Artist: Angie Caldwell, bluegrass musician
Apprentices, 2001: Brandon and Jourdan Thompson, fiddle and mandolin


Angie Caldwell, Seymour, Indiana
"I was raised in a very musical family."

My father plays the guitar and banjo and started me on the banjo at the age of 6 but it wasn't until I was 11 that I really took music or practice seriously. The blizzard of '78 was when I really learned to play the guitar and learned to enjoy it. Face it; there is nothing else to do during a blizzard. From there I took up the mandolin and upright bass, then the banjo again, then the fiddle and finally my last instrument has recently been the dobro.

"My mother is the singer in the family."
She taught me how to sing harmony. Music was always a big part of my family holidays with everyone gathered around grandma's old upright piano singing or sitting around listening to grandpa play his harmonica. Most of my great aunts and uncles played instruments and sang too. My grandparents from both sides are from Tennessee, the heart of this kind of music.

"I really want to pass this tradition on to my kids."

My grandmothers on both sides are gone now and my grandfather (Mom's dad) is in too bad health to play anymore. Though my grandmother never played, she was my biggest cheerleader. She would always be in the front row, telling me to sing louder, play harder, smile more or just making sure that everyone knew I was her granddaughter.


Brandon and Jourdan Thompson, Bartholomew County
"I think they have a real gift." - writes Angie Caldwell about her apprentices.

Brandon fiddles during a lesson with Angie. Photo by Jeremy Hogan.

Jourdan cradles the mandolin during a lesson. Photo by Jeremy Hogan.

I have worked with Brandon (fiddle) and Jourdan (mandolin) for three years. I see few students with the combination of talent, enthusiasm and dedication that Brandon and Jourdan have. I'd like to work with them because I think they have a real gift for this music and I'd like to see them develop it. Their individual skills have come a long way in the last few years, but bluegrass music is not just about individual skills. It's also about how well musicians can play together. I'd like to work with Brandon and Jourdan and help them cultivate their ability to play together.

They are quite the performers, but my real goal is to see them learn how to not only learn the traditional skills and tunes, but be able to put that into their own styles so they can develop new ways of passing on an old tradition. Brandon has already shown that talent starting to come out.

They really want to form a band and learn to play together. These two have really developed a "feel" for the music. They are to the point that they don't have to be told to practice and they love coming to lessons. They have even been working on some original tunes although nothing is finished yet. They are truly gifted kids and a real treat to work with.