Moments & Memories (3 of 8): The power of hats

As graduates this month of CMW's Fellowship Program, Rachel and Arlyn were asked to provide several memorable
moments or anecdotes that would shed light on their favorite experiences over
the past two years spent at Community MusicWorks. Their responses are
posted as a series on this blog throughout the month of June.

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I never expected to see two worlds collide in such a surprisingly easy way as when The Bourbon Boys, my bluegrass band, led a Musical Workshop at Community MusicWorks. It was a huge benefit for me to be able to really know the students we were interacting with: not only their names, but their teachers, their experience on an instrument, the range of their repertoire…it was something most workshop presenters don’t have. And we also had the power of hats: eighty cowboy hats that the students, the teachers, and even the parents didn’t want to take off all night.

True to the mission of CMW, The Bourbon Boys, as musicians, were transformed as well. While at first more nervous to play for kids than adults, they were so pleased to have been embraced by teenagers and seven-year-olds alike!

-Rachel Panitch, Fellow (07-09)