 | | “You Could Hear It Talk, You Could Hear It Sing” |
Nine year-old Kathleen Myers looks like a typical American girl who enjoys school and playing with her friends. But there is a difference between Kathleen and the other fourth graders at Keyser Primary School. When you put a fiddle in one hand and a bow in the other, Kathleen is a child prodigy whose musical talent is just beginning to blossom.This will mark her third full year of competition at fiddle contests in the area and according to her father, Ed Myers, Kathleen is gearing up for a breakout year on the fiddle circuit. “It really opens peoples eyes when they see a girl that young playing so well,” said Ed,who repairs fiddles as a hobby and introduced his daughter to the fiddle several years ago. “People react very positively toward her at the contests and she really enjoys being in the spotlight,” he said. “Performing in front of an audience has been very good for Kathleen.
Last year, “While competing in a total of eleven contests, Kathleen won five first, and three seconds in area compe-titions,” said Ed.
John Arnold, a local bluegrass musician, has seen Kathleen’s fiddle playing up close, serving as a judge at last year’s Peach Festival fiddle contest in Springfield, West Virginia. “She’s nine years old and she’s pretty good. You can tell she’s grown up around music and I’d say she’s on her way to being an excellent player,” said John. “Her dad plays guitar, her mom plays the fiddle and her brother plays mandolin. The Myers family is definitely passing the music tradition down to the next generation.”
As for Kathleen, she says she’s looking forward to getting out there on stage again this summer. “I love playing the fiddle but I enjoy participating in the contests more than anything,” she said. “You have a lot of fun at the contests and learn a lot from the other fiddlers.” Her dad says Kathleen has come to realize that winning competitions is great but she gets a lot of enjoyment out of playing in front of an audience.
There are many fiddle contests in the area that are within a short drive. If you go to one you will surely see fiddle players of all ages take their turn on stage to compete against each other. But if you are lucky enough, you just might come across a young, talented fiddler named Kathleen Myers and it will be a musical experience you will never forget. | | |
