River & Roots Music Camp is growing!
Spend a week learning and sharing tunes by the beautiful Shenandoah River. Now in its third year, there's something for everyone! We'll be offering groups for adults; advancing student fiddlers; true beginners; and new this year, a banjo group as well!
About The Camp
Date/Time/Location: The camp runs from Tuesday, June 26 to Friday, June 29. Tuesday - Thursday, camp will be from 9:00 am - 3:00 pm. On Friday, camp will finish up at 1:00 pm, just in time to enjoy the River & Roots Festival! The camp is located at Watermelon Park, in Berryville, VA. There's parking available for folks who want to drive in each day, an easy reverse-commute from the DMV area. You can also stay and camp all week if you prefer.
Schedule: Every morning we'll start camp together to work on a group tune and a few skills before breaking off into small groups. Mid-day, we'll break for lunch and include a fun activity for kids and kids at heart, such as a craft, science activity, or fun game. We'll spend the afternoon back with our groups, and close out each day with the larger group, sharing what we've learned. Friday will finish up with a group performance for family and friends. Plus, kids staying for the River & Roots Festival have the opportunity to perform in the Kids' Talent Showcase on Saturday!
Groups: There will be groups available for adults, advancing fiddle students, and beginning fiddlers, as well as a banjo group. Groups are self-enrolling. We want you to get the most out of R&R camp. Stay with one group all week or make the experience your own by moving between groups or trying out different instruments if you'd like. Music camp is a fun and casual experience!
What to bring: All you need to start having fun at music camp is a working instrument! You'll want to pack a lunch as well. Many people choose to take a recording device, such as a cell phone or iPod, or a notebook to take a few notes. Need help tracking down an instrument to use? Send us an email and we'll be happy to help!
Teachers
Malia Furtado: Malia’s musical journey began at the age of 3 with classical violin lessons and took a turn, for better or for worse, with the discovery of bluegrass at age 7 when she attended her first festival, Galax Old Fiddler’s Convention. Since then, Malia has performed with a number of different groups, taken home a range of prizes, and graced the stage of numerous venues up and down the East Coast. Malia has given private lessons in both bluegrass and classical since 2006. Other teaching ventures include appearances on two Murphy Method instructional DVD’s and leading fiddle workshops at various festivals.
Dave Van Deventer: David Van Deventer (a.k.a. Fiddlin’ Dave) has been studying the folk origins of the fiddle for over 30 years. David is Co-owner of Shepherds Ford Productions, the company that produces the annual Watermelon Park Fest and River and Roots Festival at Watermelon Park Campground in Berryville Va. He is a fiddle and banjo instructor, as well as an active member of Furnace Mountain, The Woodshedders, and David Via and Corn Tornado.
Stacey Sinclair: She’s Canadian, she plays fiddle, what more is there to say! Stacey is originally from Canada, a country with a long history of fiddle music. She blends this influence with her classical violin training when she plays American Bluegrass. Stacey is a founding member of Split String Soup, and performs with several other area bands. Stacey also teaches the next generation of musicians as a violin instructor at Reston Music and has coordinated children’s activities for Shepherd’s Ford Productions at Watermelon Park Bluegrass Festival.
Gina Clowes: Born and raised in Front Royal, Virginia, Gina began touring up and down the east coast in her tween years with her siblings, earning countless ribbons from fiddlers conventions, a strong reputation in the regional bluegrass scene, and a stamp from Bluegrass Today as “absurdly talented”. She later played in a number of regional acts (Blue Light Special, New Girls Nite Out, On the Run, Bud’s Collective) and has made her international touring exposure with Chris Jones and the Night Drivers soon after joining the group. She is sought after as a teacher privately and at camps across the country. Her new album, True Colors, which was released in September 2017, debuted on bluegrass Billboard Charts at #13, had a number one hit on Roots Music Report, has appeared on Bluegrass Today’s Grassicana Charts, and has received sparkling reviews from critics.
Join Us at Camp
We can't wait for you to join us at River & Roots Music Camp! Camp costs just $250.00 for the whole week. Every day of music camp builds on the next, but there's a lot to offer every day so single-day and flexible schedule pricing is available, as well as discounts for families with multiple campers. Contact us to learn more.