrumentation and purposes of mountain music, as well as how the advent of radio, recordings, and the Grand Ole Opry helped bring mountain music to a much wider audience. We will also discuss the development of bluegrass music and it’s key players, such as Bill Monroe, the Stanley Brothers and Flatt & Scruggs.
What Characterizes Old-time and Bluegrass Music?
In this workshop we will explore the shared and divergent histories of the two most prevalent types of folk music in the Southern Appalachians: bluegrass and old-time. Many folks do not realize that bluegrass is a relatively new style of music and was only termed in the 1950’s. Old-time music has developed over hundreds of years in the greater Appalachian region, and was a predecessor to the more commonly known style called bluegrass. There are a number of distinctions in each genre, from the styles of banjo to the role of singing songs and harmonies.
