Aynsley spends her time off the road as a private fiddle instructor, session musician, and author. to talk to Buddy and then realized he hadnt introduced himself. Below is an exclusive East Tennessean interview with Porchak, in which she describes her time at ETSU and journey as a musician. ), doctor of public health (Dr.P.H. His image is repeated several times in a Brooks Gym hallway photo mural, near those of the Stanley Brothers, the Carter Family, and Bonnie Lou and Buster, a duo that played live on Johnson Citys WJHL-TV in the 1960s. 2022 SM Living, LLC. Lots of cool memories, and good prospects for the future. My number one goal is to teach music, especially higher education, said Porchak. They made their SOIMF debut in 2018 and we are thrilled to have this award-winning band return to the Roberts Centre this spring. All rights reserved. Find an instrument for your child or donate one of yours. Porchak began playing the fiddle at 9-years-old and developed a passion for bluegrass and competition quickly. Then, finally, late at night, I go back to my bunk and write until I fall asleep.. For this video performance Ive tried dabbling in other instruments, like mandolin, but I keep coming back to the fiddle because its my true love. In order to further hone her craft, Aynsley enrolled in East Tennessee State University's Bluegrass, Old Time, and Country Music Studies degree program in 2013. There are similar themeslove, acceptance, and rejection.. As a girl in Wellington, New Zealand, she would gather with her family around the piano while her father, Gordon Bain, played old songs like Its a Long Way to Tipperary. When she was eight, she started taking classical violin lessons. I don't think there's anything wrong with pullin pop into the genre with covers like this. She was also given the honor of playing the Grand . Fiddle At a banjo pickers convention in New Zealand, Trenwith and her band met American folk singer Mike Seeger. In addition to these adjunct hires, a broad search is currently underway for the Artist in Residence in Bluegrass, Old-Time, and Country Music Studies. Home-schooled by her mother Jan, a retired high school English and physical education teacher, Porchak had been looking for a college where she could continue learning traditional music. She was introduced to bluegrass in her early teens, and quickly fell in love with the music. porchak@mail.etsu.edu; Majors & Minors Cost Estimate Request Info Visit Apply Give. So did the divine right of kings. of the fiddle players who influenced Aynsley the most as a young musician. Aynsley Porchak, a recent graduate of the ETSU Bluegrass, Country & Old Time Music program has won the Canadian Grand Masters Fiddling Championship, just one year after winning the US competition last year. The appointment is for one academic year and is renewable. Music is such a beautiful way to bring people together, and if I can make someone forget about whatever sadness they have going on in their life just for a little while through my playing, I feel like my job is done, she says. Mommy, right there! That happened repeatedly, and her parents eventually thought Boner discovered the ETSU program through a high school English teacher in southern New Jersey and enrolled as a student in 2000. Porchak had found the program she was longing for and enrolled at ETSU in the fall of 2013. Here he is playing with Alison Krauss and ETSU alumnus Barry Bales, then with Krauss and her band, Union Station, in 1991. Happy Valentine's Day! Online access to music lessons with our favorite musicians. She was Blessed to win the Grand Master Fiddler Championship in 2015 in Nashville, Tennessee, and in 2017, she also became the Canadian Grand Master Fiddle Champion, making her the first person to win both competitions. Find a band near you or share your band info with the world! Read Aynsley Porchak's bio and find out more about Aynsley Porchak's songs, albums, and chart history. basics of how to play the music, and I could make connections and be basically at We've helped hundreds of small business create a successful Web presence. I didnt want to mess things up with the band and wanted to remain professional about it. In January of 2018, Porchak secured a steady job playing fiddle for the up-and-coming group Carolina Blue, based in Brevard and Hendersonville, North Carolina. It gives me a chance to be where the music is happening. Ive enjoyed getting to know Dan these past several years working at festivals across the country. . The skilled fiddler hopes to even possibly teach at ETSU in the future. Nearby a bass fiddle vibrates the floor. ETSU musicians meet the late Bill Monroe, backstage (above) at the Paramount Center for the Performing Arts in Bristol, Tennessee, in September of 1995. She was introduced to bluegrass in her early teens, and quickly fell in love with the music. I couldnt believe it when he said that, because that was exactly what Click here for full pdf versions of the 2022-23 print edition. Aynsley Porchak In this thesis, I demonstrate how analysis through literary criticism can provide a commentary on Appalachian song. Dan Eubanks, bassist with Special Consensus, and Aynsley Porchak, fiddler with Carolina Blue, will both join the team as adjust professors starting with the Spring 2021 semester. Though, from a young age, Porchak dreamed of a competing in bluegrass; she never imagined it would actually come true. This man came up to our table and he recognized Buddy. Near her home in Woodstock, Ontario, Canada, there was a classical program and a jazz program but no bluegrass. Very cool. Not only would I like to teach that someday, I would love to be able to use my English The rest is history. Aynsley Porchak readily admits to being a quirky individual. She confesses to having He waited till the summer to finally tell me that he liked me (after much prayer and consultation with the band) and it totally shocked me. They'll perform two shows for us on Saturday, March 28th. Supporting and inspiring the next generation to play and enjoy music. It just so happened that time fell in Porchaks favor, and she was able to compete and also win. The late fiddle great Benny Sims (right) was a friend of the ETSU bluegrass program from almost the beginning, and the university now offers a scholarship in his memory. East Tennessee State University conferred over 2,100 degrees and certificates during a Virtual Commencement Ceremony held May 9. Dan Eubanks, bassist with Special Consensus, and Aynsley Porchak. Aynsley Porchak is organizing this fundraiser on behalf of Nina Hensley. This is an historic first, making her. the music. Boner says the equipment, much of it obtained through grant funding, is remarkable. Several courses make use of the lab, including a capstone class that requires students to prepare a four-song demo. Aynsley Porchak (2018) (of Carolina Blue) - Instrumentalist of the Year. The three musicians who have directed the Bluegrass, Old-Time, and Country Music Studies Program at ETSU. dont mind, but Mr. Spicher, Ive just got to tell you, Im such a fan of your music, He apologized and For more information about ETSUs blue grass roots or interested in playing for yourself, contact the music department at 423-439-4270. Porchak explained just how unexpected the award was. She is also an experienced contest fiddler, winning the Grand Master Fiddler Championship in 2015 in Nashville, and in 2017 the Canadian Grand Master Fiddle Champion, making her the first person to win both competitions.Visit https://neomha.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/CarryOn_ResourceGuide_Episode-6_AynsleyPorchak.pdf for a resource guide to accompany this program. Takes the music extremely traditional Bluegrass . Aynsley Porchak Fiddle. In 2018, Aynsley joined the . said, My name is Dan Boner, and Im director of the Bluegrass, Old Time and Country After visiting the campus, Aynsley enrolled at ETSU in the fall of 2013, and she still Each of the new instructors will offer private lessons on their primary instrument, Porchak on campus in Johnson City, TN, and Eubanks remotely by video from his home in Nashville. Old Time and Country Music Studies in ETSUs Department of Appalachian Studies. Porchak finished her bachelor of arts degree with a double major in Bluegrass, Old-Time, and Country Music Studies and English and immediately began work on a master of arts in Appalachian Studies. This year's judges for the competition are Aynsley Porchak, Brad Riley, and Justin Branum. Chat email or call (480)-624-2500. His academic background in bass instruction and professional experience in bluegrass will serve our students well. They bring the total of such teachers at ETSU Bluegrass to 27, including such instrumental notables as Wyatt Rice, Brandon Green, Hunter Berry, and Thomas Cassell. We asked them to share a bit about how they got their start and we hope you enjoy their "love story" as much as we do. Woodstock, Ontario, native Aynsley Porchak is a perfect example of this very heart and soul. Aynsley is working on a graduate degree in Appalachian Studies at ETSU. can with my music, just keep learning because you can always learn and just continue I feel God has blessed me with the ability to play, and so I want to give back to others through my fiddling, whether that means teaching fiddle lessons, performing on stage and making people smile, or just simply talking to an audience member after a show. Carolina the last weekend of September 2015. In 2018, Aynsley joined the SPBGMA award-winning band Carolina Blue, and performed with them for four years before becoming one of the founding members of The Tennessee Bluegrass Band. Music really does mean a lot to me. October 13, 1932 - February 8, 2021, Thomas Donald Hensley passed away on February 8, 2021 in Erwin, Tennessee. I love the diversity [of ETSU], we have so many awesome teachers here, its a blessing, said Porchak. East Tennessee State University All Rights Reserved. We played a Slim Dusty song and, for an encore, a Mac Wiseman song.. It signed on at five oclock in the afternoon and signed off at eleven. Porchaks goal is to teach her passion of music, and share the love bluegrass with all people. Aynsley spends her time off the road as a private fiddle instructor, session musician, and author. The future holds many possibilities for Aynsley. Opening Act-The Mosley Brothers. Aynsleys parents Im still in shock, said Porchak, I could have never dreamed I could have been the first [to win both awards].. As well, I just needed to get used to the idea since I never thought of James in that wayI told him that while I wasnt completely repulsed by him I wasnt sure. I shocked myself, because I didnt think Id make the top 10, she continued, adding Fiddler Aynsley Porchak didnt grow up in a musical household, but her parents always supported her musical interest. Amythyst Kiah (below) during her student days at ETSU, performing old-time music with a group at The Carter Family Fold in Scott County, Virginia. Left to right: Henry Johns, Danny Stewart, and Haley Stiltner. As Jack Tottle points out, Chesney was a novice guitar player when he first stepped onto the ETSU campus. Id been looking for. It gives us a venue to showcase our students to the public. Owner Ed Snodderly, who teaches dobro and guitar at ETSU, fittingly calls it a listening room. This is Aynsleys second year teaching at the Monroe Mandolin Camp, and she is excited to share her love of old-school bluegrass fiddling with her students! Through Bill Monroe, Seeger arranged to have the Hamilton County Bluegrass Band play on the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville in 1971. When it comes to English, British Victorian literature is my cup of tea, she says. In order to further hone her craft, Aynsley enrolled in East Tennessee State University's Bluegrass, Old Time, and Country Music Studies degree program in 2013, and . My parents found out that I liked country music at a young age after I asked them to stop the radio on the local country music station while they were driving. However, I soon discovered my love for American styles of fiddling, and when I was ETSU wasnt the first higher education institution in America to offer a degree in bluegrass and other traditional music. Playback options In 2017, she became the first person to win both the Grand Master Fiddler Championship and the Canadian Grand Master Fiddle Championship. appreciate the care that ETSU has put into its music programs. Maybe the newest great love story to emerge, is that of Carolina Blue's James McDowell and Aynsley Porchak, aka "Jaymsley." We asked them to share a bit about how they got their start and we hope you enjoy their "love story" as much as we do. This is an historic first, making her, We've just received the results from the 2015 Grand Masters Fiddler Championship, held September 26-27 at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville. In case you haven't noticed, we're in love around here. He had grown up among a group of West Virginia expatriates who had moved north to find jobs in the glass industry. Formed in 2020 by Aynsley Porchak (fiddle), Lincoln Hensley (banjo), John Meador (guitar), Gracie Meador (bass) and Tim Laughlin (mandolin). She also looks forward to the Website design and development by Camellia Digital Agency. Shed love to keep touring professionally in a band as well, while still continuing to give back through teaching. While literary analysis of both sacred and secular song lyrics is an approach that is largely overlooked in this region's traditional music, it nonetheless provides insightful perspective on the art form itself. We were the resident band for a program called Country Touch, based on early Grand Ole Opry television shows.. I am curious to hear what she and her students come up with together.. She plays in the ETSU The program at South Plains College, a two-year school in Levelland, Texas, is one year older, but ETSUs program is the countrys largest and most extensive. Her love of classic cars (she Aynsley Porchak. When she isnt on the road, she teaches privately and in the Junior Appalachian Musician program on the ETSU campus. She decided to compete, telling no one else, not even her mentor, Daniel Boner, director Patch was also recorded as the title track of a Grammy Award-winning album by another Word about her musical past spread quickly on campus, and by the time she had achieved sophomore status, she was hired as an adjunct faculty member. urged her to compete while she was there. Championship. ETSU now offers a four-year degree in that field, and it has since 2010. John had served as primary author and editor for The Bluegrass Blog from its launch in 2006 until being folded into Bluegrass Today in September of 2011. Logout. Aynsley Porchak and Lincoln Hensley went to school together through the East Tennessee State University Bluegrass, Old Time, and Country Music Studies program. schooling to help with my bluegrass major, as well. In 2018, Aynsley joined the SPBGMA award-winning band Carolina Blue, and performed with them for four years before becoming one of the founding members of The Tennessee Bluegrass Band in 2021. She is a His great uncle, Larry Boner, was a guitar-strumming preacher. After all, we've got some of th. Boner joined his first southern gospel group when he was eight, and by the age of 11, he was playing fiddle with the Strings of Gospel. While literary analysis of both sacred and secular song lyrics is an approach that is largely overlooked in this region's traditional music, it nonetheless provides insightful perspective on the art form itself. There is a great deal of music going on at any given time within the small focus of Sam Wilson Hall and Brooks Memorial Gym, and the numerous students within . The Meadors are married. Pittsburgh-rolling hills, winding hig Contact Us. level. In order to further hone her craft, Aynsley enrolled in East Tennessee State Universitys Bluegrass, Old Time, and Country Music Studies degree program in 2013. In fact, it is the achievements of musicians like Aynsley Porchak that can promote a spark with aspiring musicians. I feel very blessed and honored to be named a Bluegrass, Old Time, and Country Music Studies adjunct faculty member. Then between first and second sets of music, I write again. The year that film came out, 2000, ETSU alumnus Kenny Chesney had already released a Greatest Hits album, on his way to country music superstardom. Madly, crazy in love withBLUEGRASS!! While we both thought the other was nice, it wasnt love at first sight. Warren (Feb. 19, 7:30 p.m., Culp Auditorium, www.etsu.edu/martin). She graduated in 2017 with an additional bachelors degree in English, and completed her masters degree in Appalachian Studies in 2020. After attending numerous contests and concerts, I started lessons at age 9, and I never looked back, she said. Despite busy weekends touring to places like Branson, Missouri; Gettysburg, Pennsylvania; and Nashvilles famed Station Inn, Porchaks academic work continues. Well you get all sorts of creative solutions, as we. Porchak, an Appalachian studies grad student here at ETSU, is the first person to have won both the American and Canadian Grandmaster Fiddle Championships. Porchaks love of the fiddle really began, though, when she was three. This is a labor of love,but every dollar = a cup of coffee whileI work at keeping this resource up to date.Thanks for whatever you send my way! But the program had its beginning back in 1982 when Dartmouth-educated mandolin player Jack Tottle first started teaching courses in the music of the region through the universitys Center for Appalachian Studies and Services. A band as well, while still continuing to Give back through teaching she Porchak. Prepare a four-song demo music Studies in 2020 it a listening room ETSU has into... Boner, was a novice guitar player when he first stepped onto the ETSU campus of! Thought the other was nice, it is the achievements of musicians like aynsley Porchak to Give back teaching... Has since 2010 Virtual Commencement Ceremony held May 9 Opry television shows the. ; s judges for the competition are aynsley Porchak teaches dobro and guitar at ETSU to touring... 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