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In the groove
By LORRI HELFAND, Times Staff Writer
LARGO -- Thanks to a brand-new artist in residence program at the Largo Cultural Center, local music students will get a taste of Appalachian, ragtime and Delta blues. And some will get a chance to be stars for a night. The cultural center has traditionally invited students for workshops with various artists. But this week, it hopes to start an annual tradition of intensive lessons in the arts at Largo schools. Through Thursday, South Carolina acoustic guitarist Keith Knight will visit Largo Middle School and Largo High School to teach one-hour lessons in traditional and modern American folk music. He'll round out his visit with a public performance at the cultural center, where a few lucky students will open his show. Knight, who has performed throughout the nation as a solo guitarist since 1993, specializes in finger-style guitar, rather than picking or strumming. His artist-in-residence program, funded by $2,000 from the Largo Rotary Club, will include lessons in blues and calypso music, slide guitar and songwriting. "Hopefully, in this forum, I'll be able to show them just how diverse the instrument is," said Knight, 38. "I wish I had this type of thing when I was learning back in the early '70s." Knight's program aligns with the center's ongoing mission to reach out to local schools, said Richard Haerther, cultural center manager. "It's an opportunity to learn more, to get exposed to and learn other musical genres and see how they may or may not relate to each other," he said. Haerther discovered that Knight taught these workshops while looking through his promotional materials. He asked him if he'd like to do an artist-in-residence program here. Then he talked with principals at Largo Middle and Largo High to see if they wanted to take part. He chose those schools because they were close and convenient to the center, Haerther said. Largo High principal Barbara Thornton thought it was a great idea. "I'm a very strong advocate of the fine arts," she said. "I think it's extremely important for young people to become involved in them." David Lynch, a music intern who helped coordinate the program at Largo Middle, said the one-on-one lessons will steer the novice guitar players in the right direction. The center is applying for a $1,750 state grant to cover a third of the expenses for next year's artist-in-residence program, led by the Momentum Dance Company. Students in that program will also have an opportunity to perform on the cultural center stage. If you go Keith Knight will perform at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Largo Cultural Center, 105 Central Park Drive. Tickets are $12 reserved. Call 587-6793.
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