Oxford High School sophomore Sophia Doyle is finding her rhythm with a little help from local blues musician Wendy Jean Garrison.

Thanks to a folk arts apprenticeship grant from the Mississippi Arts Commission, Doyle and Garrison are spending a year together, bringing traditional Mississippi slide guitar to a new generation.

Doyle, 15, has been taking lessons with Garrison, a skilled blues slide guitarist who found her passion for the instrument over 30 years ago.

Garrison’s journey into the blues began in 1987 when she moved to Oxford and stumbled upon slide guitar.

“Walter Liniger, at the Blues Archive on the University campus, got me started listening to blues records, and showed me slide guitar,” she said.

Garrison recalls hearing Elmore James’ “Dust My Broom” and being hooked. She spent years trying to emulate that sound, taking part in blues festivals and eventually playing with local bands. Her apprenticeship with bluesman Bill Howl-N-Madd Perry 10 years ago helped further hone her style, and she now passes on her knowledge to Doyle with the same sense of purpose.

Doyle, already skilled in piano and self-taught in basic guitar, sought out Garrison because she wanted to learn from a female musician.

“All my previous music instructors had been men and, while they were all great, it was important to me as a young girl to have a female teacher/role model,” Doyle said. “Wendy is not only an incredible musician, but also a really cool person and a great teacher so I was thrilled at this idea.”

Doyle, daughter of Alison and Daniel Doyle, applied with Garrison for the grant, funded by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Since then, Doyle has not only learned the techniques of slide guitar but has also gained valuable life lessons from her mentor.

Through their lessons, Doyle has been picking up music theory, slide guitar technique, and the nuances of the blues.

In addition to technical lessons, Garrison emphasizes the emotional connection in blues music.

“Folk arts are described as a form of artistic work that is typical of one’s geographic area, is passed down informally from generation to generation, Garrison said. “Sophia is a songwriter, so sometimes we experiment with how she might accompany herself with slide guitar on her original songs. Though I have some lyric writing experience my expertise is in instrumental slide guitar music, so that is where we spend most of our lesson time.

Despite a packed schedule with school clubs and activities, Doyle has managed to integrate her love of music into her busy life. She’s performed at events with Garrison and, inspired by the mentorship she’s receiving, has become a role model herself. Recently, younger girls in Water Valley gathered around her during a performance, showing how Doyle’s presence is inspiring the next generation.

The apprenticeship will conclude in May, with a final performance and report.

For Garrison, teaching Doyle is a way to give back and preserve Mississippi’s folk heritage. For Doyle, it’s a chance to immerse herself in a musical tradition that has become part of her story and connection to Mississippi.