The Handmade Music School offers unique learning experiences in music, history, and dance with master teachers. Events offer high quality instruction and performances from local and global master artists and are focused on preserving, sharing, and celebrating the musical traditions of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Events are held online, at The Floyd Country Store, and at local venues in Floyd, Virginia. Register today for a workshop, class, lecture, performance, or a multi-day camp!
The Handmade Music School is currently offering workshops through our Handmade at Home Virtual Workshop Series. Workshops are offered weekly with some of the best musicians, dancers, historians, songwriters and more. Stream live on CrowdCast platform or tune in any time after the event to watch the replay! Follow us on Crowdcast at crowdcast.io/handmademusic.
Please read our Workshop Refund and Cancellation Policies prior to check out.
If you need assistance in paying for a workshop or event, check out our Share the Music Scholarships.

Heart of the Child Music Education
September 23, 2022 @ 10:30 am – 11:30 am

Join us for this special outdoor Joy Jammers session that will take place Fridays from 10:30-11:30am on the back porch at The Floyd Country Store. This is a 12 week session running July 15 – September 30, 2022. Dates are subject to cancellation or change pending teacher availability, inclement weather, illness, etc.
Since its beginning in the year 2000, Heart of the Child Music Education has been offering joyful, interactive group musical experiences to children and their caregivers in its hometown of Floyd. The FUN and developmentally appropriate classes foster a love of music while building foundational musical skills, safe connection, secure attachment, and healthy community.
Kari’s welcoming attitude helps adults and children build a sense of community while they gather on the rug for fingerplays and lap bouncing games, play with rhythm instruments, jump, crawl, and swing, wave scarves to choreographed dances, and freeform jam with a menagerie of instruments. It feels so good to be in class, children don’t even notice that they are building the foundational skills for making music together the rest of their lives.
HCME has been literally raising Floyd County children with its Social and Emotional Learning based music program since it began. It still serves Floyd’s youngest members (birth to 5 years old) while watching its first students graduate from high school. One high school senior recently told Kari, “I don’t remember much about preschool, but I remember your music!”
Heart of the Child Music students consistently pursue music creation as they get older, fed by the love of music that HCME nurtures in them in their early years. They go on to participate in programs such as the Floyd JAMs Program and Music Lab Floyd, pursue private lessons, and form their own bands.
Purchase a Joy Jammers Pass and SAVE!
- Individual classes are $15
- 4 class pass = $48 ($12 per class)
- 12 class pass = $120 ($10 per class)
- Siblings are 1/2 price