Following are two letters we recently received from Fletcher Bright Memorial Grant recipients from North Carolina.
Dear Ms. Cardwell and the scholarship committee:
Thank you so much for selecting me to receive the Fletcher Bright Memorial grant for young musicians! It was an honor to represent the IBMA Foundation at Bela Fleck’s Blue Ridge Banjo Camp as a student in Brevard, North Carolina. I was able to participate in the workshops with world class teachers and network with other musicians from all over the country. The highlight of my camp week was being selected to perform for a sold out crowd during the main concert on Saturday evening! I also got to meet Greg Deering and talk with him about my Deering banjo set up. Thank you again for supporting young musicians like myself!
Best,
Alanabeth Duncan
Dear IBMA Foundation:
In August, I attended Casey Driessen’s Blue Ridge Fiddle Camp in Brevard, North Carolina. It was one of my most favorite music camps. When I first arrived I was so nervous about how the week would go, but everyone was kind, and I knew right away I had nothing to worry about. All the instructors were so incredible not just as teachers, but as people. They were so fun so be around and learn from, during class and out of class. I am an old-time fiddler, so I really loved working with Tatiana Hargreaves.
The students were awesome, too. I got to meet great youth musicians, and we all had a great time. I attend the Academy for the Arts in Asheville with two other youth musicians who, even though we go to the same music academy, I never really had the chance to spend time with, but we happened to be in the same group at fiddle camp. We got to hang out, and we all became good friends because of the fiddle camp. There were also a few other kids there, so during break we would all meet up together and play basketball. During class, I was able to learn a lot about playing. I learned so much that I came home from camp feeling like it helped me to become a better fiddle player. All in all, I loved the camp, and I will definitely be applying again next year. I wanted to say a special thank you to the Fletcher Bright Memorial Grant for allowing me the opportunity to attend.
Sincerely,
Sylvie Marie Davis
PS. The camp took place right after Mr. Bobby Hicks passed. I’ve grown up in Leicester, not far from Marshall, and had been with him at the jam at Zuma’s on Thursday nights. I heard a lot of people talking about him at the camp. It made me happy to know that so many people thought so much about him as a fiddler and a person. He was always kind to me and my siblings. It’s been a sad time for our community, but that so many people talked about him also made me happy.
RETURN to the September 2024 issue of The Cornerstone.
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