There is so much exciting online programming happening right now, including the list of options at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. And this month is special as the programs in their November lineup highlights one of the historic instruments played in their upcoming fundraiser, BIG NIGHT (At the Museum), taking place at 8 p.m. Central on Wednesday, October 28
Check out more below about some great options for kids and their families and how to sign up.
Virtual Family Programs from Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum Presents: Introduction to GarageBand
Saturday, October 17; 10:30-11:30 a.m. Central
Smartphones, tablets and recording software have given millions of people the power to record and produce music. In this introductory class, musician and educator Adam Ollendorff will teach participants the basics of GarageBand music production software, including how to create a drum loop, add guitar and keyboard sounds and record voices. Ollendorff has played on recordings by Kacey Musgraves and Carrie Underwood. Presented in support of Tennessee STEAM Festival.
Recommended for ages seven and up, but all are welcome. Guardian is required to be present for children under thirteen. Takes place via Zoom. Space is limited. Registration required. Free. Registration closes at 9:00 a.m. the morning of the program.
Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum Presents: Beginning Acoustic Guitar: Jimmie Rodgers Style
Saturday, October 24; 10:30-11:30 a.m. Central
Known as the Father of Country Music, Jimmie Rodgers developed an enduring musical style of his own by drawing from the folk music of his southern upbringing, the work chants of railroad section crews, and, most importantly, Black American blues. In this program, participants will learn about the man whose music influenced Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, and Howlin’ Wolf and take a virtual look at Rodgers’s 1928 Weymann acoustic guitar, on display in the museum’s Precious Jewel exhibit. Museum educator Adam Ollendorff will guide participants through the fundamentals of Rodgers’s playing style and lead the group in song. Ollendorff has toured and recorded with Kacey Musgraves and John Oates.
Recommended for ages seven and up, but all are welcome. Guardian is required to be present for children under thirteen. Takes place via Zoom. Space is limited. Registration required. Free. Registration closes at 9:00 a.m. the morning of the program.
Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum Presents: Spooky Storytime and Creepy Castanets
Saturday, October 31; 10:30—11:15 a.m.
Participants will meet on Zoom for a Halloween hootenanny, featuring story time, music and an art activity. Listen to seasonal songs and a rhythmic reading of the book Halloween Hustle, written by Charlotte Gunnufson. Then, take a virtual peek at percussion instruments in the galleries before making their own creepy castanet instruments.
Recommended for ages four and up, but all are welcome. Guardian is required to be present for children under thirteen. Takes place via Zoom. Space is limited. Registration required and closes at 9:00 a.m. the morning of the program. Free.
Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum Presents: Monroe’s Mandolin Collage
Saturday, November 7; 10:30—11:00 a.m.
Participants will make a mandolin-inspired masterpiece with us. Country Music Hall of Fame member Bill Monroe shaped bluegrass music with his high-tenor singing voice and unique mandolin picking style. Through his musicality, the mandolin gained a new role as a lead instrument in country music. Participants will learn more about the Father of Bluegrass and the story of his famed 1923 Gibson F-5 mandolin, on view in the museum’s Precious Jewel exhibit. Then create their own mandolin collage artwork, inspired by the reconstruction of Monroe’s mandolin after it was smashed into thousands of pieces.
Recommended for ages six and up, but all are welcome. Guardian is required to be present for children under thirteen. Takes place via Zoom. Space is limited. Registration required and closes at 9:00 a.m. the morning of the program. Free.
Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum Presents: Explore the Acoustic Guitar: Mother Maybelle Carter Style
Saturday, November 14; 10:30—11:30 a.m.
Drawing upon the guitar playing of Black American musician Lesley Riddle, Maybelle Carter crafted a style known as the “Carter Scratch,” which became one of the best known and most influential approaches to guitar in country music. In this program, participants will explore the history of Mother Maybelle and The Carter Family—credited with putting country music on the map—and take a virtual look at Maybelle’s 1928 Gibson L-5 acoustic guitar, on display in the museum’s Precious Jewel exhibit. Museum educator Adam Ollendorff will also guide participants through the fundamentals of the “Carter Scratch,” and lead the group in singing “Can the Circle Be Unbroken.” Ollendorff has toured and recorded with Kacey Musgraves and John Oates.
Recommended for ages seven and up, but all are welcome. Guardian is required to be present for children under thirteen. Takes place via Zoom. Space is limited. Registration required and closes at 9:00 a.m. the morning of the program. Free.
Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum Presents: Beginning Acoustic Guitar: Jimmie Rodgers Style
Saturday, November 21; 10:30—11:30 a.m.
Known as the Father of Country Music, Jimmie Rodgers developed an enduring musical style of his own by drawing from the folk music of his southern upbringing, the work chants of railroad section crews and, most importantly, Black American blues. In this program, participants will learn about the man whose music influenced Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton and Howlin’ Wolf, and take a virtual look at Rodgers’s 1928 Weymann acoustic guitar, on display in the museum’s Precious Jewel exhibit. Museum educator Adam Ollendorff will guide participants through the fundamentals of Rodgers’s playing style and lead the group in song. Ollendorff has toured and recorded with Kacey Musgraves and John Oates.
Recommended for ages seven and up, but all are welcome. Guardian is required to be present for children under thirteen. Takes place via Zoom. Space is limited. Registration required and closes at 9:00 a.m. the morning of the program. Free.
Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum Presents: Recycled Bluegrass Banjos
Saturday, November 28; 10:30—11:15 a.m.
Descending from West Africa and the Middle East, the banjo is an unmistakable part of country music’s sound. Participants will take a closer look at the banjo’s history, hear a banjo demonstration and learn about influential banjo player Earl Scruggs. Then, create their own miniature jar lid banjo craft inspired by Scruggs’s Gibson RB-Granada Mastertone banjo in the museum’s Precious Jewel exhibit. A member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, Scruggs’s invented a banjo picking style that became an essential building block of bluegrass.
Recommended for ages five and up, but all are welcome. Guardian is required to be present for children under thirteen. Takes place via Zoom. Space is limited. Registration required and closes at 9:00 a.m. the morning of the program. Free.
