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Thanks to a very generous donor, we are selling this
1976 D-28 Martin Guitar!
100% of proceeds will go toward the purchase of student level guitars to be distributed to affiliate programs.
For more info, check out the video or contact jim@jamkids.org.
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They say that sometimes we don’t know what we have…until it’s gone. While each of you reading this letter certainly must love how JAM carries the tradition of old time and bluegrass music, we have all found out this year just how much it means to us.
For 20 years now, JAM programs have been instilling an important sense of place for young people and their families throughout Central Appalachia through its special type of traditional music education. JAM also easily creates unique intergenerational connections between children and community members, opportunities for teamwork building, new brain neuron links, and a lifelong appreciation of local history and culture – not to mention all of the sore fingers and smiling faces. When everything was interrupted, the benefits of JAM for so many children really became illuminated.
Normally, the parent JAM organization features several fun regional pickin’ and learning workshops and partnerships with major music festivals for JAM kids, kick off events for new programs, professional development for teachers and administrators, and much more. When we creatively amended our goals through spring, then summer, and still yet, fall and winter, funding was transferred to manage new curriculum projects led by JAM teaching artists, such as the Top 40 Tunes of Old Time and Bluegrass tablature collection to be released in early 2021, a series of online training webinars for the JAM network, and lots of fun digital content to help keep kids engaged during virtual learning and program suspensions.
We are very grateful to our community partners and funders for helping us think outside the box to continue offering support to more than 50 JAM affiliates in the 4-state region of NC, SC, TN and VA. However, we do count on the public support of our donors to keep JAM alive. We understand that many folks have been hit hard by the pandemic in different ways, but we hope that some of you are able to make a contribution this year.
Traditional music is not only the entertainment industry which so many musicians depend on. Traditional music is the connector between today’s generation and those that lie before us in history. It is one of the only common bonds left between people in communities throughout Appalachia, and for that reason and many others, we are intent on helping each of our programs survive these challenging times.
Thank you so much for your generosity in the past, and Happy Holidays to you and yours from Junior Appalachian Musicians, Inc.
Brett Morris
Executive Director
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