Winter 2025 Appalachian Tunes Lessons Registration
About Appalachian Tunes
The Appalachian Tunes (AT) program aims to offer small group music lessons for adults and young adults ages 13 and up in traditional styles of the region for fiddle, clawhammer banjo, guitar, and mandolin. The program is rooted in traditional old time and bluegrass music.
8-Week Semester
January 28 – March 18
Lessons from 6:15-7:45, Tuesday evenings
• Ages 13 +
• Instruments: Fiddle, Clawhammer Banjo, Guitar, Mandolin
• Classes will be arranged around interest and skill level. Appalachian Tunes will accomodate as many different instruments as possible based on registrations.
• Spots will be assigned on a first-come-first-serve basis.
Ashe Civic Center
962 Mt Jefferson Rd
West Jefferson, NC 28694
336-846-2787
Tuition – $90*
Payable online or cash/check at first class.
*Scholarship assistance available upon request*
Some instruments are available for students to borrow upon request with a $50 deposit.
Meet the Instructors
Kelley Breiding is a celebrated NC native known for her hauntingly timeless voice and dedication to Appalachian roots music. An award-winning claw-hammer banjo player, fiddler, guitarist, and bassist, Kelley is a full-time member of The Crooked Road Ramblers and host of The Floyd Radio Show. Recognized by the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area and NC Arts Council Folklife Program, Kelley received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Music Maker Relief Foundation in 2023. She has taught Old-Time fiddle and flat-picking guitar in the Junior Appalachian Musicians program since 2017 and performed at prestigious festivals and venues worldwide.
Karlee Hamm is a JAM (Junior Appalachian Musicians) alumni. Karlee has played bluegrass and old-time music for over a decade and diversified herself in guitar, mandolin, bass and vocals. She has played at events such as Floydfest, Merlfest, and the IBMA’s. She has worked with PBS on a television show, received scholarships from the Wayne Henderson Festival, and has won ribbons from fiddlers conventions in the area. Karlee has played in the New River JAM Band, Lonesome Willow, and continues to play in a trio. As an Ashe County native she stays close to her heritage and continues to carry on the Appalachian mountain music tradition. Karlee has been a JAM teacher since 2022 for the Ashe County Arts Council’s JAM program.
As a long-time teacher, performer, and ambassador of traditional Appalachian music, Emily Spencer has made a lasting impact on the cultural heritage of Southwest Virginia and Northwest North Carolina. A multi-instrumentalist, Emily is skilled in guitar, fiddle, dulcimer, mandolin, bass, ukulele, and clawhammer banjo, as well as singing and flatfoot dancing. Since the 1970s, she has been a key member of the Whitetop Mountain Band and has dedicated decades to teaching and preserving old-time music through programs like the Junior Appalachian Musicians (JAM) and various community initiatives. Emily’s passion for teaching and her commitment to passing on the region’s musical traditions have enriched the lives of countless students and audiences.
Kilby Spencer grew up immersed in the old-time music of Whitetop, Virginia, where his parents, Thornton and Emily Spencer, are well-known musicians. Surrounded by jam sessions and community lessons, Kilby’s passion for the fiddle flourished during high school, where he began developing his unique style while learning from local musicians and family influences like Albert Hash.
A dedicated steward of regional musical traditions, Kilby has curated an extensive collection of recordings and patterned his playing after local legends. He performs with the Crooked Road Old-Time Band and occasionally with the Whitetop Mountain Band, sharing the rich heritage of Whitetop and surrounding areas.