Music Mentors

of Charleston, West Virginia

Provides free one-on one music lessons, featuring the Appalachian dulcimer, for at-risk and  low-income children

    Music Mentors is currently in its third year of teaching music lessons at the East End Family Resource Center in Charleston.  A community-based music education program, Music Mentors offers one-on-one music lessons to at-risk and low-income children in grades K-5 whose parents cannot afford private lessons.  Since its beginning in 2005, over 50 children have participated in mountain dulcimer, drum and keyboard lessons.  One 8-year-old student already distinguished himself by winning 2nd Place in the Vandalia Youth Dulcimer Contest, leading the Charleston Gazette to write a feature article about him.  Children look forward every week to their lessons taught by Bob Webb, Heidi Muller and Tim Courts.  The program has been supported by grants from the WV Commission on the Arts, The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation and the Sustainable Kanawha Valley Initiative.  However, more funds will be needed to continue and to expand the program into other after-school settings. As more children join the program, more instructors will need to be hired.  The money raised by sales of The Hayslett Collection CD will go into the Harold Hayslett Music Mentors Scholarship Fund, which will help more children to receive private lessons.

You can help!

by purchasing our new CD

The Hayslett Collection: 
a Musical Tribute

“Anyone who enjoys string music will love this CD.  There is such a variety here, from fiddle tunes to contemporary classical music, but what I was most taken with is the quality of the sounds produced by Mr. Hayslett’s instruments…  I am really enjoying hearing the richness of the Hayslett instruments as brought out by these talented musicians."  - Jim Probst 

To purchase on line, by mail or in store locations

Mr. Hayslett is a true West Virginia Master who has enriched our state by providing both local musicians and professionals around the world with quality musical instruments for the last 40 years.  Born and raised in Putnam County, he made his first violin at age 14.  He served in France in World War II and worked for 33 years as a pipefitter at Union Carbide.  He continued to learn the craft of violinmaking throughout his life, and upon retirement devoted his energies to making instruments fulltime, resulting in 80 violins, 63 cellos, 13 violas, five bows, one bass, one mandolin, and one electric cello.  Mr. Hayslett is still actively building instruments.  At age 89, he just completed his 80th violin in the last month.  One of his cellos won the Violin Society’s Gold Medal for tone in their international competition in 1980.  He also carved a new archtop for a vintage F-hole guitar that a friend of his had found broken in the trash. 

That one-of-a-kind guitar makes its debut on The Hayslett Collection CD, played by John Lilly, and can be seen and heard at the release concert on December 16. Eight of Mr. Hayslett’s violins, three of his violas and six cellos are some of the instruments played by the musicians mentioned above.  This gathering will be a rare opportunity to hear such a wide range of Mr. Hayslett’s instruments at one time, including the mandolin and electric cello.  And it all benefits a great cause!

Tax-deductible donations to our Scholarship Fund are gratefully accepted. 
Checks should be made out to “UUC -- Music Mentors.” 
We invite you to join our financial supporters from the greater community:
FOOTMAD
Putnam County Bank
Clara Carmichael
Dr. Kamrooz Sanii

Music Mentors also thanks The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation, the Sustainable Kanawha Valley Initiative, and the West Virginia Commission on the Arts for their generous grant support.