“North Fork Bluegrass & Roots Music Beginner Jam Camp” Kicks off the Festival Season with Beginner-Friendly Instruction

The annual North Fork learn to jam camp is almost here! Scheduled this year for May 18 – 20, the camp is held at the beautiful Delta County Fairgrounds in Hotchkiss, Colorado, and hosted by Coal Creek Bluegrass Band. Camp Director Jody Andrews continues to make this camp better and better, this year adding a fingerstyle folk and blues guitar course hosted by the Metamoocil Mountain Boys, and Find Your Voice - a learn to sing program led by Rebecca Folsom.

“If you can play basic chords and play in time, then you’re ready for the jam camp,” states Jody Andrews, Camp Director. “Our goal is to create a relaxed, comfortable small-class learning environment, where the entire focus is on learning the basics of how to jam.”

The jam camp is organized around a balance of instructor-led jams, instrument-specific classes that focus on the role of each instrument in a jam, harmony singing, and open jams for campers to put their new skills into practice. The small class size fosters a comfortable, low-stress learning environment. The camp “textbook” will consist of three to five popular jam songs – enough material to keep the classes interesting, yet reasonable to cover over a three-day camp.

“People who come to the camp should be comfortable playing their instruments at the beginner level,” Jody explains. “You can take lessons from an instructor, and feel very safe in a one-on-one situation or playing in the basement when no one else is around. That can be fun, but it totally misses the wonderful social aspect of playing bluegrass music with other musicians. This camp will give those ‘closet pickers’ the foundation to be comfortable in a jam.”

Jody continues, “Every year we also have musicians attend who, though very comfortable with their instrument, have never played in a bluegrass jam or song circle. This camp is a great opportunity for those players to get in on the fun!”

For experienced pickers and non-players alike, the addition of Rebecca Folsom’s “Find Your Voice” provides a great incentive to join the fun. Rebecca, a Colorado native, has garnered fans and accolades around the world for her “soultry” voice and exciting performances. She will help campers to sing with more power, expression, and confidence.

The members of Coal Creek Bluegrass Band are excited to be hosting the jam camp for a fourth consecutive year. The band members first met at various jams in the Boulder area, and they still enjoy jamming with friends. Their love of the music is infectious, and their down-to-earth style makes learning comfortable and enjoyable.

The Delta County Fairgrounds in scenic Hotchkiss, Colorado, is well known to Colorado bluegrass fans as the home of the North Fork Valley Bluegrass Festival. With plenty of shade trees, a large indoors picking area, on-site camping (for an additional fee), and lodging and restaurants are only a short walk away, the location is ideal for an easy weekend getaway.

The camp will run from Friday afternoon, May 18th, through Sunday, May 20th. The registration fee includes over 12 hours of instruction, admission to the Saturday night concert by Coal Creek Bluegrass Band, Rebecca Folsom & the Metamoocil Mountain Boys. Saturday evening the students & staff host & pot-luck picnic in the park.

For more information, visit the “North Fork Bluegrass & Roots Music Beginner Jam Camp” website at http://www.northforkbluegrass.com/pages/Camp_home_page.html , or call Jody at (970) 250-3001. For information on Coal Creek Bluegrass Band, visit their website at www.coalcreekbluegrass.com