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This weekend, young musicians will compete for cash prizes and bragging rights during the 8th Annual KSMU/Silver Dollar City Youth in Bluegrass Band Contest at Silver Dollar City. KSMU’s Missy Shelton spoke with the event’s emcee and has this preview.
Shelton: KSMU’s Mike Smith joins me in the studio and he’s going to be emceeing a special event this weekend at Silver Dollar City. Mike I’m going to let you tell us the name of that event.
Smith: It’s the 8th Annual KSMU/Silver Dollar City Youth in Bluegrass Band Contest. We’ve had 8 great years with these young people coming forward to play for performing to very large crowds at Silver Dollar City. There’s $1200 first place prize money. There are 20 bands in the competition this year from all over the country.
Shelton: I understand you typically see a range of ages with these performers. Is that right?
Smith: The cut off age is 21. However, if a parent or parents are members of the band, they can take part as well. A lot of times we’ve seen very young bands, 6, 7, 10 years old and into the teens as well. A great many times these are family bands. Other times, I’ve seen bands that are teenagers that go to school together, girls and boys who got together and decided to compete.
Shelton: What are the judges looking for because I know these are very talented musicians?
Smith: They are for the most part, very talented musicians. The talent has been passed on a lot of times down to the kids. The judges will be looking for their delivery, the use of the microphone. It’s a single mic that will be used like the old radio days. They’ll be looking for choice of music. Each band will play two tunes on Saturday and two tunes on Sunday. For each day, there will be 3 judges present. From Saturday to Sunday there will be a different set of judges. They’ll tally the scores for both days and the winner will be announced Sunday afternoon. The event will be held at the Opera House Theatre at Silver Dollar City at 3PM Saturday and the final round at 3PM Sunday. This is part of the Bluegrass and BBQ Festival at Silver Dollar City that continues through the 31st of May.
Shelton: As someone who has hosted a local bluegrass for our radio station for years…it has to warm your heart to see these young people embracing this kind of music.
Smith: Yes it does. It tends to warm my heart knowing that the music will be alive for many, many years to come. The folks that we have seen in these contests these last 8 years, some of them 3 and 4 years old, they might just be out there singing and harmonizing, not yet playing an instrument but these musicians that we’re seeing in these contests will be playing in front of audiences or at family gatherings 40, 50, 60 years from now. So the circle will be unbroken and the music will continue.
NOTE: The music you heard in this story is from last year’s competition.
