WMMT's Pick & Bow Enrollment Tripled!

We are so excited to share that our Letcher County Pick and Bow after-school music program enrollment has tripled in the last year! 

What is Letcher County Pick and Bow?

Sponsored by WMMT and Appalshop, Pick and Bow is a no-cost opportunity for Letcher County youth to learn traditional mountain music. We offer lessons during the school year in banjo, fiddle, and guitar as well as other folk instruments. Enrichment is included in the program with fun, hands-on activities that engage in Appalachian history and culture. At the end of every semester, there are performance opportunities for students, including a recital, community concerts, and the Seedtime on the Cumberland festival in Whitesburg.

During open enrollment, students in 4th to 12th grades choose their preferred instrument and location. We provide a loaner instrument for students who do not have one! This coming semester, we will be offering classes at Martha Jane Potter Elementary on Mondays, Burdine Elementary on Tuesdays, and Cowan Elementary on Wednesdays. Classes will run 3:00 to 5:00 at all locations and will start the week of February 13th and end the week of May 15th. Virtual lessons are available for those who cannot attend regularly. 

What is Traditional Mountain Music?

Traditional Mountain Music is a diverse folk-instrument driven style of string music that originated in the Appalachian Mountains of the US with roots in Africa, the British Isles, and Europe. This genre has changed and evolved over generations because it is what we call an oral tradition, passed between people and generations without any special documentation. In this context, music was passed along in a call and response folk tradition, which is exactly what students can expect from Pick and Bow. Letcher County is a special place particularly rooted in this tradition!

To learn more, or ask any questions, email us at [email protected]!

Support Appalshop Today

Starting this week, be on the lookout for our letter and donation envelope to arrive in your mailbox. You can donate to our general fund, designate your gift to directly support any of our amazing programs, or go the way of divide and conquer. Of course, you can always donate online at www.appalshop.org/donate or go ahead and send in your gift by mail to PO Box 1325 Whitesburg, KY 41858.