Silver Bay, NY at the Silver Bay YMCA Conference Center
August 22-27, 2021
Previously scheduled for June 20-25, 2021.
Silver Bay is a large Y Camp and Conference Center, on Lake George in the Adirondacks. For info about the facility, activities, photos of accommodations, visit SilverBay.org.
Tuition: $450
All Bluegrass Skills Taught
9am-12:30pm: Daily classes for banjo, guitar, fiddle, mandolin, dobro, bass…AND… Coached small jam groups, intermediate/advanced.
1:50-5pm: coaching on harmony singing (one coach per trio), classes on songwriting, basic music theory, practice “boot camp”, playing under pressure, stagecraft, and more!
Activities every evening: fiddle tune jam, open mics, karaoke, history, jamming, beautiful sunsets!
Organized Bands: $375 each member
For band members registering together, to work together as a band throughout the week: $75.00 off each member’s tuition. Bands will have opportunities to perform and get performance coaching including working with a sound system on stage (band lab), band cohesion, rehearsal guidance, band decision-making, “how to make a band work”.
Band members must first contact Pete as a group, for approval of the group members’ band discount, and then they can each register with the discount.
In 2021 we will have two concurrent camps:
| Level 2 (this camp) | Basic Camp | |
|---|---|---|
| Qualifications | Experience with bluegrass jamming; able to play in more than one key; able to follow guitar chord changes; willing/able to lead songs; know basic chord number system and jam etiquette | Ability to change chords smoothly between G, C, D, A (fiddlers and bass players: know which notes go with which chords) |
| Tempos | Ranging over 100 beats/minute | 60-95 beats/minute |
| Singing | Singing, more or less “in pitch”, is expected; harmony singing taught to those who can learn and “hold” a harmony part most of the time | Please try! |
| Soloing | Willing/able to fake passable solos. Melody-based solos are the standard, so we try for that; ability to locate melody notes is expected (exceptions: bass players and rhythm-only guitar players) | Minimal “placeholder” soloing taught, and acceptable; more advanced soloing taught but not required |
| Performing | Performance opportunity (expected but optional); some performance coaching; extra coaching available for bands | No performing expected |
| Night Activities | Open to participate in open mic and karaoke | Attendance welcome at all nighttime activities |
| If you’re not sure if you qualify, write Pete regarding your skills in these areas. |
Both camps will run Sunday-Friday 9:15am-5:00 daily, in separate but close-by locations at Silver Bay. Both camps’ students will have meals together and may arrange accommodations on-site.
Scholarships
We are sometimes able to grant scholarships for some or all of tuition and possible housing allowance, according to financial need. Grants depend on contributions to the Silver Bay Bluegrass scholarship fund. To donate or apply, write to Pete.
Applicants should give their age, instrument(s) played, and experience and goals in bluegrass, and a short statement of their financial need. Applications must be received by June 22 and applicants will be notified by June 27.
Silver Bay YMCA Conference Center
For accommodations reservations, call 518-543-8415 or email reservations@silverbay.org.
Call any time… Your message left will get a callback during the next business hours. The Silver Bay reservations team will help you with housing choices and all info.
Watch this video of our 2015 camp! With many thanks to the French filmmaker and banjo player Antoine Porteaux who attended the camp as part of a U.S. bluegrass tour originating in Paris. The film starts with the Europeans’ travel to Silver Bay, and the part about the camp starts at 2:03.
Want to know more about the Silver Bay instructors? Here they are in concert, featuring There Ain’t Nobody Going to Miss Me When I’m Gone, Golden Slippers, Why You Been Gone So Long, Blue Moon of Kentucky, Lay That Pistol Down, Sitting on Top of the World, mandolin duets and more!
Comments from recent camps:
Click any photo to enlarge.
Tentative Schedule
The schedule shown here is based on recent years’ schedules and is sure to incorporate some changes.
| Sunday 8/22 | Monday 8/23 | Tuesday 8/24 | Wednesday 8/25 | Thursday 8/26 | Friday 8/27 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8:00 | (Optional:) Early bird jams all welcome, start whenever, end at 9. 8:45 YouTube bluegrass highlights | |||||
| 8:30 | ||||||
| 9:00 | Camp assembly every day 9-9:30 discuss options for the day, maybe sing | |||||
| 9:30 | All Play music | Instrument classes by instrument 9:30-10:50am | ||||
| 10:00 | ||||||
| 10:30 | ||||||
| 11:00 | Small groups jam 11-12:30 | |||||
| 11:30 | ||||||
| 12:00 | ||||||
| 12:30 | BREAK (lunch served till 1) |
|||||
| 1:00 | ||||||
| 1:30 | ||||||
| 2:00 | 1:50-2:50pm Harmony instruction/coaching or slow jam | |||||
| 2:30 | ||||||
| 3:00 | 3-4pm Optional simultaneous classes: Songwriting/practice drill “boot camp”/slow jam/specialized instrument classes; optional topics requested by students | |||||
| 3:30 | ||||||
| 4:00 | check in | 4:10 Band lab (performance, rehearsal factors)/coached small group jams | ||||
| 4:30 | ||||||
| 5:00 | ||||||
| 5:30 | ||||||
| 6:00 | dinner | |||||
| 6:30 | ||||||
| 7:00 | Optional meet and greet, orientation about the Silver Bay site, informal jamming in Auditorium. Please bring tuition balance during this time or Monday at 8:45; check or cash only – no credit cards but there is an ATM on site. | Early evening options: Bluegrass movies/history, open mic, slow jam, etc. | ||||
| 7:30 | 7:30-8:30 Sat. faculty band |
Open mic | 7:15 Vespergrass | 7:15 Student warmup concert | Concert — variety show featuring faculty; open to public | |
| 8:00 | History talk: Golden Era | |||||
| 8:30 | ||||||
| 9:00 | family time, wi-fi time, practice, jam, chill | |||||
| 9:30 | ||||||
| 10:00 | ||||||
| 10:30 | ||||||
| 11:00 | QUIET HOURS | |||||
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