Brian Wilson, Daily News Journal, July 7, 2015
Robert Eskew performs on the first day of the Macon Music day camp at Hobgood Elementary School on Monday.
(Photo: Brian Wilson/DNJ)
“We wanted people to know this isn’t just music in July,” Oneal said. “This is music that lives on all year long.”
Musicians set to perform at Uncle Dave Macon Days stopped by Hobgood to perform for the students on Monday.
They explained the origins of their instruments and struck a few tunes to demonstrate what the music of the 1920s and ’30s sounded like.
As the Monday session concluded, students said they liked how energetic the camp was.
“It was something you don’t learn a lot about,” said Tavious McConnell, an 11-year-old Hobgood Elementary School student.
Frankie Henley, who came from Mississippi with her husband, Dan, to perform in the festival, said the students have a chance to learn about their history through the decades-old music.
“Part of the music explains where they came from,” Henley said.
The camp was partially inspired to “show the connection between the music of the past and the music of today,” said Oneal, who is also a reading specialist for Rutherford County Schools.
Oneal worked to have the music curriculum cover several decades of popular music and tie into several of the state’s educational standards, she said.
Much modern music has roots in the music of Macon, who lived in Kitrell and became one of the first stars of the “Grand Ole Opry,” Christy said.
“We’ll take this program and talk about America’s music and how it was influenced,” Christy said.
Eventually, Christy would like to see to program and its music curriculum, turn into a Murfreesboro attraction that teaches tourists about the region’s music and culture.
“We’ve got all of the resources here,” Christy said. “We just need to connect the dots and put things together.”
Contact Brian Wilson at 615-278-5165 and [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @brianwilson17.