Mackenzie Bell Turns a Childhood Passion for Fiddle Into a Gift for Teaching
Photo by Jamie Plain
When Mackenzie Bell turned 8, she had a promise to collect: Her parents had said she could take fiddle lessons. They rented an instrument, thinking the interest might pass. Twelve years later, Bell is performing across state lines and teaching others to play — discovering that helping someone find their footing with a fiddle can be as rewarding as taking the stage herself.
Bell grew up near Rosine, Kentucky, the birthplace of bluegrass music legend Bill Monroe. Music was already a familiar part of her life, with some of her cousins performing with the Crosswind Gospel Quartet and traveling for shows.
“When they were around, we always went and saw their shows, so I’ve always been around music,” Bell said.
Bell’s parents also encouraged her to try music. She played guitar and piano growing up, but neither instrument became a lasting interest. That changed when one of Bell’s friends began playing the fiddle because his grandfather taught him.
“I wanted to do that, too,” Bell said.
Her parents told her she could learn to play the fiddle when she turned 8. When that birthday arrived, Bell reminded them of their promise.
“When I turned 8, I said, ‘Well, you all said I could play fiddle when I was 8, so could we have some lessons?’” Bell recalled.
Her parents rented her a fiddle, thinking it might be another childhood phase that would eventually pass.
Bell stuck with the instrument. She began taking lessons and started studying with fiddler Randy Lanham when she was 10, first in group classes and later through private lessons.
From Student to Teacher
As Bell gained experience, she also became involved with the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum in Owensboro. When she was 16, Lanham asked if she would be interested in helping with the fiddle classes.
“I was a little bit nervous at first, but I started helping with the classes — making copies and helping people,” Bell said.
About two years later, Lanham asked if she wanted to teach the classes herself. She agreed and has now been teaching for about three years.
The transition has given Bell a different perspective on her own musical abilities.
Teaching runs in her family. Her great-grandparents, grandmother, and mother all taught, and they had often told her she would not fully understand what she knew until she tried teaching it to someone else.
“They always told me, ‘You’ll never really understand what you’re doing until you actually try teaching it to someone,’” Bell said.
At first, she did not completely understand what they meant.
“Then I actually became a teacher, and I was like, ‘Well, that makes a lot more sense now,’” she said.
Teaching requires Bell to explain concepts that may come naturally after years of playing.
“You never really know what kind of question your student’s going to ask you,” Bell said. “Even if it’s a fairly normal question, it’ll have you questioning whether or not you really know what you’re doing.”
She has learned to explain rhythms, bow patterns, and playing in a band without making lessons unnecessarily complicated.
“You have to be able to explain a complicated rhythm or a bow pattern, or even how to play in a band, without making it sound like you have to have a Ph.D. to understand what you’re telling them,” she said.
Despite those challenges, teaching has become one of the parts of playing the fiddle that Bell values most.
She enjoys working with both children and adults who are learning the instrument for the first time.
“It really means a lot to me when I get to see a young child or even an older adult learning the fiddle for the first time,” Bell said. “You teach them something, and then you’re playing music with them, and you just see that sparkle in their eye.”
For Bell, the best part is watching the moment when the lesson finally makes sense.
“And then it finally just clicks,” she said.
Taking the Stage
While teaching has become an important part of Bell’s musical life, she has also continued developing as a performer.
One of her biggest accomplishments came at the Kentucky State Fiddle Championship, where she placed second during the competition’s second year.
She has also performed far beyond western Kentucky, including at the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas for a Titanic convention and at the Fried Pickle Festival in Mississippi, that last of which she said was “the weirdest one I’ve ever done.”
Bluegrass remains Bell’s favorite genre, although she has also played country and rock and roll.
“Honestly, I like playing bluegrass,” Bell said. “It’s the one I started with, but I do enjoy playing other genres of music as well.”
Bell currently performs with two groups.
One is the Owensboro Community & Technical College bluegrass band, which began in 2024. The program gives musicians, particularly college students, an opportunity to study bluegrass while pursuing an associate degree or bluegrass certificate. The band has performed at events including the International Bluegrass Music Association event in Raleigh and SPBGMA in Nashville.
Bell’s other group, For His Glory, is a gospel band that performs at churches, events, and other venues.
“We have a lot of fun playing together,” Bell said. “We play at church events, and really, we’ll play pretty much anywhere people ask us to.”
For Bell, performing has become about more than developing her skills. Playing the fiddle has allowed her to travel, meet people, and build friendships.
“To me, playing fiddle means being able to go out, meet people, and play music with people I otherwise wouldn’t have met,” Bell said. “I get to explore places I probably wouldn’t have been able to explore if I wasn’t playing fiddle.”
Some of her closest friendships have also come through music.
“I’ve met some of my dearest friends through playing music, and it makes me happy,” Bell said.
A Future in Music
As Bell continues through college, she is considering how music will fit into her future.
She would like to make a living through music, although she recognizes that building a career primarily through performance can be difficult. She is also learning to balance college with performing and teaching.
“It has been a challenge learning how to juggle the two,” Bell said.
While she hopes to continue performing, teaching has become an increasingly important part of her plans.
While she hopes to continue performing, teaching has become an increasingly important part of her plans. She would like to continue teaching at the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum and eventually offer private fiddle lessons.
Finding a career path focused on teaching bluegrass, however, can be difficult.
“You always see classical teachers, but you never really see bluegrass teachers,” Bell said.
For now, Bell is pursuing her education, performing with her two bands, and helping others discover the instrument that captured her attention as a child. Watching a student begin to understand a lesson has become a reward of its own.
“You see them actually understanding what you’re telling them instead of just looking at you like, ‘I don’t know what you’re saying,’” Bell said.
For someone who once couldn’t wait for her first fiddle lesson, helping others find that same excitement feels like a fitting next chapter. OL
