Amid the halls of the Kenan Music Building, the sounds of mandolins, banjos, fiddles and guitars can be heard as the Carolina Bluegrass Band brings rich, locally-rooted bluegrass music to life. The band was founded in 2016 and performs styles of traditional and contemporary bluegrass, sharing their music at events and end-of-semester concerts.
Bluegrass involves a diverse range of musical styles and traditions, with much of the genre originating from string band performances in southeast America during the early 20th century, professor Jocelyn Neal, the chair of UNC’s music department, said. Bluegrass music is built around five main instruments — the banjo, fiddle, mandolin, guitar and acoustic bass.
Neal also founded the Bluegrass Initiative, which she said incorporates bluegrass into UNC’s music curriculum and students' experiences. The initiative includes classes on bluegrass history and culture, as well as opportunities like the Carolina Bluegrass Band.
“I think that as a university sitting in this region, we have a responsibility to study and curate and advocate for the arts traditions, including bluegrass, that are part of this region's fabric,” Neal said.
The Carolina Bluegrass Band holds auditions before the beginning of each semester. If accepted, students enroll in Music 212: Ensemble II, a one-credit class that meets from 6 to 8 p.m. every Tuesday. During this time, students rehearse songs from their set list for the end-of-semester concert after dedicating outside time to practicing the songs.
“It's great to see students accomplish something and master a song that maybe was challenging in the beginning,” Russell Johnson, the Carolina Bluegrass Band director, said. “It's great to see them light up when they get a three-part trio harmony going and it sounds great.”
The students who participate in the Carolina Bluegrass Band also see the experience as an impactful part of their time at UNC. Lilli Beaty, a senior economics and history double major and music minor, said that she has enjoyed the bluegrass band and it’s given her a creative outlet to have fun making music with other people away from regular schoolwork.
Some of the band’s members didn’t initially see bluegrass as being the style of music they were going to explore at UNC, nor did all of them have bluegrass experience, but they were pleasantly surprised with the skills, lessons and relationships they gained through their time.
