Crown fo the Continent Guitar foundation offers scholarship

The Crown of the Continent Guitar Foundation (COCGF) announced that scholarship applications are being accepted for Flathead Valley youth and teachers to attend its third annual guitar workshop. The event will be held at Flathead Lake Lodge in Bigfork, Aug. 26 through Sept. 2.

The workshop is a rare opportunity for youth and teachers to learn from nationally and internationally renowned artists and master teachers in six days of intimate workshops, master classes, and jam sessions. Eleven workshops will be offered in seven guitar genres: jazz, classic rock, blues, classical-flamenco, singer-songwriter, acoustic and beginner.

This year a new course has been added for bass players and clinics will be offered for guitarists to work with master piano, drum and rhythm players to enhance their ensemble performance skills. Special guest musician this year will be Dave Grusin, a longtime pianist and Grammy Award recording artist.

Artists in residence this year include legendary jazz master and Grammy award winner, Lee Ritenour, as well as Julian Lage who will bring his jazz trio of drummer Tupac Mantilla and bassist, Jorge Roeder to teach and perform. Sonny Landreth, a renowned slide guitarist will teach blues. Singer-songwriter Patty Larkin and Dennis Koster, teaching classical-flamenco style, join him. Augmenting the teaching staff will be the elite faculty of the National Guitar Workshop.

A minimum of ten scholarships valued at $3200 will be awarded providing the recipients with tuition and meals. They are available to guitar students and teachers in the greater Flathead Valley. North Valley Music School in Whitefish is coordinating the scholarships and they must be received by June 1. Student applicants must have studied guitar for at least two years and have been a resident of the greater Flathead Valley for at least one year. Applicants must complete an essay about the role of guitar in their life and submit a recording. Financial need will be taken into consideration. Teacher applicants should fill out an application form and write an essay. For complete application requirements and a form visit www.northval leymusicschool.org or call 862-8074. Awards will be announced by June 15.

The COCGF hopes that by providing scholarships to local guitar teachers, allowing them to grow their playing skills and teaching abilities, the workshop can have a lasting impact on guitar music in the Flathead Valley.

Local performer and teacher, Andre Floyd, of Columbia Falls who was a scholarship winner in 2011 comments that “Sometimes when you are successful playing an instrument you hang on your laurels. I wanted to make absolutely sure that I was still improving and challenging myself. What an amazing opportunity! The quality of instruction at this event is second to none. And all of this right here in Montana!”

Echoing that sentiment is Josiah Dunham, a 16-year -old scholarship recipient also 2011. “It was really cool and probably the only chance in my lifetime to get to learn from people like Joe Bonamassa and Steve Lukather. Since the workshop I have set up my own small recording studio at home. I have also been rewriting hymns for my church youth group and playing regularly. I plan to make music my career,” he says enthusiastically.

Guitar Workshop founder and board chair David Feffer explains that the scholarship program is integral to the mission of the COCGF. “We want to establish the area as an international center for the study of guitar and we are very excited to be building on the wonderful arts culture in the Flathead Valley.”

“We wish to thank North Valley Hospital, the Flathead Lake Lodge, The Community Foundation for a Better Bigfork, Don K Subaru, Glacier Bank, and all of our donors and sponsors for their generous support in providing these scholarships,” commented David Feffer.

For more information, visit www.cocguitarfounda tion.org.