Willian Tell Overture

The Kelley Family Jamming for the Good Folks at Brandon Wilde

Although many of the Kelley kids are interested in bluegrass music, I have to credit their musical ability to the preciseness and discipline of classical music. It is a misnomer to believe that people who play classical music can’t play bluegrass. When you look at the complex pieces in both genres, there are many similarities. You can learn to play bluegrass without learning classical music, but not the other way around. This is a video taken at Augusta State University where Timothy was awarded  Concert Master  under Dr. David Martin Jones, conductor.   Whoever you choose to teach your child, they should be able to teach the basic fundamentals necessary for both, and make it fun for them regardless of the genere of music they like the most.

A special visitor showed up at the Appling Opry on this night.  The legendary Little Roy Lewis came by for some social picking, free of charge.  It’s always a pleasure to watch him play and hear his jokes. In this video, Timothy and Bethany are playing the Organge Blossom Special with him.  Timothy takes a turn at it and then lets Peppy take a try at it and to her credit she jumps all over it while Little Roy cracks a smile.  Timothy always makes sure his sisters, friends or students fufill their passion to play. It’s part of the fun. Together my wife and I have 5 kids and Timothy (a.k.a. Bubba) and Brittany (piano) are in charge of all the musical instruction. He has had  lots of practice teaching kids. When you’re learning to play an instrument, it’s very important to get out there and play. Just hanging around Little Roy will teach you that performance is more than just being able to play and sing well. Your job is to entertain and make someone feel a little better than when they arrived. Nobody likes to hang around an old stiff neck Pharisee. I know I always leave with a belly full of laughs after one of Little Roy’s shows.

It’s an understatement to say kids like to play with Bubba.  His little sisters and many of his students find their way to the Appling Opry to play the song they just learned.  Whenever he thinks they are ready, he makes sure they have a place to play in public.  I think it’s important to start your kids out early before they learn to obey peer pressure. 

Many studies have proven that kids who start out early are allowing their minds to be wired more intensely than without musical training.

.  It’s only Mom and Dad that get nervous just before a performance. The kids don’t seem to think anything of it and focus on having a good time instead of what everyone else thinks. In this song, I’m on the banjo and I’m petrified even though I wasn’t making much sound.    The best thing is that we made a memory together.

A month later the kids played this song at The Elijah Clark Bluegrass Festival at the beautiful Lake Thurmond. Literally, there were at least 5 people crying in the auidence. A lot of older people like bluegrass and I would imagine it reminded them that their kids were grown and on thier own. At first I felt bad but then I realized that the tears were tears of joy fueled by the pleasent memories of years gone by. One day I will be sitting in that auidence or somewhere and I will hear the same song and it will be me that will be crying.

Giving your child the gift of music is something  they will never outgrow and will bring you and others many years of joy.

The second song is Hard Headed Woman. This one pushed the bluegrass envelope a little, but still had an awesome fiddle break in the middle of the song and satisfied Timothy’s desire to sing an Elvis song.

Timmy Kelley

Timmy Kelley

This video is from “The Little Roy and Lizzy Show”. It was a great show. Little Roy and Lizzy are so talented and funny too! Doug Flowers is an awesome singer, songwriter and world class mandolin player. While Bethany was playing Old Joe Clark, he was joking, telling Bethany to” Slow Down!” If you haven’t been to a show, I promise you will have fun watching them.
There was a special guest there–the father of bluegrass banjo…the one, the only, Earl Scruggs. He played very well also. He was nice enough to sign my little girl’s hats. Every instrument we have has his name on it, even the cello. We think it’s pretty cool. The kids brought their instruments just in case they were asked to play, and thankfully they were. You would never know these folks were Nashvillie stars by talking with them..they are nice to everyone.
So Bethany got to play two songs. Orange Blossom Special and Old Joe Clark. She played it in time and at breakneck speed. The crowd was pleased to see such a young girl (10 years old) do so well. Timothy didn’t get to play but he was glowing with pride because he is the one that teaches Peppy how to play. I have seen him put his sister first so many times. The night before, he let another friend of his play her song instead of playing at a yearly event. I love to watch the Lord reveal himself in their hearts.

Nothing makes you smile like a Franklin

But after that something else happened that was more special than any of the above. There was a nice gentlemen there that in the short time we have known him has inspired my kids with his kind words and wisdom. After Bethany had performed her song, he walked over and handed her a $100 bill.  Bethany had never seen a bill with that many zeros and I’m not sure I could have told who’s face was on the front. Franklin?  He told her to distrubute it among her siblings for lessons. As God would have it, we had cancelled lessons for a little while because of job worries and the gift from above was right on time. You just can’t out guess or predict what God will do next. I won’t mention his name because folks like that don’t want you to.