The Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum is reviving a long-running educational tradition with a new student musical highlighting the roots of bluegrass music.
Whitesville Elementary fifth graders will debut “The Birth of Bluegrass” on Thursday under the direction of their music teacher, Cathy Mullins. The show was written by Randy Lanham, the Hall of Fame’s education director, who is in his 22nd year of working in schools.
Lanham said the production blends narration, fiddle tunes, square dancing, interpretive song art, and an original student-written song to tell the story of Bill Monroe’s childhood influences. Students will explore Irish fiddle music, folk, gospel, blues, and square dance traditions while teaching their peers about the man known as the Father of Bluegrass.
“They will start by telling the story of young Bill Monroe, and then perform all they have learned to bring it alive,” Lanham said.
The performance is part of the museum’s “Bluegrass in the Schools” program, which gives students four days to learn and stage the show at their own school. It will mark the first musical performance in the program in more than a decade.
The last full-scale production was in 2011, when several elementary schools collaborated on “Young Monroe,” a play written by Rick Miller with music by Miller and Lanham. That show, staged at the RiverPark Center, coincided with Monroe’s 100th birthday and drew several members of Monroe’s band, the Bluegrass Boys.
Lanham said he hopes the new production helps students connect with Kentucky’s musical heritage in a meaningful way.
“This musical will empower the fifth-grade students to teach the younger students and give them a hands-on experience putting all the arts together for a fun and educational performance,” he said.
