On December 30, 2021, a wildfire broke out in Colorado that would grow to become the most devastating in the state’s history. Over the course of just a few short days, the fire, which became known as the Marshall Fire, burned nearly 6,200 acres, destroyed over 1,000 homes and buildings, and required the evacuation of roughly 35,000 people. Causing over $500M in damages, the Marshall Fire was absolutely devastating and impacted the lives of thousands of Coloradans.

Among those affected was one of our ArtistWorks students, Mike M. of Boulder, CO, who has been a bluegrass mandolin student of Mike Marshall’s for nearly five years. Much of Mike M.’s property was lost or severely damaged in the fire, including his beloved mandolin on which he’d been learning as a student of Mike Marshall’s.

“Playing my music, as I’m sure is true with many of us, is mental therapy,” Mike M. expressed. “I needed that now more than ever.”

When Mike M.’s fellow mandolin students at ArtistWorks heard about his situation, they immediately reached out with their condolences, sympathies, words of positivity, and, most importantly, support. When Mike M. shared that he had lost his instrument in the fire, one fellow student, in particular, stepped in to help.

On January 18, 2022, said student, who has elected to remain anonymous, reached out to the ArtistWorks team to facilitate the gifting of one of his personal mandolins, an Eastman MD515 F-style, to Mike M. Of course, we were more than happy to help make this happen, and on February 2, 2022, Mike M. received his new instrument.

“What can I say about my mandolin family,” Mike M. expressed. “When they learned of my unfortunate situation, they stepped up with a mandolin donation to bring me some needed therapy. They understood how powerful that would be. Their generosity inspires and humbles me, and I consider myself blessed to be a part of this brotherhood.”

We were so inspired and amazed by the generosity of our ArtistWorks community, that we also gifted Mike M. a free year of online lessons with Mike Marshall.

Mike M., thank you so much for allowing us to share your story and thank you to our amazing ArtistWorks community of players for your generosity and compassionate spirit. We’re honored to have helped facilitate the exchange of this beautiful gift.

LEARN MORE:

Have you always wanted to learn how to play bluegrass mandolin? Through our comprehensive mandolin lessons online and Video Exchange Learning platform here at ArtistWorks, you can learn from internationally renowned players, like Mike Marshall and Sierra Hull, and get personal feedback on your playing.

Both courses start with the basics and teach everything from beginner mandolin to advanced performance techniques, classic bluegrass tunes, and beyond. So, whether you’re a beginner, intermediate, or advanced player, all levels are welcome and all students will grow and improve their skills as mandolinists and musicians.

Try out some free sample music lessons here and see what makes ArtistWorks courses some of the best online music lessons around!

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