JOHNSON CITY (Nov. 18, 2020) – Two new minors and new coursework are now available in the Bluegrass, Old-Time and Country Music Studies program in East Tennessee State University’s Department of Appalachian Studies.
In addition to majoring in bluegrass, old-time and country music, students can now minor in old-time music and in Scottish and Irish music.
New classes in these genres offer unique, hands-on experiences for students to learn the music of their choice while immersing themselves in the culture that surrounds the music. Classes are now offered in fieldwork, archives and music collections, musicianship and artistry, study abroad, ballads, Gaelic language and culture, shape-note singing, audio production, traditional dance, and more.
ETSU’s Bluegrass, Old-Time and Country Music Studies program has long been at the forefront of traditional music in higher education, and these new courses, in addition to the well-established individual instruction and string band courses at the heart of the program, will be part of the forthcoming revised major in bluegrass, old-time and country music.
“The new courses will give students a chance to experience old-time music from many perspectives,” said Roy Andrade, associate professor and director of the old-time music part of the program. “This music can be very personal, and we hope to provide a place where students can find meaning in the music while developing their musicianship.”
“Students will have an opportunity to study Scottish and Irish music in a cultural context, developing a deeper understanding of the music they love,” added Scottish fiddler Jane MacMorran, who directs the Scottish and Irish music program as well as the Appalachian, Scottish and Irish Studies Program within the Department of Appalachian Studies.
Courses within Bluegrass, Old-Time and Country Music Studies are currently being offered both in-person (where appropriate) and online.
For more information on the new old-time music minor, visit www.etsu.edu/oldtime or contact Andrade at andrade@etsu.edu. To learn more about the new Scottish and Irish music minor, visit www.etsu.edu/celtic or contact MacMorran at macmorra@etsu.edu.