Welcome to your one stop site for all things Bluegrass in the greater Buffalo, NY area! Please click on any of the events on this page for a full poster with info on the event.
Buffalo Bluegrass Youth Ensemble
We are a free club that is open to any students, grades 5-12 who play violin, viola, cello, bass, guitar, mandolin, 5 string banjo or Dobro. We meet every first, third and fifth Monday on the month September through May at Wayside Presbyterian Church on the corner of Amsdell Rd and Route 5 in Hamburg NY from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM.
We play songs by Bluegrass pioneers like Bill Monroe, Flatt and Scruggs, Ralph Stanley and Jimmy Martin. We will also play music by newer bluegrass influenced artists like Nickel Creek, Old Crow Medicine Show and the Grateful Dead. Instrumentally our music choices will include traditional Irish and American Fiddle music that has entered the mainstream of American string music.
Melodies and sometimes harmonies will be given to students in standard notation and/or tablature but will be expected to be memorized for public performances. These melodies will be kept simple making them easy to memorize and leaving room for embellishments and improvisation as students get comfortable with them. Guitar, mandolin, banjo and dobro students are encouraged to take private lessons on their instruments. A list of private teachers can be found on the main menu of this website. The Ensemble will then reinforce the songs you are taught and give you a band experience. Our songs and a video about us are online at www.BuffaloBluegrass.com.
Public performances may range from appearances in Farmers Markets, Fairs and appropriate museums.
The group is run by former Director of the Frontier Central Fiddlers, Mark Panfil. He is a retired public school music teacher from the Frontier Central School District. www.MarkPanfil.com
Please call or email if you are interested. We are having an open house for parents and kids interested in our group on Monday September 9h at 6:30 at Wayside Church. Come on down that night and try it out with us!
Mark Panfil 716-867-4012 MarkPanfil@hotmail.com