A predominantly rural artform, the bluegrass genre is unique. Revolving around jam sessions, a musical canon, and themes of industrial struggle, it is at its core, a social experience. As the Appalachian region has endured decades of deindustrialization, economic crisis, opioid addiction, the music has a special story to tell, and with familial ties to Eastern Kentucky and bluegrass music, I am especially excited to explore it through the lens of an ethnography. Since June 2024, I have been conducting fieldwork and research, speaking with musicians and enthusiasts alike in order to better understand their stories and how they have been impacted by bluegrass music. 

I am thrilled to share that this past spring, I received the Erich Kunzel award at the 2024 Dartmouth Arts Awards ceremony, an award dedicated to supporting the music-related initiatives of Dartmouth students. I am grateful to the Dartmouth Department of Music and my faculty advisor, Theodore Levin, as it is with this support that I have been able to make this project possible.