PacJAM Adult Summer Workshops 2026

Monday & Tuesday classes:

Adult Mandolin – Lydia Hamby

Adult Fiddle – Ashley Brooker

Adult Guitar – Audrey Neel & Gaye Johnson

Adult Banjo (clawhammer & 3-finger welcome) – Molly Johnson

Wednesday & Thursday classes:

Bluegrass JAM – Lydia Hamby, Molly Johnson, & Audrey Neel

Using Theory to Become a Better Musician – Cassidy Beentjes:  Get a sneak peak of why top artists like Bela Fleck and Tony Trischka love working with Cassidy!  Don’t be scared by words like counterpoint… instead take a gentle dive into theory with Cassidy & see how your own musical ideas immediately improve.  All instruments welcome. 

Guest Crew

• Molly Johnson is from Pumpkintown, SC.  Raised in the YAM program, and from a musical family, Molly is as strong in 3-finger banjo as she is in clawhammer.  Molly plays banjo, sings, and writes songs for her band the Wilder Flower.  The Wilder Flower has performed nation-wide, opening for bands such as the SteelDrivers, Steep Canyon Rangers, and MIPSO and playing festivals such as Merlefest, GreyFox, Big Ponderoo, FreshGrass, & High Mountain Hay Fever.

  Audrey Neel, from Hillsboro, Missouri, is a junior at ETSU where she is pursuing a double major in bluegrass performance and business management, and also teaching in the local JAM program.  Audrey plays fiddle and guitar, sings, and writes songs.  In March of 2025, her single, “Seesaw,” which she wrote and then performed with the ETSU Bluegrass Pride Band, debuted at No. 17 on the Bluegrass Today charts.

  Lydia Hamby brings a fresh energy to bluegrass music as a vocalist, mandolin player, and songwriter from East Tennessee. Her undergraduate studies at East Tennessee State University earned her a B.S. in Human Services with a minor in Bluegrass, Old-Time, and Roots Music in 2023, followed by an M.A. in Appalachian Studies in 2025.. She now carries this work forward as an adjunct professor at ETSU while also running a thriving private teaching studio. Signed with Gracy Records, her current single "So Through With You" is hitting the top of the bluegrass charts.