A Decade of Music with Louisville Folk School

By Alisha Proffitt • Photos By Matt Johnson & Kathryn Harrington

In a city that loves to celebrate arts and culture, the Louisville Folk School has become one of its most cherished resources for musicians and performers. This year, the school celebrates its 10th anniversary, marking a decade of teaching, performing, and connecting people through music. What started as a small initiative has grown into a place where students, teachers, and the wider community come together through music. 

For Dave Howard, the school’s founder and executive director, the growth has been remarkable to watch. “The Louisville Folk School community and student body growth has been incredible to witness, both from my perspective as a member of the community and as the Executive Director. To our community, it looks like more people making music together. I’ve witnessed personal growth from folks who have been looking for a way to nurture themselves in a creative outlet and define themselves as more than just their role at work or as a parent.” Bands have emerged from ensemble classes, friendships have formed, and at least one marriage has come out of classroom connections. 

The school has expanded steadily and is now bursting at the seams as more people find their way into the community. Programs have multiplied, partnerships with local organizations have grown, youth participation has surged, and the student body has tripled in five years. Howard and his team make it a priority to pay teaching artists fairly, supporting the people who bring the music to life. 

The school is also expanding its youth programming through the Sounds of Kentucky afterschool string band program. It currently runs at two elementary schools, with several more asking to have it on their campus. A version for middle school students is offered at a local community center. These programs introduce young people to fiddle, banjo, mandolin, guitar, and Kentucky’s string band traditions in a space that feels welcoming and joyful. 

Kentucky’s folk music traditions remain central to the school’s mission. Bluegrass, fiddle, and old-time string band music are staples, but the school also embraces global folk traditions, like African drumming and Afro-Cuban dance, as well as South American flutes. “Our goal is to preserve the roots of Kentucky’s musical heritage while also welcoming the many voices, cultures, and ideas that shape who we are as a community today,” Howard says. Programs for beginners, youth, and adults make these traditions accessible to everyone, regardless of experience or background. 

Beginners often find the idea of walking into a music class intimidating, but the school works hard to make learning approachable. Matt Brown, education coordinator, explains, “Our beginner classes are designed to assume nothing and teach you everything. Teachers who offer Level 1 classes expect to start from the beginning by helping students learn the components of their instrument and the fundamentals of music.” Students arrive unsure of themselves and, in weeks, can perform together in showcases that often move the audience to tears. 

The school also brings in professional musicians as teachers, giving students the benefit of instructors with real-world experience. Brown notes, “The teaching artist model brings so much value to our students because they get to learn from gigging musicians who are wonderful teachers. Their instructors have real-world experience onstage, in the studio, and on tour.” These teachers know how to break music into pieces that are easy to learn, while also modeling what it means to be a working musician.

Louisville Folk School’s outreach extends into local schools through in-school performances and the Folk Musicians in Residence program. Students across the city see live folk music for the first time, often forming their earliest musical memories in these assemblies. Performances like those at Hawthorne Elementary, where a bilingual duo connected with students in both Spanish and English, show how music can bridge cultures and create shared experiences.

Community is the core of the Folk School. Angela Scharfenberger, board chair, says, “The beauty of folk music is that it is not only centered in the community, the aesthetics and values of folk music embodies within it an egalitarian way of being together. Playing music literally entrains people with each other, while also demonstrating, in its practices, ideas such as equality, interconnectedness, and interdependence.” From students as young as four to those in their 80s, everyone joins in the student showcases, creating moments of connection that are rare elsewhere.

Accessibility is another priority. Many programs are low-cost or free, supported by grants that also pay teaching artists fairly. Brown notes, however, that the school’s physical space remains a barrier. “A student in a wheelchair shouldn’t be limited to taking only the classes that we can offer at satellite locations… We are actively looking to move the Louisville Folk School to a larger space that is ADA accessible so that everyone can access our classes and lessons with ease and comfort.”

Looking ahead, the school has big ambitions. Expanding programs, increasing accessibility, and supporting musicians from immigrant and refugee communities are all on the table. Scharfenberger says the school wants to show the next generation “the value of creating together, the simple joy of making music in a way that is accessible and approachable, and that appreciates the contributions of all, regardless of where people come from or what they look like.” A new, fully accessible home could make all of this possible.

After ten years, the Louisville Folk School is less a building than a story written in music. Beginners become performers, strangers become collaborators, music brings the community together, and traditions continue to live on in the people who show up to play.