PacJAM (Pacolet Junior Appalachian Musicians) is entering its fifth year of helping to keep traditional mountain music alive with Polk and Spartanburg County children.

PacJAM offers traditional music classes for youth and adults throughout the school year and in a July summer camp.

This program, which is in partnership with Tryon Fine Arts Center’s Arts in Education, continues to gain recognition and accolades — most recently from the Wayne C. Henderson Festival. 

Wayne Henderson, who is a  guitarist and luthier, established his Music Festival and Guitar Competition in 1995, and ever since has used a portion of the proceeds to benefit traditional music programs and budding young artists in the Central Appalachian Region.

Not only is PacJAM a 2018 Wayne Henderson Scholarship recipient, but for the first time, so is one of its young musicians, Carson Moore. 

Moore has studied bluegrass banjo with Phil Jenkins at TFAC since 2016.

“When I was 6 or 7, I watched a documentary on traditional banjo and was immediately hooked. Mr. Jenkins has taught me many of the licks that Snuffy wrote for the songs he played like ‘John Henry.’ I am very thankful to have him as my teacher,” Moore said.

PacJAM enrollment for summer and fall for adults and youth is now open, at tryonarts.org/pacjam.

– Submitted by Julie Moore