This year there is an interesting juxtaposition between the Rockygrass Bluegrass Festival, which begins Friday, and last month's Telluride Bluegrass Festival.

The prestigious Telluride festival featured local groups such as

Leftover Salmon, Yonder Mountain, String Cheese, and Elephant Revival

in the distant San Juan Mountains. And yet, at the nearby, and also

very prestigious Rockygrass Bluegrass Festival at Planet Bluegrass in

Lyons there are no local Nederland bands officially participating.

And yet,Gipsy Moon will be unofficially helping to kick off the

festival at Oscar Blue's on Friday night starting at 8:30 p.m.

And local musicians are presently receiving the best instruction and

training, in the world, at the festival's Academy.

The teachers at the Academy at Rockygrass are the best musicians in

the world teaching at the best time and place that you could ever

conceive of, says Silas Herman of Gipsy Moon.

Herman has been attending the Academy since 2008.

For a week before the festival begins, Planet Bluegrass offers

musicians the opportunity to immerse themselves, as active

participants, in the world of bluegrass. From small classes with

world-class professional musicians, to sessions on group jamming,

vocal coaching, songwriting, one-on-one instruction, and a broad

variety of electives including learning fiddle tunes, practice

techniques, writing instrumentals, accompaniment, improvisation, and

music history.

Evenings feature band scrambles, barbecues, and plenty of jamming for

novice through advanced ability levels. ;

Starting this year separate courses in songwriting and vocals are also

being offered.

Also a lucky few local, aspiring instrument builders will have the

chance to walk away from the festival with a hand-built instrument in

just four days. All the instrument kits allow students to sample a

variety of building techniques and materials during the process. Along

with the mandolin family of instruments, this year two mandolin

building graduates are building travel guitars.

Among the featured bands and performers at this 41st Rockygrass are:

Tim O'Brien, Del McCoury Band, Sam Bush, Carolina Chocolate Drops,

Jerry Douglas, Head for the Hills, Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band, and

Keller Williams with The Travelin' McCourys.