VOA标准英语2010年-American Old-Time Music Alive, Thrivin

People of all ages danced to tunes¹ at the Wayne C. Henderson Music Festival and Guitar Competition in Grayson County, Virginia.

American bluegrass music originated with immigrants from Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales beginning in the early 1600s. Those early settlers made their homes in the Appalachian Mountains in what's now eastern United States.

Through their music, they told stories about their struggles and daily life.  Americans living today in a section of the Appalachian Mountains known as the Blue Ridge² Mountains continue that musical heritage. 

Bluegrass festival

On a recent Saturday, traditional American bluegrass music resonated in a park in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

People of all ages danced to tunes at the Wayne C. Henderson Music Festival and Guitar Competition.  It is one of the biggest events in rural Grayson County in southwest Virginia.

"Well, to all of us it's very important.," says Becky Ward³, president of the festival. "We have about 2,000 people in attendance each year. It's very important to Wayne to continue on the traditional Appalachian style music in this area."

The annual event started 16 years ago to honor Wayne C. Henderson, a master guitar maker⁴ and musician who has spent all his 63 years in the region.

VOA - J. Soh
Wayne Henderson performs at the recent music festival in Virginia.

In recent years, the purpose of the festival has evolved into raising scholarship money to help young musicians in the region.

"We give scholarships for up to 21 years old," says Ward, the festival president . "We also give to local groups, but we only take scholarship applications from local Appalachian region children or groups that are trying to promote traditional music." 

Passing the tradition on

Besides the festival, the community has a program to connect children to their musical heritage.  It is called Junior Appalachian Musicians or JAM.

Helen White, a former school counselor⁵, founded the after-school program 10 years ago.

"I know a lot of very sad stories of many mountain children," says White. "And I also knew how important music was in my own life, and how much fun, and what a sense of community the music of the mountains brings."

"I really love the music and you make a lot of friends by it," says Danielle Yochter, 11, a participant in the JAM program. "And you get to play with people like Wayne Henderson."

The Junior Appalachian Musicians program connects children to their musical heritage.

The festival features some of the region's best musicians, as well as outside entertainers like Kandra Walker, part of a seven-member family band called, The Red Head Express.

"We originally left Alaska on tour to learn the old music and bluegrass and we got to meet Wayne Henderson. And he invited us to the festival and one thing lead to another.  It's an honor to be here."

The festival also benefits local tourism and people come from across the country.

"Oh, it's a great festival.  We try to come every year and enjoy the hospitality of the folks here," says Dale Mossis, resident of a neighboring county. "And it's like a family reunion. You get together and see folks you've not seen maybe in several months or a year."

The villagers say the music is a big part of their lives and they take pride in keeping the deep-rooted musical tradition in the area.
 

1 tunes   

n.曲调，曲子( tune的名词复数 )v.调音( tune的第三人称单数 )；调整；（给收音机、电视等）调谐；使协调

参考例句：

• a potpourri of tunes 乐曲集锦
• When things get a bit too much, she simply tunes out temporarily. 碰到事情太棘手时，她干脆暂时撒手不管。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 ridge   

n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭

参考例句：

• We clambered up the hillside to the ridge above.我们沿着山坡费力地爬上了山脊。
• The infantry were advancing to attack the ridge.步兵部队正在向前挺进攻打山脊。

3 ward   

n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开

参考例句：

• The hospital has a medical ward and a surgical ward.这家医院有内科病房和外科病房。
• During the evening picnic,I'll carry a torch to ward off the bugs.傍晚野餐时，我要点根火把，抵挡蚊虫。

4 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

5 counselor   

n.顾问，法律顾问

参考例句：

• The counselor gave us some disinterested advice.顾问给了我们一些无私的忠告。
• Chinese commercial counselor's office in foreign countries.中国驻国外商务参赞处。