Mary McCaslin's Roundup

May 5, 2006

MUSICAL SUMMER SCHOOL

When I was a kid the very last thing I would have ever wanted to do was to attend summer school. The nuns held me in academic captivity for nine months a year and that was all I could take. Three more months with classes of arithmetic and other tedious subjects would probably have sent me over the edge. No one ever mentioned anything about any sort of summer school or camp to study music, which was something that would have interested me.

Most likely they did exist, but no one I knew where I lived in southern California, or even the Catholic schools I attended ever mentioned any such thing. After I began traveling the country as an adult in the 1970s I came to find out that in the northeast summer camps offering classes in folk music and dance had existed for decades. They were and still are held at sites with rustic cabins under the trees, often near beautiful lakes in places like the Catskill and Adirondack Mountains. Entire families set aside weeks each summer to pack up the musical instruments and dancing shoes to learn surrounded by nature.

Music instruction camps are different than outdoor music festivals in that they are exclusively devoted to teaching and learning. The performers are mostly students who have come to broaden their musical abilities, whether as instrumentalists, singers, songwriters or dancers. The teachers also perform as part of their instructional duties.

Here on the west coast many fine music instruction camps have sprung up, such as the Puget Sound Guitar Workshop and Port Townsend, both in Washington state. Locally, the Valley of the Moon camp, held outside of Boulder Creek every summer, attracts students of Celtic Music from a wide radius.

Another local favorite is the annual Redwood Dulcimer Day, which will be held this year on Saturday, July 29th. Boasting "total modal fun" this event takes place at Boomeria, a castle complete with moat in the hills of Bonny Doon. There aren't too many music instruction camps that focus exclusively on the mountain, or lap, dulcimer, let alone that are held in a castle. Students at all levels are invited for workshops, jams and for a special Friday night concert on the evening of July 28th.

The dulcimer, like the ukulele, is usually thought of as an instrument that is limited to one or two types of music at the most. In the case of the dulcimer it is mountain music or quiet parlor type music. In fact, like the ukulele, the appeal of the dulcimer has broadened as people continue to discover that this instrument can be used in Indian, Arabic, jazz, classical, pop music and almost any other music, as well as accompanying vocals. The resident faculty consists of renowned dulcimer master and owner of Gourd Records, Neal Hellman, along with Janet Herman and Peter Tommerup. Guest instructors are Joellen Lapidus, who blends the styles of music mentioned above, and Paul Furnas, who will be offering workshops on and canons / rounds. For details go to http://www.folkplanet.com/dulcimerday.

The California Coastal Music Camp started in the early 1990s and has grown through the years. It is held at a retreat facility in northern Sonoma County, near the town of Healdsburg. The site is nestled in a canyon surrounded by old growth redwoods with a river running through it. The camp is broken into two weeks, which are back to back. Week 1 runs July 9 – 15. Week 2 runs July 16 - 22. Each week offers more than 30 classes in acoustic guitar, bass, fiddle, banjo, mandolin, percussion, voice songwriting and more for students at all levels. The supportive atmosphere encourages even the shy beginner to stretch musically.

There are 36 teachers on staff this year, or 18 per week. Included on the staff are Alice Gerrard, Clive Gregson, Cosy Sheridan and Del Rey. Styles taught encompass old time and bluegrass, jazz, classic rock and Hawiian music. Email info@musiccamp.org for information and registration.

SummerSongs West is an outgrowth of SummerSongs, which was started by singer-songwriter Penny Nichols at the world famous Camp Ashokan in the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York. In the same way that Redwood Dulcimer Day is exclusively for dulcimer players, the SummerSongs (and WinterSongs) camps are exclusively for songwriters.

SummerSongs West will be held June 18th - June 23rd at Camp Arroyo Grande in the town of Arroyo Grande, just south of San Luis Obispo. The setting is lovely and includes a swimming pool and comfortable accommodations. Songwriters who are just starting out or who have run out of fresh ideas after a long career are offered the chance to discover new melodies and words waiting to come out. The atmosphere is supportive and one of the ground rules at the camp is that no criticism, no matter how constructive or well intended, is allowed. For someone who is struggling to find their way as a songwriter this rule can make the difference as to whether they continue down that often very difficult path.

Classes and private sessions will be offered with master songwriters, along with classes in singing, harmony, the creative process, demo production, performing, instrumentation and more. Each night there will be song circles and a coffee house. Everyone is encouraged to participate. Teachers on staff include Wendy Waldman, Kenny Edwards, David Roth, Severin Browne, Penny Nichols, Mary McCaslin and more. Email sumsongs@aol.com for information.

This could be a musical summer indeed. Happy Trails!

Contact Mary McCaslin at roundup@marymccaslin.com