Renaissance Center adds hammered dulcimer classes with Scott Miller

Release Date: 1/24/2005. Expired: 2/12/2005

The Renaissance Center is offering private instruction in hammered dulcimer from master teacher Scott Miller beginning this spring.

With more than 26 years of teaching experience on a variety of instruments, Miller’s expertise on the hammered dulcimer brings a brand new offering to the long list of music instruction offered at the arts and technology education center in Dickson. In addition to private instruction, Miller will be featured in a Hammered Dulcimer Workshop Feb. 12.

Miller earned his music education degree from Morehead State University. His professional musical experiences have included working with country music artists Terri Clark and Craig Morgan to working in a wide variety of settings and sounds ranging from cowboy to gypsy music, jazz to contemporary worship music, as well as bluegrass and old-time music.

Miller joins the music faculty at The Renaissance Center not only as an instructor in hammered dulcimer, but also to provide additional instruction in banjo and acoustic guitar.

“There is a great interest in the area in the dulcimer and learning to play it,” said Elaine Sherrill, senior director of Music at The Renaissance Center. “In the past we’ve offered one-day workshops and featured dulcimer players in performances, but this is our first opportunity to offer private lessons in hammered dulcimer and Scott Miller is a quality instructor.”

As a studio musician, Miller can be heard on various recordings by artists ranging from contemporary Christian artist Charlie Peacock to banjo super picker Mike Scott. As an instrumental recording artist, he has created projects along with producer Jim Wood for companies such as Maple Street Music of Nashville, Sugo Music in Half-Moon Bay, Ca., and his own Pinewood Music.

He began working as a music teacher when he offered guitar lessons to a fellow student while in junior high school. Over the years, he has continued to sharpen his methodology and teaching approach as he has passed on his knowledge to hundreds of students ranging from four years old to senior citizens.

“I seek to engage my students,” Miller said. “Whether it’s a one-on-one music lesson or a lecture on any topic, I have found if I am able to engage those I teach, they become active learners. That means instead of passively waiting to be taught, they become active in interacting and learning the subject.”

While in college, Miller won the Ohio state flat-picking guitar championship in the mid 1980s and was a backing guitarist for championship fiddlers, including Grand Master’s fiddle champion Dan Kelly. He worked with bluegrass bands and artists while living in Dallas, worked as a singer/guitarist at a cowboy show in Colorado, was part of a jazz duo in Texas, did substitute work with a gypsy band in Houston and worked in the rodeo band in Mesquite.

After working one summer selling dulcimers in Gatlinburg, Miller fell in love with the sound of the old-time instrument and traded a mandolin for his first dulcimer and he has been playing it ever since.

For more information on Miller’s classes in hammered dulcimer, banjo or guitar or his dulcimer workshop, contact Sherrill at (615)740-5545 or . The Renaissance Center is an arts and technology education and performing arts center at 855 Highway 46 South in Dickson, just 35 miles west of Nashville on Interstate 40 at exit 172.

Visit the Music Workshops page for more about the workshops.

News

Date Released	Expiration	Headline
No Press Releases to show...