Information for Students

Registration

Class size for all instruments, with the exception of string band, is limited to 10. Please register as early as possible to be sure you get the class you want. If interested, you can indicate a second choice on the registration form, in case your first choice isn’t available. Fiddle and banjo students, with the exception of complete beginners, do not need to register for a specific class level. These students will play a little for the instructors on the first morning of class and will then be assigned to the appropriate class. Students registering for the string band class should indicate what instrument they will be playing.

Tuition for all classes is $150 for Kentucky residents and $200 for out-of-state students.  Tuition for Kids on the Creek is $100 for all ages. The tuition includes class instruction and any written materials, lunch, afternoon activities and admission to all recitals, square dances and the Thursday concert at Appalshop. All adults, and kids who don’t plan to apply for a scholarship, should send a deposit of $50 with the registration form to hold their class space. Please make checks payable to: Cowan Community Action Group, Inc. If you are unable to attend the school, your deposit will be refunded in full, if you notify the school coordinator before June 11th. If the class you’ve chosen is full and you haven’t indicated a second choice, your deposit will be returned. You will then be placed on a waiting list and notified if there is a cancellation. Youth ages 11 - 18 who are applying for a scholarship do not need to send a deposit. Remaining tuition fees will be due the first morning of class.
Within two weeks of registration, you will receive confirmation by e-mail or a postcard. Around June 1st students will receive a letter with last-minute reminders. Please be sure to check this for the location of your morning class as this is subject to change depending on changes in the Cowan Elementary School’s academic calendar. Instructors and visiting masters may be substituted without notice.

Registration forms MUST be received by May 31st, 2010.
All registration forms and questions should be directed to the Coordinator, Stacy Dollarhide: Please make checks payable to Cowan Community Action Group, Inc. and mail to: CCMMS
Cowan Community Center
81 Sturgill Branch
Whitesburg, KY 41858
(606) 633-3187
E-mail: cowancreekmusic@tvscable.com
What to Bring
Students will need to bring their own instrument, in playable condition, and extra strings. A small battery-operated tape recorder to help you remember your new tunes and songs will be helpful. Guitar and banjo students should also bring capos. Intermediate and advanced fiddle students will be playing in crosstuning and should consider having steel strings. Synthetic gut strings (perlon) can be crosstuned but are more likely to break, so bring extra. Orchestral type gut strings cannot be crosstuned. Clogging students will need hard-soled shoes.

The Cowan Elementary School, Cowan Community Center and Appalshop are wheelchair accessible. The Cowan Creek Mountain Music School is a family event; no alcohol, drugs or profanity is permitted.

Information for Parents

The Cowan Creek Mountain Music School is open to young people ages 11 and older. Whether or not a child is ready for the school depends on his/her interest in music, maturity and if s/he has the attention span necessary for a three-hour class. Exceptions to the age limit may be made for younger children who are already learning an instrument or who have an adult relative in the same class. Children not yet ready for a class should register for the Kids on the Creek, an arts and music class for kids ages 5 to 10. The instructors have been chosen for their experience and enthusiasm in teaching children; however, the school reserves the right to ask you to pick up your child if he or she is disruptive to the class. All children present at the school must be enrolled in a class or accompanied at all times by an adult. We do not provide free child care. Special arrangements for children under 11 must be made by the parent, by phone, with Stacy Dollarhide (606) 633-3187. Children and teens may be dropped off for class at the Cowan Elementary School at 9:00 a.m. A parent will need to stay a few minutes the first morning of classes to sign permission and emergency information forms. Kids may be picked up at the Cowan Elementary School at 12:00 noon or at the Cowan Community Center at 3:00 p.m. Transportation will be available from the school to the Community Center only, via the Center’s van. Please note on the registration form when and where you plan to pick up your child.

Scholarships for Kentucky students age 18 and under are available and will be given on the basis of need. The application for youth scholarships can be found on the back of the registration form. Kentucky students can also apply for scholarships through their school’s Family Resource Center or Youth Services Center. These scholarship funds are limited, so be sure to apply as soon as possible.

DIRECTIONS
The Cowan Elementary School is located 4 miles up KY 931. From Whitesburg, take KY 15 north and turn left onto 931 just after leaving Whitesburg. From Hazard, follow KY 15 south and turn right onto 931. The school is on your left. The Cowan Community Center is 6 miles up KY 931. It is on the right. The Appalshop is located on 91 Madison Avenue in downtown Whitesburg, Kentucky.