Interested citizens donated fiddles during the Luttrell Elementary Fiddle Club and Choir Music Awards and Parent Night in May.
Dennis and Gwen Johnson presented the club with a rare German made fiddle that had belonged to their son. They originally purchased the fiddle in Maryland. When Dennis was transferred to Oregon, the fiddle made the trip. Once they arrived in Oregon, the fiddle spent more time stored on a shelf.
One Sunday, the teacher shared a lesson on using or squaundering your talents or gifts. Later that evening, their son commented that he had squandered his gift to play the fiddle. So after some 40 years, Dennis had Wayne Goforth restore and refurbish the fiddle so the children of Luttrell School could benefit and not “squander their gifts.” Dennis is the Vice president of the Union County Heritage Festival.
Wayne Goforth also donated a fiddle that was made in Romania. Wayne related the importance of playing music and how children who learn music usually achieve better grades and tend to be more successful in learning to read and in doing math.
He encouraged every child to practice and to also play for enjoyment. Wayne shared that he plays in several bands and truly enjoys playing the fiddle as well as other instruments. Goforth is also the Chairman of the Union County Heritage Festival Music Committee and plays every Sunday at the Lenoir Museum. He also coordinates the Museum Music Jam on Tuesdays at 7 p.m., as well as jamming at the Sharps Chapel Senior Center.
Jennifer Fields graciously accepted the fiddles and assured everyone that they would be well used. Fields is the music teacher at Luttrell Elementary where she teaches chorus and music. She wrote the curriculum that she uses to teach the third, fourth, and fifth graders to play the fiddle. She also introduces students to proper techniques of the fiddle.
The Fiddle Club and program was begun by a grant from the East Tennessee Foundation, which the Union County Heritage Festival Committee secured, matched and administered in 2018.
The Fiddle Club performs each year at Arts Night and at the Heritage Festival on the first Saturday in October. This year’s Heritage Festival is October 7, and the Luttrell Fiddle Club will perform on the Gazebo Stage at 2:45 p.m.