Happy Valentine's Day! John Meador and Hensley have played gigs together although they performed with separate bands, (John with Kentucky Just Us and Lincoln with the Price Sisters), and Meador is married to . She was Blessed to win the Grand Master Fiddler Championship in 2015 in Nashville, Tennessee, and in 2017, she also became the Canadian Grand Master Fiddle Champion, making her the first person to win both competitions. top U.S. fiddle championship the previous four years, twice placing as high as sixth, ETSU wasnt the first higher education institution in America to offer a degree in bluegrass and other traditional music. Aynsley was taken to see influential Cape Breton fiddler Natalie McMaster. She also has great success in the competitive world of fiddling. Maybe the newest great love story to emerge, is that of Carolina Blue's James McDowell and Aynsley Porchak, aka "Jaymsley." Lessons, links, and essays to help you enjoy playing and practicing even more. I texted Daniel right afterward with a picture of me holding the plaque, saying, Pittsburgh-rolling hills, winding hig There was one Formed in 2020 by Aynsley Porchak (fiddle), Lincoln Hensley (banjo), John Meador (guitar), Gracie Meador (bass) and Tim Laughlin (mandolin). competing in the youth division of the Grand Master Championship. There have been as many as 42, says program director Dan Boner, himself an accomplished guitarist and fiddle player. Now she teaches fiddle at ETSU. Music took over my life, remembers Colleen Trenwith, now a member of the ETSU faculty. Ted Hensley was admitted to the Johnson City Medical Center on February 3rd with six esophageal varices pouring blood into his system. This is Aynsleys second year teaching at the Monroe Mandolin Camp, and she is excited to share her love of old-school bluegrass fiddling with her students! I don't think there's anything wrong with pullin pop into the genre with covers like this. didnt listen to country music, and her mom thought it unusual that every time she The Meadors are married. Mission Statement and commitment to Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion, Board of Directors, Meeting Calendar, Meeting Minutes, Elections, The team that runs the organization and its events, Our famous festivals, camps, and online events, Contribute your time, energy and creativity. The band has created a partnership, friendship, and family with the other band members; Reese Combs (bass), James McDowell (banjo), and Aynsley Porchak (fiddle). of Fiddle Patch, Aynsley is accompanied by Daniel Boner, director of Bluegrass, The late fiddle great Benny Sims (right) was a friend of the ETSU bluegrass program from almost the beginning, and the university now offers a scholarship in his memory. We were in this tiny restaurant a little Aynsley Porchak, from Woodstock, Ontario, This past summer Aynsley Porchak, the super talented fiddler with Carolina Blue, came up with a great idea for a social media promotion. Just to even go to the Opry has been a dream Natalie and her music, so when I was 9 years old, I started taking fiddle lessons. After graduation she would like to use her degrees to write and further scholarship in the field of American traditional music. The appointment is for one academic year and is renewable. Click on one photo to see large photos in sequence. Logout. Word about her musical past spread quickly on campus, and by the time she had achieved sophomore status, she was hired as an adjunct faculty member. Aynsley, a native of Woodstock, Ontario, who is a senior at East Tennessee State University Ive enjoyed getting to know Dan these past several years working at festivals across the country. Boner says the equipment, much of it obtained through grant funding, is remarkable. Several courses make use of the lab, including a capstone class that requires students to prepare a four-song demo. Were still together almost a year and a half later. While literary analysis of both sacred and secular song lyrics is an approach that is largely overlooked in this region's traditional music, it nonetheless provides insightful perspective on the art form itself. 2022 SM Living, LLC. Porchak explained just how unexpected the award was. to talk to Buddy and then realized he hadnt introduced himself. Notoriety for the ETSU bluegrass program began building as bands were invited to perform at the Smithsonian National Folklife Festival in Washington, D.C., and for a Christmas party at NATO Headquarters. Championship. She is also an experienced contest fiddler, winning the Grand Master Fiddler Championship in 2015 in Nashville, and in 2017 the Canadian Grand Master Fiddle Champion, making her the first person to win both competitions.Visit https://neomha.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/CarryOn_ResourceGuide_Episode-6_AynsleyPorchak.pdf for a resource guide to accompany this program. Kenny Chesney (seated) during his student days at ETSU. His academic background in bass instruction and professional experience in bluegrass will serve our students well. Two years later, she returned to Nashville and won the U.S. Grand Masters Fiddle Championship. Find a band near you or share your band info with the world! Those interested may apply at jobs.etsu.edu.. I feel like the versatility of the fiddle and its ability to fit into many different genres makes it all the more enjoyable for me to play. Online access to music lessons with our favorite musicians. Porchak has been playing the fiddle since she was 9 years old. She also played in 2016 on the Grand Ole Opry. In case you haven't noticed, we're in love around here. The thought of their daughter playing the Opry certainly never crossed Aynsleys parents I grew up hearing loud preaching and attending homecomings and Saturday night singings, Boner says. Happy Valentine's Day! Big Stone Gap, Virginia, native Tyler Hughes, a 2015 ETSU alumnus, divides his time among playing in the Empty Bottle String Band, calling square dances throughout the region, and teaching banjo and dance at Mountain Empire Community College in his hometown. They bring the total of such teachers at ETSU Bluegrass to 27, including such instrumental notables as Wyatt Rice, Brandon Green, Hunter Berry, and Thomas Cassell. In 2017, Porchak won the Canadian Grand Masters Fiddle Championship, making her the only person in history, thus far, to have captured both titles. Im a patient teacher, she says. The program at South Plains College, a two-year school in Levelland, Texas, is one year older, but ETSUs program is the countrys largest and most extensive. Basically, my goals are to be a blessing to others, to get as good as I possibly with internationally known, award-winning musicians like Ricky Skaggs and Sam Bush, We were the resident band for a program called Country Touch, based on early Grand Ole Opry television shows.. Everything was down an octave, but I learned every fiddle bit on the record. Through a woman who had come from Asheville, North Carolina, to New Zealand to study dairy farming, she found out about ETSUs offerings in bluegrass and traditional music. Then, finally, late at night, I go back to my bunk and write until I fall asleep.. This is an historic first, making her, We've just received the results from the 2015 Grand Masters Fiddler Championship, held September 26-27 at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville. No, it didn't hurt anymore to think about Kestrel. of mine, and the idea of playing there it hasnt sunk in yet.. There are similar themeslove, acceptance, and rejection.. Aynsley Porchak began playing fiddle at the age of 9. Get recommendations for other artists you'll love. Her parents This fund has been established to assist the Hensley family of Flag Pond, Tennessee in their husband's and father's medical bills. After touring with New Zealand singer Tex Morton, described by Trenwith as a hypnotist, whip-cracker, and sharpshooter, the band linked up with Slim Dusty, a legendary Australian country singer as popular Down Under, Trenwith says, as Johnny Cash was in the States. and the area. He'd been a fool, but he'd had to forgive himself for worse. Supporting and inspiring the next generation to play and enjoy music. It gives us a venue to showcase our students to the public. Owner Ed Snodderly, who teaches dobro and guitar at ETSU, fittingly calls it a listening room. Im still in shock, said Porchak, I could have never dreamed I could have been the first [to win both awards].. Aynsley Porchak and Lincoln Hensley went to school together through the East Tennessee State University Bluegrass, Old Time, and Country Music Studies program. At the end of every semester, ETSU bands perform at a Johnson City institution, The Down Home, which opened in 1976. Your donations to the Monroe Mandolin Camp are appreciated and will go to help teach students now and in the future. After all, shed already appeared in this Aynsley is also an experienced contest fiddler. Following an invitation that the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) extended to its members that they share a memory from "75 years of bluegrass," we thought that we would collect a few to share with you. She plays in the ETSU In addition to playing fiddle professionally They handed me the record Flatt and Scruggs at Carnegie Hall! and told me to learn every fiddle part on it, she recalls. After attending numerous contests and concerts, I started lessons at age 9, and I never looked back, she said. Blue Added to East Public Relations /a > Aynsley Porchak fiddled for the now disbanded Carolina.. She frequently makes obscure literary references, and even enjoys literary criticism. Powell (guitar and vocals) said he and the Carolina Blue band members, which includes Jones (mandolin and vocals), McDowell (banjo and vocals), Reese Combs (upright bass and vocals) and Aynsley Porchak (fiddle, recipient of the 2018 IBMA Momentum Instrumentalist Award), "are on the same page when it comes to music and lifestyle. He showed up at Timmy and Lakins one day and after wringing his hat in his hands for the first fifteen minutes of our talk, he eventually told me that he couldnt wait any longer to let me know his feelings. loves it. Aynsley is working on a graduate degree in Appalachian Studies at ETSU. Shed love to keep touring professionally in a band as well, while still continuing to give back through teaching. He writes, Ill forever be grateful to the Bluegrass, Old-Time, and Country Music Studies program. The Future of the Past. L-R: Jack Tottle, Raymond McLain, and Dan Boner. She graduated in 2017 with an additional bachelors degree in English, and completed her masters degree in Appalachian Studies in 2020. Website design and development by Camellia Digital Agency. High-res versions are in Flickr. Thank you. It brings a monumental sense of pride to see such accomplishments for a fellow student at ETSU. 2022, Lincoln Mash (guitar) and Tyler Griffith (bass) joined the band. and touring with a band, she would love to teach both music and English. Aynsleys parents Playback options Walk into Brooks Gymnasium on the campus of East Tennessee State University and youll likely hear the cadence of an ROTC drill instructor or the squeaks of shoes during basketball practice. but she hesitated because the festival was only two days away, and she had not practiced. porchak@mail.etsu.edu; Majors & Minors Cost Estimate Request Info Visit Apply Give. With a new album already completed for Billy Blue Records, and a solid year of dates booked, There's a brand new bluegrass band recently formed in east Tennessee that is sure to please anyone who enjoys solid, traditional bluegrass music. For this video performance He apologized and East Tennessee State University conferred over 2,100 degrees and certificates during a Virtual Commencement Ceremony held May 9. Walking down that hallway, you might hear the lonely, resonating notes of a dobro. Carolina the last weekend of September 2015. Aynsley Porchak(Photograph contributed / ETSU). He was a huge influence on us, says Trenwith. The Meadors are married. it.. Pennsylvania brothers Jacob and Joey Mosley grew up tagging along with their father, Jeffrey, to bluegrass festivals in southern Pennsylvania and northern Maryland. Porchak also loves the sense of community here at ETSU; as well as just being around such great music. Id been looking for. jazz program, and (there were) lots of classical programs, but nothing like bluegrass When it comes to English, British Victorian literature is my cup of tea, she says. She was also given the honor of playing the Grand . ETSU graduate student Aynsley Porchak is quickly making a name for herself in music circles, recently becoming the first person ever to win both American and Canadian Grand Masters fiddle During the spring semester of 2019, there were 35 student bands, operating under the auspices of what is now the Department of Appalachian Studies. To me, that experience really speaks to one of the things that I find most fascinating about the nature of music, " it is an inclusive way of communicating thoughts and culture across the boundaries of regions, and even nations, she says. I started my BLUE degree at ETSU with the goal of someday being able to make an impact through teaching in higher education, so this is truly a dream come true for me. in my area. The rest is history. she recalled, noting that they invited the stranger to pull up a chair.

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