About the Workshops

DOWNLOAD 2010 Camp Brochure with Registration Form

(formatted for legal sized paper)

DOWNLOAD 2010 Camp Registration Form Only

1st Session July 5th  – 10th – 2nd Session July 12th  – 17th

Summer Fiddle Camp – Blowing Rock, NC 

The summer of 2010 marks the 8th annual Walker Family Band Music Workshop in Blowing Rock. From the very first camp attended by a dozen or so students to our 2008 season when a second session was added, something about the energy, the music, and the families who come together to share this week is always magical. Every year has been the best year! Some of events of camp week are described below. The magic, however, is a “have to be there” experience that The Walker Family Band invites you to discover!

  Check In day is a time to greet old friends and welcome new ones. We collect some paper and hand out T-shirts while we catch up on family milestones and see what the kids are about. Lots more visiting continues over dinner till we call a family meeting where Scott and Teresja outline the week to come. The students break up into the “first timers” or “long timers” and the first jam session of camp begins. Besides being almost too much fun, the first jam session is a way for faculty members to make sure the class placements are correct for each participant, so long before the players are ready, the faculty calls the jam to a close and get to work on finalizing the next days schedules. 

Early Tuesday morning, we encourage everyone to join Scott in a silent nature walk…you should be there! The sun streaking through the trees along the path and the meditation rocks inspire and focus us as we begin the day. The daily schedule and special events are posted at the cafeteria and some individual schedules are tweaked. Everyone is excited to begin principle instrument and group music classes and try their hand at pottery or a new instrument elective. Sometimes, we have a special “whole camp” event like our kite making workshop or full camp yoga. After dinner, we meet for jam sessions. It’s hard to leave and go to bed Tuesday night. Camp is in full swing!         

   Wednesday we start with a nature walk, all participants will go to classes, Moms and Dads, brothers and sisters, are now enjoying elective art and music, Landon will lead a yoga class before dinner,  kids will go swimming, there will be lots of laughing, jam sessions will be jammin’! It’s a “regular” day at The Walker Family Band Fiddle Camp. Our participants have already formed lasting friendships. Groups of new friends as well as family bands who are attending the workshop together are planning talent show performances for later in the week. Wednesdays are wonderful to watch! It is always amazing and magical to experience each camp develop it’s own unique “life”.

 By Thursday, in the hallways, on the porch, in the gazebo, everywhere you walk, there is no doubt that the quality of the music has taken a giant step to a higher level! This is the day you notice the musicians are focused on performance. Talent show pieces are being perfected; the musicians have their game faces on!

We’re planning a very special new venue for the 2010 summer camp Thursday night on the town. Instead of  meeting at a restaurant for dinner this year, we are planning an outdoor afternoon / evening festival at Broyhill Park in Blowing Rock. We will feature talent show performances by our camp participants, guest performances by local artists, and end with the annual faculty performance. The festival will be open to everyone and dedicated as a benefit event raising money for the Hirsch Wellness Network, a non profit organization that provides healing through arts for cancer patients and their families.You will really enjoy being there!

Fireday starts early with a canoe / kayak / tubing trip down the New River. We grab a bag breakfast…let us pause in life’s pleasures to give a huge round of applause to Linda and her cafeteria staff for accomodating our special requests all week…we travel to the river for a georgous and peaceful…okay, yes there are squeeling youth among us! Some of our talent show acts will be featured after lunch…have to be there! Abreviated classes fill the afternoon followed by yoga, dinner, and a jam session around the bonfire, s’mores and sparklers. 

Saturday is high energy for the last day of classes and fine tuning for the grand finale concert. Friends and family arrive throughout the day. Last minute shopping strategies are executed. There’s even more than usual running and squeeling. The pool is a popular place. There are small groups of students gathered in comfortable places and beautiful places and unusual places playing and planning…you really just have to be there! After the concert, we hug and say goodbye and hug and say goodbye some more. Then the wild night people do what they do till the last person is silent.

Sunday is one of those luxurious mornings to linger over breakfast until we can postpone the inevitable no longer. We gather the items that were missed and the friends who can remain meet late in the morning outside in the sanctuary for a time of silence and gratitude…we hope you can be there.

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