Faculty 2025

Fiddle

Sarah Howard: Beginning Fiddle

Sarah Howard is a singer, musician, and songwriter from Perry County, Kentucky. She began playing fiddle at the age of eleven, and by the time she was fourteen, had developed a love for Old-time fiddle tunes. She was a fiddle student and apprentice of the late Ray Slone. She was also an advanced fiddle student of the late Art Stamper at CCMMS 2003 and 2004. She worked her way from student, to teacher’s assistant, co-teacher, and finally teacher at CCMMS. She has years of experience working with students from age 7-70+. She spends much of her time teaching elementary students by day, and music students by night. She also sings in her family’s Gospel music band, The Howard Family.

Beginning Fiddle:

This beginning fiddle class will focus on learning the parts of the instrument, as well as noting and bowing technique. Students will walk away with a few simple tunes under their belt. Young students should be able to easily reach the top of the fingerboard while the instrument is under their chin.

Meghan Bryant Hall: Early Intermediate Fiddle

Meghan Bryant Hall from Floyd County, Kentucky made her first appearance on the CCMMS stage with her teacher Jamie Wells at age eight. She continued to study with Jamie at the Mountain Arts Center and later with Jesse Wells as CCMMS's first Charlie Whitaker Memorial Apprentice. Meghan recently graduated with a BA in traditional music performance and elementary education from Morehead State University. She teaches fiddle in the Hindman Settlement School's Pick & Bow afterschool program, as well as offering private lessons. She is a featured performer in the Mountain Arts Center's Kentucky Opry.

Early Intermediate Fiddle:

Early Intermediate Fiddle is for students who have completed a beginner class, feel comfortable holding the fiddle and bow, and can already play a few simple tunes. This class will build a repertoire of basic Kentucky fiddle tunes, focusing on tunes that are commonly played at jams or square dances. The class will also explore bowing patterns, slurs, and other techniques that can be incorporated into your playing.

Nokosee Fields: Intermediate Fiddle

As a musician and artist, Nokosee seeks to restore balance to the unbalanced. In seeking balance, he creates work that is as provocative as it is beautiful.

Intermediate Fiddle:

This class will cover a variety of topics to inspire a well rounded musician and promote the ability to learn outside of the classroom. We’ll work on bowing, posture, technique and how it relates to fiddle music with the goal of building control and awareness of the sounds we’re making. We’ll spend time listening to older recordings and learning ways to take inspiration from the past to inform the present. This intermediate class is for those who can lead tunes in a jam and have a good understanding of playing but are looking to deepen their relationship to the instrument.

John Harrod: Advanced Fiddle:The Fiddle Tunes and Style of Doc Roberts

John Harrod has been documenting, playing, and teaching Kentucky music for 50 years. Although he started out playing bluegrass in high school, he credits Mark Wilson and the late Gus Meade with introducing him to the world of pre-bluegrass traditional music. With them he produced a series of field recordings that are available from Rounder Records and the Field Recorders' Collective. He has taught fiddle at the Cowan Creek Mountain Music School, the American Festival of Fiddle Tunes, the Augusta Heritage Center, Swannanoa Old Time Week, and Centre College. He performs with Kentucky Wild Horse. His recordings include Living in the Promised Land, Spirits of the Lonesome Hills, and Wild and Free with Kentucky Wild Horse and a solo fiddle recording Johnny Come Along.

Advanced Fiddle:The Fiddle Tunes and Style of Doc Roberts

This course is best suited for fiddlers who are comfortable playing common tunes up to dance speed. In this class we will explore the music of one of the greatest fiddlers of all time. Doc Roberts of Madison County, Kentucky, was the premier fiddler of central Kentucky in the 1920s and 30s. Although he recorded extensively, his recordings were not well promoted. Since he did not like to travel far from home, his influence was limited to the eastern bluegrass region where he lived his entire life. He was, however, a world class fiddler whose style and repertoire were largely drawn from the black fiddlers of his area.

Banjo

Emily Bryant: Beginning Banjo

Emily’s love for old-time music began when she was six years old, growing up in Floyd County, Kentucky and playing alongside her sister and dad in their family band. As a young girl, she was inspired by the loving community that welcomed her at Cowan. Her playing style is heavily influenced by the rhythmic playing of John Haywood and the melodic style of Jimmy McCown, who are both former mentors of hers. She is a former member of the Kentucky Opry Jr. Pros and can often be found harmonizing and playing alongside her sister, Meghan, on the Cowan stage. She recently graduated from Western Kentucky University, where she studied neuroscience, and she plans to attend occupational therapy school in the fall. As a future occupational therapist, she is very interested in therapeutic use of music and the benefits of music on brain health.

Beginning Banjo:

This class is most appropriate for students who have no prior experience or are very early in their studies. Beginning banjo will provide an introduction to the basics of clawhammer style banjo. This class will focus on strumming technique, common tunings for the banjo, and learning a few staple tunes of old time music. Students of all ages are welcome.

Nadia Ramlagan: Early Intermediate Banjo

Nadia Ramlagan grew up in Maryland where she immersed herself in local folk music such as Ola Belle Reed and her nephews, Hugh and Zane Campbell. She was first drawn to the sounds of old time banjo and fiddle traveling through West Virginia more than a decade ago. She currently plays with John Harrod and Kentucky Wild Horse and Louisville-based old time trio Man Eater (Grace Rogers, Blakeley Burger). Nadia has appeared on radio shows and festivals throughout the state and has taught at camps in Kentucky and Ohio. She currently resides in Louisville, Kentucky.

Early Intermediate Banjo:

For players with a few tunes under their belt. This class will be a collective listening experience focused on learning by ear. We'll dig into to source recordings from the eastern Kentucky repertoire, including John Salyer, J.P. Fraley, Emma Lee Dickerson, Perry Riley, and Paul David Smith. We'll break down the process of internalizing a tune and mapping it out on the banjo, sharpen our timing and tone, explore syncopation, and take a look at the banjo’s unique relationship with the fiddle. We’ll also spend time discussing the context that created and nourished music from the region. A recording device and banjo capo will come in handy for this class.

Kevin Howard: Intermediate/Advanced Banjo

Kevin Howard comes to us from Letcher County, Kentucky. He has deep roots in old time and traditional music. A banjo teacher as well as performer, Kevin sees music as a vehicle for storytelling, and mountain music as a uniquely honest genre. His repertoire is comprised of the old-time tunes, hymns and banjo ballads of east Kentucky and influenced by George Gibson, Buell Kasee, Rufus Crisp and Doc Boggs. His first solo recording Crossing the Mountain Line was released by June Appal Records in 2015. Kevin has served as teaching assistant, instructor, and Artistic Director at the Cowan Creek Mountain Music School.

Intermediate/Advanced Banjo:

Kevin's class will focus on styles, techniques, and songs that are local to the Eastern Kentucky region. It is best suited for players who have a handful of common tunes under their belt and want to expand their repertoire and deepen their relationship with the instrument.

Derek Wall: Advanced Banjo

Derek Wall was born and raised in Magoffin County, Kentucky, and currently lives in Morgan County, Kentucky. He was reared in a household of musicians and singers. His grandfather Hassell Helton sparked his interest in music at a young age. Hassell Helton initially learned to play a banjo from his father Claude Helton, but soon realized he preferred the fiddle. At the age of 9, Derek picked up the fiddle just like his grandfather. Derek and his uncle Jackie Helton played together nearly every Sunday, during which time he discovered that he loved the drop thumb banjo. In the inverse of his grandfather, he laid the fiddle down and began to teach himself clawhammer banjo. Through the years, he has learned to play three-finger Scruggs style banjo as well, but his love has always been the drop thumb style of banjo music that his family played.

Advanced Banjo:

This course is best suited for students who are comfortable playing common old time tunes on the banjo up to dance speed. Wall will cover the Magoffin County banjo tradition of his family. His playing style is distinct and has been passed down through generations. Students will learn the eight tunings that his family uses which range from the ‘John Henry on the High Side’ tuning to the ‘John Henry on the Low Side’ tuning, and take a deep dive into the right hand ‘double-noting’ or drop-thumb technique used heavily in the Helton family playing as well as the left hand technique known as ‘kicking the fine string.’

Guitar

Pierceton Hobbs: Beginning Guitar

Pierceton Hobbs was reared near the headwaters of the Big Sandy River in Dickenson County, Virginia. From an early age, he was interested in traditional music and quickly learned guitar and banjo from his dad and papaw. The 26 year-old is directly influenced by musicians, ballad singers and storytellers who have lived in the shadow of the Pine Mountain Ridge. Currently, Pierceton coordinates the Junior Appalachian Musicians program in Dickenson County and performs with folks across the Appalachian region.

Beginning Guitar:

This beginning guitar course will cover all the basic major and minor chords as well as rhythm patterns and strumming techniques great for accompanying other musicians playing traditional mountain music in jams or performance capacities. No prior experience is necessary. By the end of the week, participants should understand basic chords and the context of how guitar accompanies other instruments in group settings.

Gabriel Dansereau: Advanced Guitar

Gabriel Dansereau is a guitarist, composer, arranger, songwriter, and educator. He grew up in eastern Kentucky as a part of the rich Appalachian old time music tradition. As a kid he learned how to play the fiddle and attended Cowan Creek Mountain Music School for many years learning tunes from great Kentucky musicians such as Paul David Smith, Roger Cooper and Ray Slone. He developed an interest in jazz guitar as a teenager and went on to receive a B.A. in jazz guitar performance from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Gabriel currently lives in New York City and continues to teach and perform many styles of music.

Advanced Guitar:

This class will focus on Kentucky fiddle players that Gabriel loves such as Ed Haley, Buddy Thomas and Snake Chapman and how their fiddle playing can be adapted to the guitar. Through learning these tunes, we’ll be exploring guitar technique, a little bit of music theory and the culture that surrounds music from the mountains. Along with learning the tunes by rote through demonstration we will also refer to source recordings and talk about what we can gleam from them. The aim of this class is to give students more tunes to play and share, while also developing skills and tools to further their musical journey.

Featured Afternoon Workshops

(included with ticket purchase)

Carla Gover: Improvisatory Appalachian Flatfooting and Clogging

Carla Gover is an 8th-generation Kentuckian whose art and work celebrate the best of what the state has to offer. She shares flatfooting, ballads, and banjo through her performances, recordings, collaborations, and online courses. She’s released seven albums of music, including her most recent recording with CornMaiz String Band, which went to #1 on the Folk Radio Charts. She’s won a slew of awards, including the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest and the Kerrville New Folk Award. She was also recognized as a Master Dancer by the Kentucky Folklife Program, and recently won the “Appy” for Best Dance Educator from the Appalachian Arts & Entertainment Awards. She is the founder of the groundbreaking online Appalachian Flatfooting & Clogging Academy. With her partner Yani Vozos, she also coordinates the Cornbread & Tortillas Artist Collective, whose mission is to build community by sharing art, music, dance, and cultural heritage.

Improvisatory Appalachian Flatfooting and Clogging

Learn to improvise to live music in Appalachian flatfooting and clogging in this immersive workshop designed for advanced beginner to intermediate dancers. Award-winning instructor Carla Gover shares her Flatfooting Formula, helping you transform from knowing individual steps to flowing confidently with the music. You'll master essential traditional steps, learn how they connect to fiddle tunes, and develop the skills to improvise freely. Perfect for dancers who want to move beyond counting steps to truly dancing with the band—whether you're just starting out or ready to add more flourish to your existing repertoire.

Karly Dawn Milner: Kentucky Songs and Ballads

Karly Dawn Milner was raised in Rowan County, Ky. She plays a lively mix of Kentucky country, old time, and original music that incorporates her singing, banjo, guitar, fiddle, cello and mountain dulcimer playing. Karly Dawn played guitar and sang with the Clack Mountain String Band for many years and has performed with the Possum Queens for the pastfew years. Her performance credits include: Merlefest, Berea's Celebration of Traditional Music, Seedtime on the Cumberland, The Carter Family Fold, Chicago Old Town School of Folk, Red Barn Radio, and KET's Kentucky Music. She can be heard on PBS’s Appalachia Music From Home, Clack Mountain String Band's 2007 record, Live and forthcoming record Morehead, as well as Karly Dawn & The HillFolk’s album OH, KENTUCKY. Milner currently resides in Boone County, Ky.

Kentucky Songs and Ballads:

This course will help students to develop a strong singing voice and more confidently find appropriate harmony through songs and ballads with roots in Kentucky's rich musical history. It is for singers with all levels of experience.

Leo Shannon & John Haywood: Fiddle & Banjo

Leo Shannon is a traditional musician from Seattle, Washington living in Whitesburg, Kentucky. He learned to play as a boy from older musicians around him and friends his own age. Currently, he plays with The Onlies, John Haywood, Sarah Kate Morgan, and others. He is drawn to old music that has passed through many hands and the ghostly imprints left by sound reproduction machines.

In Letcher County Kentucky, John Haywood, is a tattooer, painter and musician. He performed banjo on the Grammy nominated Tyler Childers Album Long Violent History, later contributing vocals and banjo to Childers’ version of “Two Coats.” He also performed with Childers at Radio City Music Hall, Bonnaroo, and Red Rocks Amphitheater. He recently released a solo banjo recording of old time east Kentucky songs and a 12” LP with his rock band Appalachiatari. His art and tattoo work draws from the experiences, culture, and music of the hollers and coalfields, and has been collected by diverse individuals from across the globe, earning him numerous awards and honors. He was apprentice to banjo master/historian George Gibson, and a regular member of the late Lee Sexton’s band. In 2011, he established the Parlor Room Art and Tattoo in Whitesburg, a gathering place for local heathens, art enthusiasts, and music lovers.

Leo and John have been playing fiddle and banjo music together for three years.

Fiddle and Banjo:

John Haywood and Leo Shannon will lead a fiddle & banjo class that explores playing these two essential instruments together. The class will include listening, talking, and playing. We will discuss technique and musicianship on both instruments, like keeping good rhythm and playing a tune you've never heard before, or playing with a person you've never played with. Students should be intermediate or advanced players of one or both instruments and should have some experience playing with others.

Sarah Kate Morgan: Intermediate Mountain Dulcimer: Joining the Jam

Inspired by a dulcimer built by her grandfather, Tennessee-born Sarah Kate Morgan has been playing dulcimer since she was seven-years-old. She went on to place 1st at the 2012 National Mountain Dulcimer Championships at Winfield, Kansas at the age of 18. Morgan is also a talented singer and songwriter whose style reflects and honors life in southern Appalachia. She has performed and/or recorded with roots music giants such as Tyler Childers, Alice Gerrard, and Erynn Marshall & Carl Jones. Having achieved degrees in Traditional Music, Appalachian Studies, and Arts Administration from Morehead State University, her work centers on a lived belief that art and tradition are living, breathing tools that foster hope, build community, and create change.

Intermediate Mountain Dulcimer: Joining the Jam

The mountain dulcimer is often considered a solo instrument, or an instrument to accompany the voice. But the dulcimers’ unique tone, dynamic range, and rhythmic texture makes it the perfect addition to an old-time jam. In this intermediate class, I'll be sharing the knowledge and skills you need to successfully hold your own when playing dulcimer with others! We'll cover topics like: playing in multiple keys, learning tunes by ear, identifying chord shapes, playing tunes in multiple positions on the fretboard, and lots more!

Note: This is an intermediate level class for folks who have already started their dulcimer journey and are wanting to build upon their basic skills. Students should already have a basic understanding of the instrument in the DAD tuning, be able to play several tunes from memory at a moderate tempo, and should have some knowledge of chords and notes of the fretboard

Register today for a jam-packed week!

Join us for five full days of music classes for all levels