There are music camps put on as a commercial enterprise, like Lark in the Morning here in California, and the Pinewoods Camp in Massachusetts that Maeve linked to. The commercial camps usually hire a faculty of accomplished musicians to teach techniques and such. I haven't been to one, but I hear the Lark in the Morning is wonderful. I've also heard of a fiddle camp near Puget Sound in Washington.

The two camps I attend regularly are Camp New Harmony the annual, 6-day New Year's gathering of the San Francisco Folk Music Club; and the FSGW Getaway the 3-day October gathering in Maryland of the Folklore Society of Greater Washington (DC). Mary Garvey can tell us more about the camps near Seattle, Rainy Camp and Sunny Camp (one of which is no longer, I think).

The camps are usually in a rustic setting. Meals and lodging are provided, and the cost is somewhere around $75 a day. The DC and San Francisco camps have hour-long "workshops" during the day. Somebody volunteers to lead the workshop, which is more-or-less a singaround on a given topic. It seems like the leader doesn't do much, but it usually seems that it's the leader who sets the tone and is responsible for the success or failure of the workshop. The DC and San Francisco camps have concerts in the evening, where people perform a song or two for the camp. Lately, the DC concert has been wonderful and and the SF concert abysmal. We're trying to reinvigorate the San Francisco camp's concert, and we haven't quite found the formula. Part of the SF camp's concert problem, is that there are other activities going on at the same time - a dance and an unaccompanied singaround. The DC camp is oriented more toward unaccompanied singing, and the SF camp toward instrumental sessions and accompanied singing. But instruments are neither required nor prohibited at either camp.

That should give you at least somewhat of an idea of US folk music camps, Martin. You should give the Getaway a try some year. I think you'd enjoy it. The San Francisco camp is also open to everybody.

-Joe-