Scenic Roots

Erin

Erin Rogers, from Concordia, Kansas has always loved music. She has been playing mountain dulcimer and piano for over ten years. She is known for playing a wide variety of music with great passion and feeling. She loves all kinds of music including old-time fiddle tunes, ragtime, blues, classical, gospel, bluegrass, and Celtic.

Erin won the 2004 National Mountain Dulcimer Contest at the age of seventeen. Her musical journey began when she started playing piano at the age of five. She soon discovered that pianos aren’t very portable. For her seventh birthday, her parents gave her a mountain dulcimer. She taught herself to play, fell in love with the instrument, and soon developed a playing style all her own. Her major influences have been her dad, Jim Curley, David Schnaufer, Stephen Seifert, and Nickel Creek.

Erin loves sharing her music with others by teaching private lessons and workshops. She teaches all ages, from 7 to 70, at all levels. All of Erin’s students will learn how to play chords in a multitude of keys. To her, being able to play every tune is not nearly as important as being able to play along with anyone in any key. She likes to pull people out of their comfort zone and stretch them musically.

Erin does some solo performances, but she prefers to play with her family band, “Scenic Roots”. The three-piece band consists of Erin, her sister Amber, and her dad Doug. Each member of the family is talented on multiple instruments, including guitar, fiddle, mandolin, banjo, mountain and hammered dulcimers, piano, and who knows what else. The have performed in fifteen states and Japan, at Bluegrass festivals, contra dances, schools, community celebrations, arts council concerts, and anywhere an audience can be found. Erin’s future plans include a career in music therapy, along with teaching and performing. Her goal is to brighten someone’s day wherever she goes. Her passionate playing and unique arrangements are sure to do just that. ~Enjoy Life~

Story about Erin in the Salina Journal for December 17, 2007.

Awards

2001 Kansas State Mountain Dulcimer Champion
2003 Texas State Mountain Dulcimer Champion
2003 4th Place Southern Regional Mountain Dulcimer Contest
2003 Top 5 Finalist National Mountain Dulcimer Contest
2004 2nd Place Southern Regional Mountain Dulcimer Contest
2004 MidWest Regional Mountain Dulcimer Champion
2004 National Mountain Dulcimer Champion

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