About Us
Handmade Music School: Rooted in Appalachian Traditions
Founded in 2016, the Handmade Music School is a hub for traditional music education, celebrating the region’s rich musical heritage while fostering community and creativity. Specializing in the art of handmade music, the school offers a variety of workshops, classes, camps, special events, and private lessons in traditional Appalachian instruments such as the banjo, fiddle, guitar, and mandolin. The Handmade Music School’s mission is to cultivate and strengthen community through experiences in music, dance, art, and food rooted in Appalachian traditions.
Students and visitors of all ages can delve into the roots of Appalachian music, learning from passionate and knowledgeable instructors dedicated to passing on these traditions. Located in Floyd, Virginia, The Handmade Music School invites participants to enjoy experiences at several locations that offer beauty and comfort paired with cultural significance. In addition to our Handmade House “Home” located at 110 Talleys Alley, we have programming at The Floyd Country Store as well as The Floyd EcoVillage. The Floyd Country Store provides an authentic and personal experience, allowing students to connect with the music and traditions on a deeper level while the Floyd EcoVillage offers a beautiful and flexible venue to relax and maximize the learning experience.
Bringing People Together
Beyond the classroom, the Handmade Music School also hosts regular concerts, jam sessions, and events that bring together local musicians and visitors from all over the globe. This blend of education and entertainment gives guests a true taste of the vibrant music culture that thrives in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains. With its rustic charm and unwavering dedication to preserving musical traditions, the Handmade Music School stands as a testament to the enduring spirit of Appalachian culture.
The school provides instruction through 30 or 60-minute private or group music lessons in traditional Appalachian music as well as traditional dance styles such as flatfooting, clogging, and honky tonk two-step. By providing lessons in these traditional art forms, the school helps to ensure that these cultural practices are passed down to future generations. A large and diverse staff ensures that there is an instructor for every learning style. Lessons are offered in-person at The Handmade House, Floyd Country Store or virtually. Lessons and other activities are provided to everyone regardless of finances. The Handmade Music School’s scholarship called “Share the Music Scholarship”, as well as various memorial scholarships make this possible.
As a way to further preserve and celebrate Appalachian culture, the Handmade Music School hosts workshops, concerts, and other events that bring together musicians and artists in the area. These events provide a space for enthusiasts to learn from and collaborate with each other, and for the wider community to experience and appreciate Appalachian traditions. One-off workshops are offered several times a month for all levels, as well as free and paid partner dance classes before Honky Tonk Thursday and flatfooting classes before the Friday Night Jamboree. Group class series are also offered throughout the year and offer an affordable and community-based learning environment.
Supporting Our Young People
A special interest of The Handmade Music School is providing opportunities for young people to experience the community and joy found in music and dance. A vibrant and engaged youth community has grown up around the school. This has resulted in the Floyd Country Store assisting youth as they learn how to dance, jam, form bands, participate in regional competitions, and even mentor their younger siblings and friends as they grow. The positive impact that these experiences and skills have on social development is undeniable, while also ensuring that these valued traditions will continue to live and thrive.
The Joy Jammers program is the earliest starting point for 0-4 year olds and their caretakers. These joyful, interactive group music classes are offered by Kari Kovick on Friday mornings at The Floyd Country Store. They are designed to foster a love of music while building foundational musical skills, safe connection, secure attachment, and healthy community. Families are welcome to drop in or participate in sessions.
The next step for youth is The Handmade Youth Stringband Program at The Floyd EcoVillage. This weekly group music program allows youth ages 7-13 to explore music, arts, and dance from the Blue Ridge Plateau of Southwest Virginia. Taught in fifteen week-long semesters, this program is open to all experience levels.
In summer, HMS hosts multiple camps at the Floyd EcoVillage. These fun-filled day camps offer exciting and interactive classes in fiddle, banjo, guitar, mandolin, voice, bass, and dance. One weekly session is for beginner and intermediate players ages 7-13, and another week for 14-18 year-olds with music experience looking to take a deep dive into music and dance with their peers. Lodging for out-of-town families is available on-site at Floyd EcoVillage, giving folks the option to take a week-long trip to Floyd. Look for these amazing camps every summer! Scholarships and instruments are available for camp participants.
Fostering Community
The Handmade Music School recently launched Floyd Country Store TV. An incredible streaming platform and subscription service that delivers beautifully recorded livestreams and archived recordings of concerts, dances, and documentaries highlighting the amazing music and dance traditions of The Floyd Country Store. Ideally, everyone would be able to visit in person, but this service is available for those who are unable to make the trip, live far away from Floyd and for those who wish to revisit their experience after leaving and stay connected.
One of HMS’s exciting ongoing projects is Harmonic Heritage: Recording Southwest Virginia’s Living Musical Traditions, a recording project preserving the voices of elders singing traditional Appalachian music in Floyd. With an emphasis on old time, bluegrass, and early country music from Floyd County and beyond, Harmonic Heritage aims to enshrine the elders of a nearly-past generation. With this, their voices, songs, and stories can be accessible to the public for generations to come.
The Handmade Music School partners with local festivals and events to feature traditional Appalachian music and crafts, integrating these elements into larger community celebrations and raising their profile. In partnership with The Floyd Country Store, The Handmade Music School curates and co-hosts the Workshop Porch Stage at FloydFest where HMS presents more than a dozen local and regional acts over a 4-day period.
You can find The Handmade Music School at Small Town Summer in Lineberry Park, Floydfest, The Living Traditions Festival at Floyd Center for the Arts, regional fiddlers’ conventions, and many other celebrations and gatherings in Southwest Virginia.
