Description

Vocalists, string, guitar and mandolin players are invited to experience the historic American music of bluegrass. Taught by expert bluegrass musicians in a fun jam-style approach, students experience the joys of leading, improvising and accompanying traditional folk songs and old-time music. 

Students who join the Bluegrass Lab will also be invited to participate in our Bluegrass Jam Series on Sunday Evenings at BKCM. 

Sections:

• Mondays, 8:00 – 9:30 PM

Violinists who join this class should be familiar with D and A major scales. Guitarists should know D, G, A and E chords comfortably on their instrument. Parents of students are welcome to join the class to observe or sit in if they also play guitar, bass or strings. Each semester culminates in a jam-style performance at BKCM and local bluegrass music festivals.

Ken Shoji, Band Leader & Instructor

Kensuke Shoji is a jazz violinist and member of Deadgrass. Born in Gifu, Japan, he began playing violin at age 7 with the Suzuki Method. Kensuke joined his father’s Bluegrass band when he was a teenager and moved to the U.S to study with Matt Glaser (the chair of Berklee String Department ) and world renowned jazz violinist Christian Howes. You can find Kensuke playing with top bluegrass musicians throughout NYC and worldwide. 

The Registration Process 

1. If you are new to BKCM, click here to create a Registration account.

2. Click here to fill out the Student & Family Survey.

3. Call 718-622-3300 to register.

If you have questions, please call 718-622-3300 to speak to one of our registrars who will guide you through every step of the registration process. Financial aid is available for qualifying students. To apply please contact kris.mandapat@bkcm.org and fill out the financial aid application.

For complete information on our registration process and policies, please click here.