JAMboree Music Camp

Forest Allen

1. Fiddle Bowing - Tone, rhythm, and the drone string. The fundamentals that make fiddle feel right.

2. Cross Tunings - An intro to alternate tunings and what they open up. We'll explore, play around, and learn a tune along the way. Come ready to re-tune your fiddle.

3. Learn a Fiddle Tune - Pick it up by ear. Melody, phrasing, and the details that make it jammable.

4. Fiddle in the Band - How to listen, find your role, and play in service of the music.

5. Improvisation by Ear - There are a lot of ways to approach improv. This is Forrest's. It might click for you, it might not, but it'll give you one more perspective to work with.

J. B. Barton 

1. Creative Rhythm for Guitar - the “engine room” and how important it is!

2. Flatpicking Guitar - How to hold it… how to apply it.

3. Harmony Singing - J.B. will work with each of you in the class and collectively.

4. Songwriting with J.B. - He’s got lots of ideas… grab some!

5. Beginning Upright Bass - If ya got one, bring it. We'll have one or two to share.

6. Beginner Vocal Technique - The basics are important. Learn how to not harm your vocal cords or small animals.

   *. Jammies Slow Jam (Monday and Tuesday evenings) - It’s a hoot with JB at the wheel.

Billy Buckman

1. Song Circle - Bring a song of yours to receive input and inspire others! (X3)

David Budries

1. Live-Sound Workshop - This class will help demonstrate the best ways to get the most out of your microphones, pickups, sound systems, and monitors. David will give you practical tips on effective ways of improving every element of your sound during performance. (X2)

Catfish Jack Chauvin

1. Beginning Harmonica - The ins and outs of breathing, bending notes, and bringing power and groove to your harp. (X2)

2. Blues Harp - LEVEL 2+

3. Jamming with Catfish - (All instruments) There’s nothing like the unity of playing well with others. 

4. Riff/Lick Study for Harmonica - LEVEL 2+ Learn popular blues riffs. This class is for level 2 and above, with emphasis on those popular licks and how to use them. 

Barbee Corff

1. Your Performance Toolkit - Learn the tips and tricks to navigate nerves, find your own routine, and customize a practice for being fully prepared and present on any stage. (X2)

2. Nurturing Your Vocal Identity - Make a great song choice for your unique and wonderful voice.

3. Fifteen Minutes with Barbee - Style, stage fright, your best song, moral support.

Hattie Craven

1. The Harmony Hang with Hattie & Rea - Think of this as a harmony playground - we’ll try out parts, swap roles, and sing our hearts out, with just enough theory and anatomy to keep us grounded.

2. Music Biz Unfiltered - We’ll explore the basics of navigating the music world and shape the conversation around the questions you bring to the table. All levels and curious minds welcome!

3. The Banjolele Breakdown - Ready to level up your twang? We’ll dive into approachable tips and tricks that add texture, groove, and personality to your banjolele playing. If you don't have a banjolele (yet), bring your ukulele and we'll get you hooked by the end of class!

PaJoe Craven

1. Songetry - One word prompt. Puke on a page for 5 minutes. Read the magic. Add rhythm, then some chords to inspire a freshly sung melody and “Poof!” You’ve got a great start to a new song!

2. Singing with an Editor… Blindfolded! - Without visual distraction, this experience of doing more with less will create a whole new connection to emotion and dynamics in your singing. It’s the power of a cappella in your repertoire! (Inspired by my friend Margo LeDuc.)

3. Vocal Improv - Use your voice to create highly expressive sounds… organically.

4. Fiddle From Scratch - Which end of this thing do I blow into? For any beginner. Show up with a fiddle with a shoulder rest, a bow, and all 4 strings. I’ll getcha goin’!

5. Bongo! - The groovy lil’ hand drums from Cuba that you can play in all kinds of music.

Gail Dreifus

1. Write Your First (or second) Song - If you thought you could not write a song, give it another thought and come to this class. I will have templates, prompts, and encouragement so that you will be able to write a song. Give this a try - you have nothing to lose, and perhaps you too will be a songwriter!

2. Songwriting Using Tarot Cards - Get your creative brain unclogged and write a song using the magical means of a tarot deck. I will provide the cards; you will create the magic! You will be amazed by what you write!

3. Writing From Your Roots - Before there was social media, there were ballads to tell your story. Bring a piece of your ancestry to this class and write your narrative. What does your last name mean? Who were your great-grandparents? These are just some questions to help you write the story of you.

4. Collaborate and Co-write - We will get together and write a song in partnership. This is a great way to expand your songwriting craft and ask questions to push yourself to write with others and for others.

5. Song Salon - Song Salon is an opportunity for you to present your works-in-progress to the group and get feedback, ideas, and encouragement. Bring us your tired, your weak, your half-written, yearning to be finished. Come ready to share, give feedback, and be supportive and respectful. 

Steve Gust & Dennis Mitchell

1. Cajon! #1 - The wooden box of rhythmic wonders! By popular request, Steve and Dennis will show you basic patterns on cajon (other than shuffle or train beat) with pre-recorded popular music. These guys are really good at what they do! (X2)

2. Cajon # 2 - This is for students with specific personal percussion goals (cajon and hand percussion) in a group setting. Students may request a specific piece of music in advance and we will bring it to share with others.  (Open to all levels).

Michael Gutin

1. Learn to Play a Keyboard Accordion - Ready, set, go! (X3 progressive)
   Michael will teach you "from scratch" how to play the right- and left-hand sides of the accordion. You will also learn to sing and play at the same time with a couple of songs by the end of camp. Six small student accordions are provided, or students can provide their own. 

2. Intermediate/Advanced Accordion - Left-Hand Technique - For students that play beyond beginning level. Bring your own accordion.

3. Michael’s Irish Session - (All instruments) Aye lads & lassies! music handouts provided.

4. Jammies Slow Jam - (Sunday) Fun for all… all for fun!

Ethan Hoffman

1. Beginning Guitar - Ethan will get you going and hooked on this 3-day progressive of America’s most popular instrument. (X3)

2. Beginning Fingerstyle Guitar - Go beyond the flat pick and feel the fullness!

3. Intro to Voice Acting - Explore your voice’s full potential to tell stories, create characters, and morph into all sorts of different sounds! This class will cover placement, texture, linguistics, and more through engaging activities that are open to all levels of experience.

Anna Joyce & Greg Begin

1. Pandeiro Class - Learn how this simple hand drum, resembling a tambourine, can serve as a full drum set to accompany all styles of music.

2. Samba - Learn to play interlocking parts with a variety of handheld percussion instruments and smaller drums for a quieter version of the polyrhythmic Brazilian samba.

3. Rhythms and Songs of Afro-Brazil (two-part, but the second day is still open to newcomers) (X2)
   a) Introducing several other well-known rhythms such as Afoxé, Barravento, and Olodum, and songs that originated in Afro-Brazilian ritual and underlie much of Brazil’s secular music.
   b) Learn how these rhythms can be adapted for playing accompaniment to almost anything!

4. Make Your Own Handheld Instrument - All supplies provided to build an instrument of your choice: wind wand (which mimics a didgeridoo), chocalho (bottle cap shaker), or ganzá shaker.

Michelle Kiba

1. Beginning Ukulele - LEVEL 0 - 1 - No previous music experience required. Learn all your solid fundamentals in this 3-day progressive class. We’ll cover healthy ergonomics, how to tune, ukulele anatomy, music terminology, basic strums, and left-hand positioning. Students will learn several easy tunes. Even if you’ve never played an instrument before, you’ll be playing before your first lesson is over. If you’re a beginner with some experience, you’ll benefit from this class too. (X3 progressive)

2. Introduction to Tablature and Fingerstyle - LEVEL 2-3  This class is designed for the uke player interested in learning to play some easy fingerstyle, read tablature, play arpeggios, and alternating bass lines. We'll apply our new skills to some great songs. (X2 progressive)

3. Art Time Bonus - Set aside some time and refresh your brain at my creative hour. Bring your lunch and join me at the Tiki Lounge to paint rocks or snails or scallop shells. I’ll have all the materials needed and a few examples to inspire to help your creativity burst forth.

4. Tuesday Night Tiki Jam 

Amanda Malachesky

1. Progressive Mandolin Basics - Covering movable chord shapes, rhythm, scales, picking techniques, and tremolo. Start from the beginning and develop your basic toolbox for playing mandolin! (X3 progressive)

2. Swing and Jazz Mandolin Chord Shapes - An intermediate mandolin class to learn handy movable chord shapes for playing jazz, including dominant 7, major 7, minor 6, major 6, and more. Plus, learn “Minor Swing” to put it into practice.

3. Music Theory Basics for Beginners - (All Instruments) Have you ever heard people talking about keys, 1-4-5 chords, flats and sharps, triads, arpeggios, or fourths and wondered what the heck they’re talking about? In this class, we’ll cover these basics so you can feel confident about what you’re doing on your instrument and be more able to talk about music with other musicians. 

4. Swing and Jazz Mandolin, Circle of Fourths - An intermediate mandolin class to learn an easy way to handle circle-of-fourths chord changes, like in the classic jazz tune “Sweet Georgia Brown.” We’ll use “Sweet Georgia Brown,” and maybe other songs, to test-drive it!

5. Mandolin: Closed Position Scales for Improvising - If you are comfortable changing chords at tempo, can play melodies, and are ready to take the next steps, this class is for you. We’re going to discuss playing melodies and scales in “closed positions,” arpeggios, the pentatonic scale, and how to use these concepts to work on improvising.

6. How to Practice Your Musicianship - (All Instruments) How do we become better players? Is it magic? No - we practice! But how do you practice to achieve your musicianship goals? In this session, we’re going to talk about ways to deepen your practice using techniques to work on rhythm, tone, and melody. Bring your instrument! 

Sheridan Malone 

   * Morning Rise & Shine (Mon Tue) * Farm & Orchard Birdwalk (Wed) 

1. Singing Like Family - Bluegrass Duos by the Louvin and Osborne Brothers. Learn some classic “brother” duets and the singing secrets for making it sound like you grew up making music with your partner. For men and women with voices, ears, and an interest in close vocal harmony. (X2)

2. One-on-One Vocal Coaching Session - Monday and Tuesday (X2) 

3. Music Theory - Interval tips for string players on scales and movable chords in the Nashville system. Advanced beginner and up.

4. Explore Your Vocal Core - Self-discovery tips and techniques for gaining better control, power, and range of your vocal instrument. 

5. Wednesday 7AM Farm & Orchard Birdwalk - “There’s a magpie on the fence rail, and he’s callin’ out my name…” (Bill Staines). Bring binoculars; I will have one extra set.

BanjerDan Mazer

1. Borrow a Banjo for Lesson #1 - The 5-string banjo is at the heart of American music history, and playing the banjo is easier than it looks! Some of our fellow JAMboree friends have agreed to lend their banjos for this class. If you've never touched a banjo but are curious about how it works, this is the class for YOU!

2. Intermediate/Advanced 3-Finger Banjo Techniques - Self-explanatory.

3. Left-Hand Exercises for Stringed Instruments - These exercises aren't exciting, and some of them might sound strange, but they're excellent for developing dexterity in your fretting hand.

4. Singing Like Family, Bluegrass Duos by the Louvin and Osborne Brothers. Learn some classic “brother” duets and the singing secrets for making it sound like you grew up making music with your partner. For men and women with voices, ears, and an interest in close vocal harmony. (X2)

5. Tom Lehrer / Beatles Sing-Along

Greg McDonald

1. Learn the Django Reinhardt Classic Tune “Hungaria” (X2)

2. Guitar Triads Are Your Friends - What they are and why they are your friends!

3. Guitar Arpeggios Up and Down the Fretboard - What are they? Find out and apply them to give you a strong foundation and expand on what you may already know. (X2)

Brian Rivers

1. Songs of Resistance, Hope, and Justice - Open to all! - This is a “play and sing” workshop. Feel free to bring songs to share and lead too! It’s always good to have some protest tunes in your pocket - you never know when you may need them.

2. Strummers, Shakers, and Beaters Rhythm Workshop - (Open to all) This is a hands-on workshop where participants will play rhythmic patterns to improve their rhythmic feel, no matter what instrument you play. All levels, vocalists, and instrumentalists are welcome! (Egg shakers provided if you come empty-handed or just want to try!)

3. Music Play - (Open to all) You will laugh and smile as we explore a variety of playful and guided music-making activities to find the joy in music! All levels and instruments are welcome. No wrong notes - just fun!

4. Music Technology for Everyone - (Open to all) Participants will get a chance to try some fun, simple, and effective ways to use your phone, tablet, or computer to support your musical progress. Feel free to bring your technology and/or instruments! Technophobes and Luddites welcome!

5. Learn Songbook-Pro (Sheet Music Software) - Open to all - Want to get your sheet music onto your phone or tablet? You will be guided through using the app “Songbook-Pro” to do just that! Even if you are using another program such as forScore or OnSong, you will want to come check out Songbook-Pro! It has some features that make it a great choice for JAMboree participants.

6. One-on-One Lessons - Open to all! Schedule a lesson with Brian - limited availability; see sign-up sheets.

Jay Saber  

1. Introduction to Music Event Production -  What one needs to know in creating an event, small or large, to showcase you as a musician, with all the aspects, intricacies, pitfalls, joy and revenue to uplift your musical experience! Come and learn the nuts and bolts necessary to produce your own show! (X2)

2. Advanced Concert Production - Hopefully students will have taken Introduction to Concert Production (but not required)

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Rea Schindler 

1. Let’s Sing! Rounds, Harmony, and More! - Varieties of joyful singing; all helpful!

2. Harmony Singing with Hattie and Rea - These two professionals are very comfortable in the recording studio. Their knowledge of quickly enhancing melody with harmony will inspire you, whether casually or on mic.

Tarah Williams

1. The World Is Your Snare Drum: A Soundscape Painting Workshop - Discover how the world around you can become your snare drum using just jazz brushes and a little creativity. Everyday objects like pizza boxes, paper plates, and magazines transform into instruments of rhythm and sound. I’ll have some boxes and a few extra brushes to share, but if you can, please BYOBB (Bring Your Own Box and Brushes) and let your surroundings inspire you to create a vibrant soundscape!

2. Stomping Grounds: The Joy of Flatfooting - Come tip-tap, stomp, and slap your way into the heart of Appalachian percussive dance, also known as buck dancing, clogging, or simply “fixing to make a ruckus in the barn.” We’ll let our flat feet follow the fiddle’s lively tune—guaranteed to get your body moving and your spirit lifted! Leather-soled shoes are ideal, but we’ll make magic with whatever’s on your feet!

3. Social Dance - No partner required. Come learn the basics of two-stepping, waltz, and swing, and potentially other styles if requested. 

4. Cajun Music! - Let's learn some Cajun songs! We'll listen, learn some history, and learn how to sing some beginner-friendly French Cajun songs. Bring your instrument to jam along - especially if you are a guitar or fiddle player. We'll also take turns learning how to play the triangle.

5. Tarah’s Cabaret Showcase! - Learn about the art of cabaret in a supportive and playful environment. Cabaret is storytelling through song in an intimate setting, often incorporating other art forms to create an engaging and eclectic show. Students are encouraged to bring a song they know well to workshop and play; however, familiar printed songs and plenty of exercises will also be available to embody the spirit of cabaret without worrying about preparation. (X2)