Morgan-Ellis, students present at music summit

University of North Georgia (UNG) associate professor of music Dr. Esther Morgan-Ellis and four students performed at the second String Band Summit held at East Tennessee State University (ETSU) in Johnson City, Tennessee, on Feb. 10. This was the first time UNG students have attended and presented at the event.

The String Band Summit, created by ETSU professor Lee Bidgood, was envisioned to highlight bluegrass, old-time and roots music. Different programs around the country were able to submit proposals and present like Morgan-Ellis and her students. Their student-led presentation covered UNG's music program and showcased student compositions and arrangements.

"I was so proud of them. I love conferences and understand this isn't for everyone," Morgan-Ellis said. "Some of it is really fun, like concerts, but some of it is research, and you sit there and hear someone talk about their research. They all stayed for everything and they loved it."

The performance by students Zane Cook, Lily Hammond, Moriah Miller, and Maggie Mosley featured a number of instruments including fiddle, guitar, banjo, bass, mandolin and ukulele. Hammond gave a vocal performance. She is in her third year in the five-year music education program.

"I've grown up listening to this type of music and this opportunity helped me to improve my skills. The community is the biggest part I took away, getting to know the people around me," Hammond, a  Dawsonville, Georgia, resident, said.

The students not only were able to play several tunes they'd written as a band but were introduced to talented performers, students and celebrities in a diverse crowd of people from places like Ireland and Japan. Cook, whose biggest inspirations are Aretha Franklin and the Punch Brothers, shared just how impactful that was to him.

"There was this big focus on the roots of string band music and how it descended from the fiddling and banjo playing of enslaved African Americans," Cook, a junior pursuing a degree in music, said. "It deepened my knowledge, appreciation and respect."