BlackBear Music Camp
BlackBear Americana Music Fest and Art Tripping have joined forces to create an educational arm of the music festival. We want to provide students and members of the community with the enriching experience of making music with others, and to enhance and expand upon what they are learning in school. We hope that music becomes a life long part of their lives.
We did a trial run last October at the festival itself, and Ian Campbell and Michele Murelli wanted to keep it going throughout the year, with the hope that Music Camp will grow naturally.
The workshops we held at BlackBear were diverse.
A group called ‘Tall Travis’ was performing at BlackBear. They formed their group in college and made a successful jump into independent music circles. Tall Travis gave a talk to students about what it was like to be gigging and be in college at the same time. Balance
Intuitive A Cappella was led by artist and life long choral/choir/and a cappella group member Michele Murelli. Festival attendees joined our group of high school students and sang with us as we played with harmony. In upcoming workshops we will be playing with styles & genres, we will turn instruments into voices, our bodies into instruments, and create arrangements, with a goal towards creating a set that can be performed.
Michael Kabelka, Professional Photographer, has shot numerous concerts for nationally touring acts, and professional sports coverage of events like the Traveler’s Golf Tourney and the NY Jets football team. Michael led the Festival Photography workshop.
Tracy Walton of On Deck Studios in Northfield shared his wisdom of the business of making music in the industry. He is a teacher, producer, and promoter,
The Guitar Workshop was led by Andrew Decker from ‘Downright Music’ in Collinsville, a groovy little town on the Farmington River that is a hive of creative activity. He plays music with his band, the Decker Bandits, and is a long time guitar teacher.
The Songwriting Workshop was led by ‘Shanna in a Dress’ , a Nashville Singer/Songwriter who has won the Kerryville New Folks & Rocky Mountain Folks songwriting contest. She was very cool, and explained how everyday experiences can become songs. Shanna shared an example of the song she wrote about a quadriplegic woman she used to care for. It was very moving.
Music is a powerful force in the world. We want our kids to speak that language to express themselves or to be fluent in that language as a maker. Music and all the arts connect people, transcend mundane matters, and make our hearts soar.