IB: International Bluegrass May 2016

IB bluegrass international

May 2016

behind the scenes of

IBMA’s Leadership Bluegrass Program The Singer’s Toolkit: Caring for Your Instrument

enter the IBMA World of Bluegrass Film Festival!

world of bluegrass Official Showcase Artists Announced All About Special Awards (And How You Can Nominate Someone!)

Next Month...

IIIrd Tyme Out Celebrates 25 Years

International Bluegrass Vol. 31 | No. 4 | May 2016

Editor: Shannon Turner shannon@ibma.org

Designer: Erin Faith Erdos erinfaitherdos@gmail.com

STAFF

Paul Schiminger Executive Director

board

Shannon Turner Director of Communications and Professional Development

Leah James Director of Member Services

Eddie Huffman Convention Services and IT Systems Director

Tim Surrett - Board Chairperson

Alan Bartram-Artists/Composers/Publishers Becky Buller-At Large Jamie Deering-Merchandisers/Luthiers Regina Derzon-Secretary, Associations Mike Drudge-Agents, Managers & Publicists John Goad-Print Media/Education Denise Jarvinen-At Large Marian Leighton Levy-Recording/Distribution/Marketing William Lewis-At Large

Steve Martin-At Large Stephen Mougin-At Large Joe Mullins-Treasurer, Artists/Composers/Publishers Ben Surratt- Vice Chair Wayne Taylor-Artists-Composers/Publishers Alan Tompkins-At Large Angelika Torrie- International Bree Tucker-Myers- Event Production Bob Webster-Broadcast Media

info Contact us

International Bluegrass

The monthly emailed publication of the International Bluegrass Music Association

(ISSN #1095-0605) IBMA: IBMA is the trade association

608 W. Iris Drive, Nashville, TN 37204 USA 615-256-3222 | 888-GET-IBMA Fax: 615-256-0450 Email: info@ibma.org Website: www.ibma.org

that connects and educates bluegrass professionals, empowers the bluegrass community, and encourages worldwide appreciation of bluegrass music of yesterday, today and tomorrow.

Statement of fact and opinion are made on the responsibility of the writers alone and do not imply an opinion on the part of the officers, directors, staff or members of IBMA. Portions of International Bluegrass may be reprinted provided that explicit citation of the source is made: “Reprinted with permission from International Bluegrass, the publication of the International Bluegrass Music Association, www.ibma.org.�

A word from the Editor Shannon Turner

Director of Communications

I’m going to be straight-ahead honest with you here. I pretty much owe my career in bluegrass music to the IBMA Leadership Bluegrass program. It’s just the flat-out truth.

You might think I’m saying that because I’m part of the IBMA staff now, but when I went through the Leadership Bluegrass program in March 2013, I could never, ever have predicted the path that has led me to this office today. Although I had been in the music business for a long time at that point, it was almost entirely focused on the country music scene, and while there were bluegrass and old-time musicians in my family growing up, the only real time I’d spent with bluegrass as an adult was making sure I saw Del McCoury every chance I could get (I know I’m not the only one!). I’d been to exactly one festival.

So when I walked into BMI on that cold morning in March of 2013, I could never have imagined what lay before me. Three days later, after the intensity of discussion and self-examination, the joy of discovering a shared passion with like-minded people from all over the country and Canada, the exploration of ideas and issues facing us in the industry and as leaders, I almost stumbled out, exhausted but exhilarated. I went in with some 23 or so strangers; I came out with a family.

I’m not alone. Others who have been through it will tell you the same thing, how it changed their lives, how it was so much more than they imagined, how it exceeded all of their expectations. I’ve been in the music business long enough to know that it can drain a person. It can be fraught with discouragement and difficulty.

But after coming through Leader-

ship Bluegrass, I knew that whatever challenges I might face, there was not only my 2013 family, but the greater Leadership Bluegrass family of 400 graduates who is always there to have my back, encourage me and help me navigate my way through this sometimes crazy business.

I realize that I sound like I drank the Kool-Aid. If you haven’t been through Leadership Bluegrass, I can see why my praise would seem a little…much.

Don’t take my word for it; I want you to experience it yourself.

I encourage each of you reading this now, whatever your place in the industry, to apply for next year’s class.

We’ll start taking applications at the end of September, during World of Bluegrass, and the application period will run through mid-November or so.

YOU NEED TO DO THIS. Because there are far more applications than seats, not everyone gets in the first time they apply. Keep going, it’s worth the wait.

In the next few pages, you’ll see how the program has grown from the first class back in 2000 to the flourishing classes of today.

This year, we had more applications that ever before, and we had a wonderful class of participants that emerged ready to take on the industry and exact real influence, growth and, where necessary, change.

So whether you feel like you’re on the outside looking in, like I was

just over three years ago, or if you’ve been involved in bluegrass for decades, I urge you to apply to be a part of this amazing experience. Regardless of where your path leads, you will always be able to rely on what you’ve learned and the people you’ve met because of Leadership Bluegrass.

I’m living proof that even careers can be built around it, and if I can do it, so can YOU! It will be one of the best professional decisions you will ever make.

We hope you enjoy this month’s issue of IB: International Bluegrass.

Sincerely,

Shannon Turner

Director of Communications and Professional Development Leadership Bluegrass Class of 2013

Leadership Bluegrass class of 2013 International Bluegrass

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table of c o n te nt s international bluegrass

May 2016 3 A note from the editor, by Shannon Turner

Cover story Cover Photo courtesy of The Recording Academy FOcus on Leadership Bluegrass The Three-Day Music Boot Camp. We’ll say this much – you’ll never forget it. And we mean that in the best possible way.

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Leadership Bluegrass – What is it, Anyway? by Shannon Turner. Let me explain what the buzz is all about.

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A View from the Room – by the Class of 2016.

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Why is Leadership Bluegrass Important? Facilitator Trisha Tubbs makes the case.

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Making LBG Count for the Long-Haul. Archie Warnock looks back on the creation of the LBG Alumni effort, while Alumni Committee Chair Phil Bankester gives checks in with what’s up right now.

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The Leadership Bluegrass Gallery.

16 The Singer’s Toolkit, by Amanda Combs Sometimes we don’t think of the voice as an instrument, but it is. And, like all instruments, it requires specialized care.

Table of Contents photos provided by Todd Gunsher, James McKelvey and Willa Stein

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International Bluegrass | May 2016

18 World of Bluegrass Showcase Bands Announced Find out which 30 bands from around the world have been chosen to be the official Showcase Artists at the World of Bluegrass Ramble in September.

20 Playing It Forward: Nu-Blu Creates a Bluegrass Culture for Kids.

North Carolina band Nu-Blu is traveling to the farthest corners of the country to bring music to kids who otherwise have none, and they’re bringing a little history about Mr. Monroe’s music along for the ride.

22 IBMA Special Awards Nominations are Now Open It’s time to submit your choices for the annual Special Awards categories. We’ll tell you how.

23 Milestones: Roger Siminoff Retires in California The luthier with six patents to his name decides to slow down.

25 World of Bluegrass Film Festival We know you’ve been secretly indulging your inner Stephen Spielberg. It’s time to submit your films for the World of Bluegrass Film Festival, happening this September in Raleigh, North Carolina.

26 New Kids on the Block: May We open our arms to the newest members of the IBMA family.

NEXT issue...

At 25 Years, Russell Moore Takes Tyme Out to Reflect

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Focus on

LE A DERS HI P BL U EG R A SS

What is Leadership Bluegrass, Anyway?

Leadership Bluegrass is a three-day symposium of leaders and potential leaders in the bluegrass industry.

Class members participate in an intense, immersive learning experience of discussions, activities, presentations and programs delivered by knowledgeable people in many aspects of the industry.

Presenters may include anyone from an artist manager to a song publishing expert, a leadership consultant to music educators, and much more. It’s challenging, and it’s a lot of fun.

There’s time for networking, mingling, a nice party, a cocktail hour, a silent auction and of course, it wouldn’t be bluegrass if there wasn’t some jamming involved. At the end of the program, each member of the class graduates and receives a plaque recognizing their participation. Leadership Bluegrass inspires, encourages, creates and incites an atmosphere of camaraderie and innovation that, once forged, is difficult to break.

Leadership Bluegrass exists because of the work of a Planning Committee, a facilitator, an IBMA staff person, and a Leadership Bluegrass Alumni Committee. Each is heavily dedicated to the success of the program.

In these pages, both longtime Leadership Bluegrass Alumni and some from the newlyminted 2016 class have taken the time to share with you about the program. We hope their varied voices encourage you in your daily involvement in bluegrass music.

Feature graphic by Phil Bankester

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The Class At the end of the 2016 edition of Leadership Bluegrass, the following 26 people were recognized with plaques for their participation: Row 1, L to R: Dede Wyland, artist & women’s pioneer, Md.; Leah James, IBMA Membership Services Director, Tenn.; Annie Savage, President, Colorado Bluegrass Association, Co.; Janet Brightly, festival sponsorship developer, Va.; Lisa Husted, Greyfox, Joe Val, IBMA festivals.

Row 2, L to R: Kathy Hanson, educator, Md.; Marian Leighton Levy, co-founder, Rounder Records, Mass.; Lee Stivers, promoter, Whiskey Rebellion festival, Penn.

leadership bluegrass

Row 3 L to R: Sal Sauco, President, Rhode Island Bluegrass Association, R.I.; Daniel Boner, educator, East Tennessee State University, Tenn.

Aengus Finnan, Executive Director, Folk Alliance International, Mo.; Lucas White, youth ambassador, Bluegrass Heritage Foundation, Tenn.

Row 4, L to R: Dustin Boyd, Planet Bluegrass, Co.; Jocelyn Gold, artist, Goldheart, Va.; Darby Brandli, President, California Bluegrass Association, Ca.; Kimber Ludiker, artist, Della Mae, Tenn..

Row 6, L to R: Laurie Okun, co-creator, IBMA Raleigh, N.C.; Tony Kamel, artist, Wood & Wire; Texas.

Row 5, L to R: Patrice O’Neill, Executive Director, Wintergrass, Wash.; Brad Kolodner, DJ WAMU radio, Md.; Chris Joslin, Executive Director, International Bluegrass Music Museum, Ky.;

Row 7, L to R: Devon Leger, publicist, Hearth Music, Wash.; Kelsi Harrigill, artist, Flatt Lonesome, Ala.; Alan Bibey, artist, Grasstowne, N.C.; James Reams, President, Arizona Bluegrass Association, Ariz.; David Morris, journalist, Bluegrass Today, Md.

The Leadership Bluegrass Class of 2016. BMI headquarters, Nashville, Tennessee. Photo by Riley Mathews International Bluegrass

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A View from the Room by the Class of 2016.

Nobody is more super-sensitized to the energy that is forged at Leadership Bluegrass more than its most recent class. Here, a few members of the Class of 2016 share their experience. bluegrass world without recognizing the bigger picture. There are a number of challenges facing the bluegrass world that aren’t always discussed amidst the hustle and bustle of our daily lives. LBG provided an open platform to address issues of diversity, inclusion and forward-thinking, just to name a few. The variety of workshops allowed us to touch on many different aspects of the industry.

Whew. What a jam-packed few days. As I write this nearly a month later, I find myself continuing to process everything that happened at Leadership Bluegrass. From the massive jam at the Station Inn Sunday night and the talk with Ricky Skaggs & Sharon White, to the inspiring, wild-and-wacky workshop with Joe Craven and the party at Missy Raines’ & Ben Surratt’s house, Leadership Bluegrass was incredible in every way.

I was particularly impressed by the range of viewpoints shared by the participants. It’s so easy to live and operate in our little corners of the

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The program was very smoothly run - kudos to the planning committee and IBMA for doing such an excellent job designing the program and cultivating the Leadership Bluegrass family. I anticipate a number of the relationships made during those few days will last a lifetime.

Overall, I came away from the experience even more inspired to get back to work, with a fresh enthusiasm for the music. I strongly encourage anyone who works in the bluegrass industry to apply! 2016: Best Class Ever! – Brad Kolodner, Baltimore

International Bluegrass | May 2016

So much to learn, so little time to learn it! Leadership Bluegrass was, hands down, the best week in music I’ve had. I feel like I earned a master’s degree in all things bluegrass.

Plus, I made many new friends.

Weeks later, I’m still reviewing my notes, trying new approaches and putting to use what I learned in Nashville. As I do that, I realize I not only learned a lot about the music we love. I learned so much about myself. – David Morris, Gaithersburg, Maryland, Bluegrass Today

2016: A view from the room Dreams Do Come True Envisioning the Future of Bluegrass As a former teacher, I’ve focused my desire to share knowledge, encourage potential, and motivate people on my first passion – bluegrass music. I’ve received so much through my association with the bluegrass industry and am always looking for ways to give back, to help promote the music that I grew up with and love. I see bluegrass music as a means to bring people together, and an opportunity to span generational as well as cultural gaps. I had heard about the IBMA Leadership Bluegrass program for years, and had been encouraged to apply by several colleagues in the

In today’s world of hyperdigital-virtual-branding-video-social media-streaming noise, it is so refreshing and soul-affirming to put a few days aside to engage in building a community of friends and colleagues using those old-fashioned

music industry. This program seemed to epitomize everything I lived and breathed about bluegrass.

The list of alumni reads like a “Who’s Who” in the bluegrass music industry and contains so many names that I have long admired and respected. It was such an honor to be accepted as a member of the 2016 class.

Upon arrival at the IBMA National Headquarters office in Nashville, I still didn’t know quite what to

communication techniques of talking, sharing, risking, laughing, learning, dancing and making music. What a fortunate person I am to have been given this opportunity to join with so many amazing people who make and support bluegrass music in all its diversity! Through Leadership Bluegrass, an enormous door of opportunity has been opened for me into this world. There’s no going back now. – Lee Stivers, Washington, Pennsylvania, Whiskey Rebellion Festival

expect. Over the course of the 3-day program, I was hit with an intense barrage of knowledge, passion and enthusiasm from many of the movers and shakers in the music industry today. The sessions were well-planned, moved quickly, and were always thought-provoking.

As someone who has been involved in music for over 20 years, I was comforted to realize that many others in the music industry are faced with the same challenges. It was exciting to learn about new business models that will change the face of music, such as centralizing music publisher databases.

sion. It was quite a privilege to get to know this amazing group of people, which included event promoters, artists, label owners, educators, songwriters and marketing professionals - and everything was accomplished through the hand of friendship. The IBMA Leadership Bluegrass program embodies all the aspects that I have sought to incorporate into my career in bluegrass music.

To join the ranks of other like-minded individuals who share a passion for this music, and work together to preserve, grow and spread bluegrass music worldwide is a dream come true for me.

A great sense of camaraderie developed between the classmates during the ses-

James Reams, President, Arizona Bluegrass Music Association formers to industry leaders and were both knowledgeable and entertaining. The program gave me a deeper understanding of bluegrass as a national movement, and changed my perspective of this music and its contributors.

The IBMA Leadership program was, for me, a mountaintop experience. I met a diverse and enthusiastic group of participants who became my friends. My organization has already benefited from our association. The panelists for the program ranged from per-

I wholeheartedly recommend attending this conference, especially if you’re involved in the promotion of bluegrass music at any level. – Sal Sauco, East Greenwich, Rhode Island, Rhode Island Bluegrass Alliance

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a view from the room

I readily admit to being categorized as a cautious, almost reluctant, participant. Despite knowing a number of people who’d participated in the Leadership Bluegrass program, I’d never had a handle on what it was actually about.

Since I’m not terribly fond of sitting still for three days and even less fond of doing so in a meeting style format, let’s just say I’d refined avoiding Leadership Bluegrass to a fine art.

This is me giving you permission to use every Crayola crayon in the box to color me wrong.

Although I realize this statement is open to vigorous debate, from my perspective this was the absolute best year for me to attend, because this particular collection of people comprised the Best Class Ever. One of the secrets to the success of this program is the genius the folks who run it have for creating the best pos-

sible mix of participants.

They outdid themselves this year. Far and away, the greatest benefit of attending this program are the people. After three long days, I find myself the owner of 25 shiny new, really smart, really interesting friends and colleagues.

We were presented with a series of presentations and sessions designed to hit the high notes of current events, as it were, in the bluegrass world. Those sessions ranged from the details of music royalties to Q&A sessions with industry leaders, to challenging sessions addressing creativity and diversity. That was all well and good, but the stuff that is already proving to be of lifelong value is the forging of productive partnerships with people who share a passion for the power of music. I am purposefully not saying bluegrass music in particular. Even though that was clearly the major thread that bound us together, there was a refreshingly surprising range included in our particular mix. That range allowed for the deeply traditional, both in musical and cultural terms, and far-flung extensions of the music and culture. If Leadership Bluegrass was a planetary system, it would

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be fair to say everyone from Mercury to the much maligned Pluto was represented.

We eagerly dove into the tiny allotments of time given to talk with each other. The single and universal complaint about the program is that we just flat out didn’t have enough time to talk with each other. Even though seat assignments changed every day and even though we had assignments that forced us to get to know someone new, there was never enough time to fully engage with each other.

Leadership Bluegrass was informative and inspiring, collaborative and challenging, and ultimately a profound opportunity to build personal and professional bridges. – Aengus Finnan, Kansas City, Folk Alliance International

Let’s just say that post-LBG, this class is working overtime to make up for that.

All of us have people we can talk with and lean on.

All of us walked away with a peer group that we will depend on for years to come. All of us are better and more motivated for having attended.

I am deeply grateful for having been included in this particular class and very much look forward to working with both past and future graduates of this program. – Patrice O’Neal, Seattle, Wintergrass

I have to say it was a wonderful experience, inspiring even. I love my classmates; I love the esprit de corps. I thought many of the team-building and speaking exercises were useful. – Marian Levy, Boston, Rounder Records

A View from the Planning Committee by Beth Fortune It is a distinct pleasure to serve the IBMA community as a member of the Leadership Bluegrass Planning Committee. I am a music educator from Seattle. I teach in both a traditional public school environment, plus, I work for Wintergrass, one of the Pacific Northwest’s finest bluegrass/acoustic music festivals.

Bluegrass music is a powerful vehicle for motivation, for inclusivity and for imparting musical skill. One of my main goals in my daily work is to bring more of our music into the public school realm – to make it “something we do at

school.” I find it very meaningful that IBMA values and supports the voice of music education, and that the Leadership Bluegrass program places priority on presenting a variety of ideas focused on music education and the furtherance of our music through education for all ages.

Our Leadership Bluegrass Team is a dynamic group of thinkers and doers who are driven by the inspiration that bluegrass music brings.

We want to make our music more accessible for all.

We want to seek and bring into the fold other leaders that are out there in our world.

We are an intellectual collective. We are a “Gettin’ ‘Er Done” kind of crowd.

We have good humor. We work hard and we have a ton of fun doing it! I am beyond honored to be associated with all of these amazing folks.

This year’s Leadership Bluegrass symposium and class have had a lasting effect on me. Together we took risks to engage in real, courageous conversations about an array of tough topics. The members of the LBG class of 2016 exhibited deep, open-minded thinking, deep empathy, huge enthusiasm, and they made it crystal -clear that

Leadership Bluegrass – Many Perspectives, One Goal and the bluegrass community! We now have over 400 people who have gone through the program. You can see their contributions in their own communities and for IBMA. Many are Board members, serve on committees and are involved in IBMA’s educational WOB program as volunteers, presenters and committee chairs.

The Leadership Bluegrass program is important because it provides a unique (and intense) opportunity for people from various aspects of the industry to learn, understand different points of view, interact with industry leaders, learn leadership skills, share their expertise and knowledge, network and participate in discussions about important topics in the industry and for them personally.

Because of the way the program is structured, participants have the opportunity to make important networking connections, and, often, make new lifelong best friends.

A number of great ideas,

projects and collaborations have happened because of connections that took place through Leadership Bluegrass.

Leadership Bluegrass is a valuable asset for IBMA

It’s exciting to see how participants with widely different backgrounds, ages, religions and views are able to engage in civil discourse, are willing to listen openly to different views, focus on finding common ground and work together.

they are ready to step to the plate and lead on. Our future is indeed in good hands!

I am very grateful to be a part of this extremely special aspect of the IBMA.

by Trisha Tubbs In the future, the Leadership Bluegrass program will continue to adapt to help prepare participants to meet industry challenges, changes in the market, changes in technology and whatever the industry needs to grow and sustain itself.

Trisha Tubbs is the current facilitator for Leadership Bluegrass. Her long familiarity with the program makes her an invaluable resource, as she has witnessed its evolution first-hand. Trisha is a 2000 graduate of Leadership Bluegrass, part of the very first class organized.

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leadership bluegrass World of bluegrass special

The Leadership Bluegrass Alumni Organization: A Brief History

by Archie Warnock Anyone who has been through the IBMA’s Leadership Bluegrass program will tell you that, immediately after finishing the intensive 3-day program, most leave feeling inspired and looking forward. The experience is unforgettable and, at the same time, many of us want to hold onto the energy and sense of exhilaration the program generates. The end, it turns out, doesn’t need to be the end.

The germ of the idea to further the LBG experience after graduation was planted at World of Bluegrass in 2001, a few months after the completion of the second LBG class. A group of graduates from the classes of 2000 and 2001 met for breakfast to get acquainted and to share ideas. At the time, the IBMA was subsidizing much of the expense of the program. It seemed clear that there was interest in both continuing the educational experience of Leadership Bluegrass after graduation, and in helping in subsequent classes to keep the program going.

By 2004 or so, an informal Leadership Bluegrass Alumni committee formed, including a liaison with the official Leadership Bluegrass planning committee, with the intent of organizing two separate activities. The first was to present an informal “continuing education” session just before World

of Bluegrass, based on the Leadership Bluegrass model but with an in-depth focus on one specific area of interest, as a balance to the necessarily frenetic pace of the official Leadership Bluegrass program. The other activity, spearheaded primarily by Michael Hall, was to organize a weekend retreat, where discussions on a variety of topics of interest would couple with social activities, jamming and general congeniality.

In each of these alumni activities, attendees would have the opportunity to meet graduates from different years of the program, facilitating the important industry connections made through Leadership Bluegrass and reminding us that we always take calls from any of the other Leadership Bluegrass graduates.

Both of these sessions came off successfully and have continued to take place. In addition to these two initial activities, what started out as a getacquainted reception during World of Bluegrass has evolved into a fundraiser, complete with donated items for a silent auction during World of Bluegrass to support and help give back to the Leadership Bluegrass program.

As it happens, none of the alumni activities have an official role with the

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IBMA, although the organization has been supportive and enthusiastic in donating space, time and energy. If we learned nothing else from Leadership Bluegrass, it’s that we are empowered to undertake activities on our own initiative without waiting for someone else to tell us what needs to be done.

Archie Warnock has been a professional musician for nearly 40 years.

He is currently lending his considerable technological talents to helping to develop the upcoming Leadership Bluegrass Alumni Mentoring effort.

Archie graduated from LBG in 2001.

Alumni committee

The Leadership Bluegrass Alumni Committee

by Committee Chair Phil Bankester, of The Bankesters There are now somewhere around 400 graduates of the Leadership Bluegrass Program. The Leadership Bluegrass Alumni Committee was organized to allow interested alumni of the Leadership Bluegrass classes (going back to the first class in 2000) to continue the educational and networking benefits of the class, and to allow alumni to collectively think about long-term issues and opportunities facing the bluegrass community. The annual Master Class, fundraising reception and Leadership Bluegrass information booth at World of Bluegrass, plus our bi-annual retreats are open to all graduates. The latest project for the group is to organize mentoring relationships between experienced Leadership Bluegrass class graduates and IBMA members looking for guidance in their bluegrass careers and specific projects.

The overall goal of the Leadership Bluegrass program and Alumni Committee is to prepare individuals for leadership roles in the IBMA, regional bluegrass associations, bands, companies and other organizations that promote bluegrass music.

I attended Leadership Bluegrass in 2010. I was asked to serve on the Alumni Committee a couple of years ago and became the chair of the committee last year.

Mary Burdette had done such a wonderful job; I really wasn’t sure I was up to the task but agreed to do the best I can. Currently, the committee is working on plans for this year’s fundraising reception and Master Class in Raleigh. We’ll also set dates soon for the 2017 LBG retreat.

Phil Bankester, when not heading up the Leadership Bluegrass Alumni Committee, leads his own family band, The Bankesters. Phil is a 2010 graduate of Leadership Bluegrass.

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The Leadership Bluegrass Gallery

Caption: Day One at Leadership Bluegrass, ready to begin.

Leah James, Sal Sauco and Kathy Hanson of the 2016 class.

Brad Kolodner of WAMU pauses to contempate.

Riley Mathews, an intern from Belmont University in Nashville, was working with the IBMA and had the opportunity to sit in on some of the Leadership Bluegrass 2016 sessions.

Ben Hunter and Joe Seamons from Seattle delivered a session on their educational project, and offered the music for the Tuesday evening Cocktail Hour.

Leadership Bluegrass 2016 was thrilled to welcome Sharon White of The Whites and Ricky Skaggs to our forum to share their experiences in The Artist’s Perspective. Sharon graduated from Leadership Bluegrass in 2012.

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The Leadership Bluegrass Gallery Headline Here

Alan Tompkins of the Bluegrass Heritage Foundation in Texas leads a conversation about non-profit organizations. Alan is a 2009 graduate of Leadership Bluegrass.

Leadership Bluegrass is fortunate to welcome experts in diverse areas of the bluegrass industry. Kyle Cantrell, Sirius XM broadcaster and 2011 LBG graduate, listens intently to artist Jim Lauderdale.

Shannon Sanders, president of the Nashville Chapter of The Recording Academy, stopped by to welcome the 2016 class of Leadership Bluegrass on their first morning.

Here, Shannon smiles with Jean Spivey, Leadership Bluegrass Planning Committee Co-Chair, and Shannon Turner, IBMA Leadership Bluegrass Staff Liaison.

This group of Leadership Bluegrass Alumni are enjoying one of the Alumni organization’s bi-annual retreats.

Dede Wyland, from the 2016 class, seems to have enjoyed herself during Leadership Bluegrass.

Susan Myers of GW Entertainment pauses with Mark Mason (Class of 2000) and Nancy Cardwell (2000) at BMI.

Group projects at Leadership Bluegrass are fun. Here, some of the members of the Class of 2014 are seen to be having a good time.

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The Singer’s Toolkit:

Understanding Your Instrument

by Amanda Combs

Amanda Combs is a singer and voice coach.

In Bluegrass, we sing in a very natural manner. It’s authentic, emotional, and often similar to our speaking voices. However, most of us deal with limitations - difficulty reaching high or low notes, or not being able to sing all the songs we want to sing.

Sometimes, we even feel fatigued or hoarse. We have two options - avoid our challenges, or learn their causes and fix them. The second option comes about when our voice is healthy and functioning efficiently.

Healthy singing? What is that? It is not learning to sing a certain style of music, and it doesn’t have to sound “un-bluegrass.” It is training the muscles that are involved in singing to work at their best, most efficient level. When this happens, the voice is stronger, more flexible and more capable - no matter what the style.

I grew up singing bluegrass gospel music in Hazard, Kentucky. I sang as it came naturally to me, with some guidance from my family and choir teacher. Most of the songs I chose had intentionally small ranges in order to avoid my weak spots. When I had to sing a song that didn’t fit these criteria, it was always a huge challenge that I didn’t know how to approach. When I moved to Nashville, Tennessee, for college, I discovered my voice could be trained to do the things it hadn’t been able to do, that I could expand my range and that I could learn to use my voice in ways I’d never imagined - ways that breathe life into songs. All of this was and is possible because I learned how

to use my voice in a healthy manner.

How do you learn to sing in a healthy manner? My best advice is to work with a voice teacher who knows how the voice functions and is open to a variety of musical styles. Unlike other instruments, beginning voice students don’t always start at the same point. Some of us can match pitch without ever thinking about it, while others need more help. Some people can sing high and not low, some can sing low and not high. In other words, we all start at different places, and that makes us all unique. With that said, there are several main goals of singing that we can all work toward beyond pitch-matching. These are having efficient breathing, relaxed muscles and a full range.

You’ve probably heard the term “voice box” or “vocal chords.” Voice teachers and doctors know the

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voice box as the larynx, and the vocal chords as the vocal folds. Air is what makes our vocal folds move.

There are two aspects of breathing; inhalation (the air we take in) and exhalation (the air we let out). You’ve probably heard about inhalation as “breath support” and thought about it, particularly when you are singing long phrases. But just as every sung phrase varies in length and difficulty, the amount of air we need to inhale also varies. Therefore, we should think about the particular size of breath we need to sing a certain phrase. The other side of the coin is exhalation, also known as airflow. If we continually take in more air than we exhale, we may feel like we are out of breath while also not being able to take in any more air. Without sufficient, consistent airflow, our vocal folds will not work in a relaxed, efficient manner. I was severely guilty

Singing bluegrass

of this, and I constantly strained to hit high notes and sometimes to sing in general. The inconsistent, weak airflow caused my vocal folds to tense and created a harsh, pushed sound.

It can also be more difficult to control your voice’s pitch and volume under these circumstances. Think of a guitar player - the guitarist strums a note to create the sound. If the string is not plucked strongly enough, the note may not sound clear. If it is picked too strongly, the sound may be stiff, rigid and unpleasant. A guitarist who constantly plucks too hard will have difficulty playing smoothly and quickly. Therefore, like a guitar player, our goal as singers is to find an appropriate balance in both air inhalation (how much air we put in the tank) and exhalation (how much air we release consistently).

A couple of months ago I interviewed a very active bluegrass singer. When he asked what healthy vocal technique was, I responded with the three areas I listed above. Upon hearing “relaxed muscles,” he laughed and said that was impossible, because he never performs without being nervous. While nerves can definitely affect your level of relaxation, that’s not exactly what I mean here. There are many, many muscles that assist in singing. These include your vocal folds, neck muscles, face muscles, jaw muscles, tongue, chest, back, and torso muscles, just to give you an idea! To sing and talk efficiently, these muscles must work together.

If one set of muscles is quite a bit stronger than the other, they will pull too hard. When a set of muscles pulls too hard, we call it “tension”.

Ideally, our muscles work together in a balanced manner. When that’s not

the case, it can greatly change our vocal tone. We can sound “frog-like,” “swallowed,” “intense,” etc. Additionally, this is one of the main causes for range limitations and even vocal damage. To achieve muscle balance in singing, I strongly suggest working with a trained professional. Many times, these types of tensions are hard to perceive if you do not know exactly what to look or listen for. So do yourself a favor, and get a professional’s assistance.

A complete range is very important in creating a full-functioning, healthy voice. Every singer has a low and high register. The low register is called chest voice in both men and women, and the high register is called head voice for women. Men have two high register options that work in the same note range: the falsetto (light sound) and head voice (slightly stronger sound yet still not chest voice). For the purposes of this article, I will speak primarily of the male head register. Even so, it is important for men to find and exercise their falsetto register in order to have a fully-functioning healthy voice. With that said, we have one set of muscles that produce the chest voice and another that create the head register.

The chest voice is what we sing and speak in most of the time. Our head register sounds softer and lighter. We also have a mix register. This is how Bill Monroe sang his famous high lonesome sound. It was stronger than a typical head register yet lighter than the low parts of his range. In the mix register our chest voice and high register muscles work together to create a wide array of notes that seamlessly transition from chest to head register, or vice versa. However, as with the

relaxed muscles I spoke of earlier, if one of these sets of muscles is much stronger than the other, they won’t be able to work together. A voice like this goes directly from chest voice to the higher register. Most of us have probably experienced this when we can’t hit certain notes or our voices crack, particularly in belted songs or when singing the tenor harmony. To fix this problem, singers must keep their chest and high registers strong by singing in them on a regular basis.

This does not mean that singers must perform in their high registers. It’s up to you to decide what registers you use in performance. What I am saying is that we should warm up, hum, or sing along to a song in both the chest and high registers daily. If we do that, we will hear the results because our muscles will become equally strong and able to work together to create that high lonesome sound.

Singing bluegrass music is enjoyable, authentic and fulfilling, but it can also be challenging. The good news is you don’t have to live with the struggles.

Healthy, improved singing can be a reality. I hope you now have some insight into how your voice works, and are inspired to learn more, work with a knowledgeable professional or take some of the advice in this article.

Happy singing!

Amanda Combs is a singer/songwriter/voice teacher from Hazard, Kentucky, living in Nashville, Tennessee. She has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Commercial Music from Belmont University. She currently has a bluegrass and country gospel album entitled, New.

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ramble artists announced

IBMA ANNOUNCES WORLD of BLUEGRASS SHOWCASE ARTISTS 30 JURIED BANDS TO TAKE THE STAGE FOR BLUEGRASS RAMBLE

The IBMA is excited to announce the 30 official World of Bluegrass Showcase artists. The acts represent eclectic music from across the country and around the world, and we are proud to present them to our audiences at World of Bluegrass in September. The following artists will be a part of the World of Bluegrass Ramble, set for September 27-29, 2016, in Raleigh, North Carolina: 10 String Symphony – Nashville, Tennessee Annie Lou – Parksville, British Columbia, Canada Bill and the Belles – Johnson City, Tennessee Cardboard Fox – Bath, Somerset, United Kingdom Carolina Blue – Pisgah Forest, North Carolina Hackensaw Boys – Washington, D.C. Hannah Shira Naiman – Toronto, Ontario, Canada High Plains Jamboree – Austin, Texas Hot Buttered Rum – San Geronimo, California J2B2 (John Jorgenson Bluegrass Band) – Nashville, Tennessee Jenni Lyn – Nashville, Tennessee Joe K. Walsh – Portland, Maine Kaia Kater – Toronto, Ontario, Canada Missy Raines & the New Hip – Nashville, Tennessee Molly Tuttle Band – Nashville, Tennessee

These artists were selected from over 150 submissions, covering the spectrum of bluegrass styles. Each act will perform at least two times over the course of the three-night Ramble event.

All of the Official Showcase acts can be heard on the free Bluegrass Ramble 2016 compilation, found at: http://noisetrade.com/ibma/bluegrass-ramble-2016. Have a listen!

You may also learn more about each band at: https://ibma.org/world-ofbluegrass/bluegrass-ramble/showcase-lineup.

Old Salt Union – Belleville, Illinois Red Wine – Rapallo, Italy Run Boy Run – Tucson, Arizona Steep Ravine – Watsonville, California Tellico – Asheville, North Carolina The Andrew Collins Trio – Toronto, Ontario, Canada The Honey Dewdrops – Baltimore, Maryland The Lil’ Smokies – Denver, Colorado The Loose Strings Band – Galax, Virginia The Unseen Strangers – Toronto, Ontario, Canada Tim Carter & Bang Bang – Goodlettsville, Tennessee Town Mountain – Asheville, North Carolina Trout Steak Revival – Denver, Colorado Valerie Smith & Liberty Pike – Bell Buckle, Tennessee Zoe & Cloyd – Asheville, North Carolina

Admission to the Bluegrass Ramble is included with an IBMA Business Conference registration, or passes may be purchased separately at https://ibma. org.

Additional artists will be added to the Bluegrass Ramble via co-sponsored shows at the venues.

For the second year, the IBMA is offering Afternoon Showcases at its business conference from TuesdayThursday. These showcases, open only to business conference attendees, give artists the chance to showcase before a concentrated audience

18 International Bluegrass | May 2016

of talent buyers, labels, agents and “tastemakers” in the bluegrass community.

IBMA showcases will provide over 200 opportunities for bands to perform at sanctioned IBMA events during World of Bluegrass. The full Bluegrass Ramble schedule will be available in the coming months.

Those interested in sponsoring a showcase may contact Eddie Huffman at IBMA: (615) 256-3222, 1-888-GETIBMA or eddie@ibma.org.

PLAYING IT FORWARD:

Nu-Blu Creates a Bluegrass Culture for Kids

by Daniel Routh, Nu-Blu

This story introduces a new series wherein we will explore how bluegrass is being taught around the world, in both formal scholarly situations and informally, in camps, festival academies and even around the evening fire. If you are involved in a bluegrass educational program, let us know!

One of the goals that we, Nu-Blu – Daniel Routh, Carolyn Routh, Levi Austin and Clint White - set for this year was to implement an educational component in as many places we can while we’re out on tour. We wanted to take the approach of not just supporting existing music programs, but also accept the challenge of creating ones where they don’t already exist.

2nd grade students in Arizona wrote letters to Nu-Blu after the We believe that in order to grow our genre, we have to band’s visit to their school. build programs that aren’t just about teaching kids to play, but also growing a culture. Not all kids will grow up to play music, but there are other important areas of the industry that often go untapped. Any given group of kids may someday boast promoters, publicists, agents and even fans.

Each of these is vital to our growth.

In addition to building culture, we wanted to use school programs as a vehicle to start tying communities together, nurturing built-in support systems that bring schools, bluegrass associations and community arts groups together to keep these programs going AND growing for years to come. We have to tell you - it’s been really fun! We’ve even been asked to do our “History of Bluegrass” show as a set during a festival!

Here are a couple of accounts from some of our school events from early 2016, as told by folks who were there.

Daniel Routh is guitarist, driver, manager and jack-of-all-trades for Nu-Blu. He is a 2012 graduate of Leadership Bluegrass.

Daniel Routh leads a classroom instrument demonstration in Victorville, California.

At Canon Elementary in Black Canyon City, Arizona, Nu-Blu was able to help raise enough money to hold a summer program where kids get no music instruction at all.

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canon Elementary - Arizona On Monday, April 11, 2016, NuBlu brought bluegrass music to the students of Canon Elementary in Black Canyon City, Arizona. The band presented a half-hour program for the entire student body.

The program included the history and pioneers of bluegrass, and the band showed the students the types of instruments they played.

They also gave a demonstration of vocal harmonies, which is a hallmark of the genre. D’Addario supplied pencils and lanyards as take-home items for the students.

The band then played several wellknown bluegrass tunes, including “Foggy Mountain Breakdown” and “East Virginia.” One student was

so impressed with the banjo that he wanted Levi’s autograph! The second graders went back to their classroom and wrote “thank you” letters to Nu-Blu, which included pictures of them playing their various instruments.

On Tuesday, April 12, Nu-Blu performed a concert for a fundraising event at Chilleen’s on 17 in Black Canyon City to benefit after-school/summer music programs. Nu-Blu invited 13 year-old mandolin player Benjamin Babick, a member of Jam-Pak Neighborhood Bluegrass Band, to play a tune with the band.

Nu-Blu’s expenses were paid by grants from the Acker Scholarship Fund, the Arizona Bluegrass As-

sociation and The Foundation for Bluegrass Music. We raised over $1300, enough to fund a summer music program in a school where there is no current music program at all. Plans are in the works to have Nu-Blu back to do another presentation and concert next year.

Nu-Blu wanted to give back to the community by providing the students at the school an experience of music they may not have had before. They recognize that they may be inspiring a new generation of bluegrass music lovers, and possibly pickers, who can keep the music playing.

-Karmann Powell, Canon Elementary, Black Canyon City, Arizona.

West Palms Conservatory - California Nu-Blu, from North Carolina, stopped by our school to do a benefit concert for our kids program.

The concert was a big success.

To top it off, we were fortunate to have Nu-Blu stay overnight in their bus and come to school with us the next day. They were so patient and kind. Carolyn, Daniel and Clint came into our class

and taught about space between notes, rhythm and the specific jobs of each instrument group. Their lessons on space between notes are proving to be a great help, especially when you consider how many kids we have playing at a time. It amazed us that a professional band would take the time to be with us and take such an

interest in what we are learning.

The members of Nu-Blu are very special to us and we are glad that they find our program important.

Nu-Blu has even joined SWBA (South West Bluegrass Association) as a member band.

–Eric Nordbeck – West Palms Conservatory, Victorville, CA

The students of West Palm Elementary School pose with Nu-Blu when the band presented a bluegrass program to their class.

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Call for / Special Award

Nominations We invite you to submit nominations for the following IBMA Special Awards, to be presented at World of Bluegrass September 27-29, 2016, in Raleigh, North Carolina.

*In order to ensure a secure, thorough, and simplified nomination process for the IBMA’s Special Awards, we have created an easy-to-use online submission form.

We are looking for submissions in the following categories:

*Candidates are invited to nominate themselves.

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Bluegrass Print/Media Person of the Year

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Bluegrass Broadcaster of the Year

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Bluegrass Event of the Year

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Bluegrass Songwriter of the Year

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Graphic Design and Liner Notes

*Those wishing to nominate a candidate other themselves, please email Shannon Turner (shannon@ibma.org) with the name and contact information of the nominee. Shannon will contact the suggested nominee and encourage them to submit their own information in order to make sure that all important and accurate criteria are entered. *Each award has a specialized committee of professionals from that area of the industry who choose the top five nominees for that category. Those

five nominees will then be voted on by the Panel of Electors, an elite group of professionals with 10+ years’ experience in the bluegrass music industry.

The Panel of Electors will get to review the criteria submitted. *To submit a self-nomination, please click: https://ibma.org/ basic-page/ibma-specialawards-nomination-form *To review criteria for each award, please click: https:// ibma.org/awards/awards-criteria. *To suggest a candidate, please provide a name, category and contact information to Shannon Turner at Shannon@ ibma.org.

If you have any questions, contact Shannon at the email listed above, or call (615)256-3222.

DEADLINE FOR SPECIAL AWARD NOMINATIONS IS May 31.

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IBMA Award Winner Roger Siminoff Retires in California Roger Siminoff, luthier, Orville Gibson and Lloyd Loar historian, inventor, acoustician and winner of the 2009 IBMA Print Media Person of the Year Award, announced his retirement in April. With his retirement, he will phase out the Siminoff brand of banjo and mandolin parts business he has been running for 56 years. Straight Up Strings, his brand and product line for guitars, banjos and mandolins , will continue under the co-ownership and supervision of his stepdaughters, Amy Sullivan and Kali Nowakowski.

Siminoff has been designing, building, playing, and researching musical instruments for more than 50 years, and has had an extraordinarily distinguished career. His contributions to the field of luthierie are many. He holds six U.S. Patents for musical instrument designs, and has developed several devices for structural tuning, string tensioning and pattern carving. He has served as a consultant for many leading musical string and acoustic instrument manufacturers, and has authored hundreds of articles and numerous books including: Constructing A Solid-body Guitar, How to Set Up the Best-Sounding Banjo, The Ultimate Bluegrass Mandolin Construction Manual and The Art of Tap Tuning, among several others.

Roger Siminoff, with his business partners Kali Nowakowski and Amy Sullivan.

“We’ve had a great run for the past 56 years,” says Siminoff.

“With Amy and Kali, the string business is in good hands, and my retirement will allow me to get out of the shop and spend more time pursuing my other interests.”

Siminoff enjoys spending time traveling in his Airstream trailer, restoring early Jeeps and leading a local cowboy action shooting club.

He also plans to write more books and release an instructional DVD. If you hope to get a piece of Siminoff inventory before it’s gone, existing product will be sold via http://siminoff.net/ while supplies

last. For volume discounts, luthiers should contact Kali Nowakowski (kali@siminoff.net). Interested parties are encouraged to contact Roger Siminoff (siminoff@siminoff. net) regarding the sale of equipment, including a steambending machine, custom carving machines, and specialized jigs.

We want to thank Roger for his many years of service to music, and we wish him all the best in his retirement!

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World of Bluegrass special

Tickets now on sale!

A bluegrass experience like no other in the world!

IBMA Business Conference (Sept. 27-29) Network, promote and discover the latest business trends in the bluegrass music industry

Bluegrass Ramble Showcase Series (Sept. 27-29) 90 showcase acts on 7 stages

International Bluegrass Music Awards (Sept. 29) Recognizing outstanding achievements in bluegrass, featuring oncein-a-lifetime performances

Wide Open Bluegrass Festival (Sept. 30 – Oct. 1) The one-of-a-kind urban bluegrass music festival with the preeminent artists in bluegrass music

Become a part of IBMA today at www.ibma.org for members’ access and discounts!

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call for submissions 3rd annual bluegrass film festival

at

IBMA’s

World of Bluegrass

The IBMA is excited to present its Third Annual Bluegrass Film Festival!

The festival will be held during World of Bluegrass Week September 27 – October 1 in Raleigh, North Carolina World of Bluegrass is the perfect place to showcase quality films produced about the music!

Click here to Learn More

and Submit a Film

Submission Deadline is May 31, 2016

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NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK We would like to give a huge welcome and shout-out to our new IBMA members, all of whom joined in April. Thank you for supporting the IBMA and bluegrass music!

Organizational Members Johnny Baier Charlotte Carrivick Laura Carrivick Reese Combs Jack Devereux Nick Dumas Bevin Foley Jacob Greer Tim Jones

Adam Jones Tamara Kater Kaia Kater Kevin Kehrberg Cody Martin Brandon Mauldin Travis McNamara Lincoln Meyers Ashley Moyer

David Murph Kagey Parrish Cody Payne Bobby Powell Bekah Rolland Grace Rolland Steve Roy Kimberly Sinclair Jake Stargel

Tyler Thompson Joseph Tozer Gary Trivette Kris Truelsen Grace Van’t Hof Laura Wortman Kalia Yeagle

Individual Members Michael Armistead Zack Arnold Charles Ahr Adrian Bagale Ken Bailey Teresa Blanton Shannon Blauer Suzanne Bowen Gena Britt John Buchanan Hector Bustos Mary Carey Christopher Carey Martha Linda Carter Lake Carver Brad Chelstrom Gina Clowes Emily Daniecki

Tina Dishman Timothy Kyle Dunn Madeleine Eaton Andy Edmonds Sue Filson Matt Finholt-Daniel Tracy Gershon Eleanor Goodwin Kevin Hale Bill Hanley Annie Grace Herring Michael Holland Heidi Holloway Ken Irwin Joshua Johnson Herman Jones Chris Joslin Chris Keenan

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Martin Keith Camilla Kleindienst Individual Brent Lamons Colby Laney Beth Lawrence Eliza Levy Nathan Livers Sam Lowe Andy Lowe Jeffrey McClellan Nathaniel McMullen Melanie Miller Matt Miller Houston Norris Hunter Norris Bill Nowlin Rodney Oakley

Rachel Oleniacz Gary Paczosa Tess Palmer Christie Quackenbush Mark Queen Delnora Reed Chris Schroder Mary Seaman David Sheppard Todd Smith Julie Spencer Nancy Steinberger Preston Thompson John Virant Jacob Volkmar John Warren Kevin Welk Emily Wilson Patricia Wolter

new members

Grass Roots Members Mark Acuff Sean Ahr Robert Anis Brandon Asbill Neal Bailey Mary Bibee Steve Blomquist Joe Bloomer Frances Bobbie Suzanne Bowen John Brim Frederic Burke George Butler Sally Cameron Ted Carroll Clark Cochran Jim Collins George Conklin Raul Cox Paul Cronin Thomas Danielson

Ronna Dansky Kassie Davis Ernest Davis Fred Davis Henry Desso Thomas Estep Inge Formenti Dorris Gibson William Goldman Ken Goldsmith Edward Graves Richard Hall Kay Hobart Don Hobart Walter Holton Kyle Honeycutt Robert Hundley Randal Ivey Barbara Ivey Ann Jessup Gerald Jeutter

Joyce Keller Lauretta Kenyon William Kenyon Steve Krueckeberg Mark Krumbach Scott Leonard Stephanie Levy Stephen Lewis Sally Long Conrad Lowman Gary Lyman Stan Marion Laurie Marshall Christine Massey Melanie Mattingly Suzanne McDonald Steve McKinney William Meiners Virginia Miller Joyce Munro Charles Murray

Frank Nelms Robert Overby Charles Pate Michael Phillips David Raynes Scott Sander Ellen Scouten Davis Shingleton Gary Skolits Walter Snyder Cheryl Snyder Melanie Stancill Donna Stearne Mary Stoddar Cindi Surridge Beverly Wait Richard Wiley Dan Wilkinson Schuyler Wilson Molly Yoder Richard Young

If you are not yet a member of the IBMA, what are you waiting for?!

Be a part of all that is great about bluegrass - yesterday, today and tomorrow. Visit www.ibma.org/membership, or call to speak with our Membership Services Director, Leah James, at 615-256-3222.

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Next month...

Russell Moore Takes Tyme Out to Reflect on 25 Years of Life on the Road, in the Studio, and What It’s Like to be the Winningest Male Vocalist of the Year in IBMA History.

IB