Music, Song, & Dance Workshops
NOTE: THIS INFO IS FOR 2024 CAMP; PLEASE REVISIT EARLY IN 2025.
Scroll down for the schedule! Click on a workshop name to see a description and instructor information.
Lark Campâs hour-long workshops are organized into seven periods. The first one starts at 9:30 am in each camp, and thereâs a âpassing timeâ of 15 minutes between periods. Consult the shuttle schedule to understand which workshops youâll be able to attend in the three camps.
Workshops are continuous during the day. Please note! This means you will not have time to leave one camp at the end of a period (e.g., Period 1), and shuttle to another camp in time for the next period (Period 2) â but you will have time to use the restroom, get coffee, and arrive calmly at another camp on time for the following workshop (i.e., Period 3). Itâs up to you to choose when you eat lunch, served from noon â 2 pm. Please plan accordingly.
PLEASE NOTE: Our list of instructors, evening events, and workshops is always subject to change.
Choosing Workshops
Our workshops vary by genre, instrument, skill level, and location. You may attend as many or few as you like â simply show up at the correct time. If youâre new to Lark Camp, youâre welcome to drop in to several workshops on the first day to figure out what suits you. The descriptions will tell you which ones are repertoire/tune workshops; dropping in and out of these over the course of the week is fine. Other workshops are continuous, building on the work of previous days. (NOTE: If youâre only attending the first or second half of camp, youâll be taking partial workshops.)
All our voice and dance workshops are fine for people with no previous experience, as well as more experienced singers and dancers. In our instrumental workshops, if you have basic proficiency, youâll be fine in workshops designed for intermediate or advanced levels. Feel free to investigate any workshop to discover which level is best for you â and there are plenty of beginning ones. In a few cases, there are opportunities for individual lesson time. Check the descriptions or just ask instructors what they offer!
VISIT THE LARK CAMP MUSIC LIBRARY FOR WORKSHOP MATERIALS (NOTE: Most instructors hand out materials at camp.)
Workshops for Kids
Most workshops for younger kids happen in Camp 1. They include instrument-making, art projects, and a wonderful Kidsâ Play that is rehearsed and costumed during the week, and then performed on the last night of camp. There are kid- and teen-friendly workshops in other camps, too; for example, in Camp 3, the Zimbabwean marimba workshops are popular with all ages, and we offer a Teen Band/Songwriting workshop in Camp 2. If your older child or teen is reasonably proficient on an instrument, theyâre welcome to attend any workshop. Plus: The Mendocino Woodlands Camp Association offers environmental education programs for children. Please remember: As a parent or guardian, you are expected to supervise any child or minor youâre responsible for.
Workshop Schedule
Click on a workshop title to view description and instructor information. Downloadable/printable version link above. (You can also go to Workshop Search.)
| Lunch served 12pm - 2pm | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Camp 1 | Period 1 9:30-10:30 | Period 2 10:45-11:45 | Period 3 12:00-1:00 | Period 4 1:15-2:15 | Period 5 2:30-3:30 | Period 6 3:45-4:45 | Period 7 5:00-6:00 |
| Behind Kitchen | Uilleann Pipe Tunes for All Benjamin Jaber | Greek Rebetika for Voice & Instruments Greg Jenkins | Breton Tunes Jim Oakden | Irish Flute John Skelton | Irish Uilleann Bagpipes Benjamin Jaber | Singing in Irish Amelia Hogan | |
| Canopy Above & Behind Kitchen | Make a Your Own Instruments: Ukulele, Bamboo Flute or Didgeridoo Wayne Hill | Build Your Own Instrument: Ukulele, Bamboo Flute or Didgeridoo Wayne Hill | Fiddle for Fledglings Darcy Noonan | Mountain Dulcimer Holly Tannen | Kidsâ Fiddle Tunes Darcy Noonan | Props & Costumes for Kidsâ Play Kathy Mowdy | |
| Dance Hall | Irish Mandolin, Begin/Intermed Marla Fibish | English Country Dance Jason Adajian | English Longsword Dance, Beginning Jason Adajian | Balkan Dance Sue Williard | Balkan Dance, Advanced Sue Williard | Regional Dances from Sweden & Norway Toby Blomé & Fred Bialy | |
| Dance Hall Back Room | Nyckelharpa Tunes for All Instruments Tim Rued | Tin Whistle & Irish Flute, Beginning Autumn Rhodes | Irish Music for Anglo Concertina Autumn Rhodes | Medieval & Renaissance Singing Shira Kammen | |||
| Dance Hall Behind Back Room North | Beginning BodhrĂĄn Christa Burch | BodhrĂĄn Techniques Christa Burch | Irish Fiddle, Advanced Dale Russ | ||||
| Dance Hall Front Porch South | Irish Tune Swap Daniel Schoenfeld | Irish Tune Swap Daniel Schoenfeld | Irish Fiddle Basics Wanda Law | Celtic Guitar Accompaniment â Standard Tuning Colin Cotter | Fiddle, Beginning Wanda Law | Celtic Slow Session Colin Cotter | |
| Dance Hall Stairs East | Rare Irish Flute Tunes for Any Instrument John Skelton | ||||||
| Dance Pavilion | Irish Battering For Sets Maldon Meehan | Irish Sean-NĂłs Dance Maldon Meehan | Lark Camp Kidsâ Play Susan Spurlock | Lark Camp Kidsâ Play Susan Spurlock | Scandinavian Turning Dances â Skills & Techniques Toby BlomĂ© & Fred Bialy | Irish Set Dances Michael Riemer | |
| Dining Hall North | Swedish Fiddle Styles & Tunes Tim Rued | Songwriting Danny Carnahan | European Tunes for Octave Mandolin & Mandolin Danny Carnahan | Singing in a Session with Confidence Shay Black | Folk Song Repertoire Shay Black | Irish Mandolin, Intermediate & Advanced Marla Fibish | |
| Dining Hall South | English Country Dance Music/Ensemble Rebecca King | Traditional English Tunes for All Instruments Audrey (Knuth) Jaber | Accordion Boot Camp Dan Cantrell | Sean NĂłs Singing (Irish) Amelia Hogan | |||
| Fire Circle | Scottish Airs Ryan McKasson | Scottish Fiddle Tunes Ryan McKasson | Balkan Tunes for All Instruments Greg Jenkins | Balkan Ensemble Dan Cantrell | |||
| Mickie's Pub (new location, lower road, north of the Dance Pavilion) | Yiddish Songs for Voice & Instruments Ty Rust | Balkan & Klezmer Ensemble Ty Rust | Irish Fiddle, Intermediate Dale Russ | Balkan Songs Lily Storm | |||
| Outside Registration | Irish DADGAD Guitar, Beginning Richard Mandel | Irish DADGAD Guitar, Intermed/Adv Richard Mandel | Swedish Dance Tunes For All Instruments Peter Michaelsen | Hot Grooves â Tunes from the Swedish-Norwegian Border Peter Michaelsen | English Pub & Folk Songs Audrey (Knuth) Jaber | ||
| The Meadow | Balkan Rhythms & Beginning Tupan Sean Tergis | ||||||
| Lunch served 12pm - 2pm | |||||||
| Camp 2 | Period 1 9:30-10:30 | Period 2 10:45-11:45 | Period 3 12:00-1:00 | Period 4 1:15-2:15 | Period 5 2:30-3:30 | Period 6 3:45-4:45 | Period 7 5:00-6:00 |
| Aloha Land | Old Time Styling for Fiddlers Judy Stavely | Uke 101 Megan Harenburg | Strums for Jazz & Blues Ukulele Megan Harenburg | ||||
| Behind the Coffee House | Jug Band, Rags & Country Blues Vocals & Tunes Frannie Leopold | Cajun Fiddle Tami Allen | Old Time String Band Songs WB Reid | ||||
| Dance Hall | Choro Music of Brazil Pam Laughlin | French & Breton Dance Adrienne Simpson | Blues Improv Pam Laughlin | Cajun Dance & Music Jam Tami Allen | Galician Dance Olga Kirk | Latin Music Ensemble Jimmy Durchslag | |
| Fire Circle | Old Time Jam Bonnie Zahnow | Maybelle Carter Style Guitar Carlo Calabi | World Band for All Instruments Gregg Moore | World Band for All Instruments Gregg Moore | Gaita (Bagpipe) & Percussion from Galicia Pablo Diaz | Gaita (Bagpipe) & Percussion from Galicia Pablo Diaz | |
| French Camp | French Button Accordion Vickie Yancy | French-Canadian Session Louis LĂ©ger | Hurdy Gurdy Scott Gayman | French Music for All Instruments Scott Gayman | French Session Vickie Yancy | ||
| Gate House Porch | French-Canadian Fiddle Devon LĂ©ger | Clawhammer Banjo, Beginning Heath Curdts | Guitar for Beginners Bonnie Zahnow | Clawhammer Banjo, Intermediate/Advanced Heath Curdts | Cajun & Creole Accordion Claudette Boudreaux | Cajun French Songs Claudette Boudreaux | |
| JP Land | Swing Guitar Olivier Zyngier | Mandolin, Beginning Booi Volk | Play the Blues on Mandolin Booi Volk | Songwriting Scott Stobbe | Country Blues Guitar, Intermediate WB Reid | Guerilla Music Theory Radim Zenkl | All Things Mandolin Radim Zenkl |
| Outdoor Dance Floor | Salsa Rueda & Old Time Son Dance Band Leslie & Michael Hubbert Salsa Rueda Dance Cora Hubbert | Salsa Dance Cora Hubbert | Swing Dance (Lindy Hop), Intermediate Malaika Finkelstein | Swing Dance (East Coast Swing & Charleston), Beginning Malaika Finkelstein | Contra Dance Music Lab Erik Hoffman | Contra Dance, Basic Erik Hoffman | |
| The Barrio | Old Time & Country Harmony Singing Frannie Leopold & Carlo Calabi | Cuban & Puerto Rican Songs Leslie Hubbert | Caribbean Instrumental Tunes Michael Hubbert | Conjunto: TexMex & Cumbia Miguel Govea & Susan Peña | Cumbias y Mås for Guitar & Voice Susan Peña | Cumbias y Mås for Button Accordion & Concertina Miguel Govea | |
| The Pavilion | Jazz & Swing Band Jimmy Durchslag | Beginning Blues Guitar Robert Laughlin | Teen Band/Songwriting Alexina Boudreaux | Intro to Jazz Improvisation Corwin Zekley | Swing & Jazz Vocals Connie Doolan | Upright Bass, Basic Aaron Hendel | Western Swing Tunes Scott Stobbe & Ella Thomasine |
| Workshop Area 1 | Hammer Dulcimer, Beginning Jim Wells | Dare to Suck â A Social Orchestra Jim Wells | French Cafe Songs Olivier Zyngier | Old Time Fiddle Tunes Judy Stavely | Level Up Your Fiddle Playing â Improv for Beginning Fiddlers Corwin Zekley | Vocal Health & Singing Basics Ella Thomasine | |
| Lunch served 12pm - 2pm | |||||||
| Camp 3 | Period 1 9:30-10:30 | Period 2 10:45-11:45 | Period 3 12:00-1:00 | Period 4 1:15-2:15 | Period 5 2:30-3:30 | Period 6 3:45-4:45 | Period 7 5:00-6:00 |
| Coffee House | Indian Folk Tunes & Ragas Wade Evans | Indian Ensemble Wade Evans | Turkish Romany Dance Elizabeth Strong | Belly Dance Choreography for All Levels Natalie Nayun | Persian Dance Natalie Nayun | Belly Dance Basics Elizabeth Strong | Zimbabwean Dance, Song & Percussion Julia Chigamba |
| Kafana (aka Tekke) | Duduk Instrumental Khatchadour Khatchadourian | Turkish Ensemble Sinan Erdemsel | Turkish Ensemble Sinan Erdemsel | Arabic Instrumentals Wael Kakish | Arabic Ensemble Wael Kakish | Improvising for Middle Eastern Dancing Calvin Lai | Solos in the Middle Eastern Diaspora For All Instruments Calvin Lai |
| Ring of Fire | Riqq Faisal Zedan | Armenian Songs for Voice Khatchadour Khatchadourian | Middle Eastern Percussion Faisal Zedan | Greek Songs Lily Storm | Zimbabwean Marimba, Basic Russ Landers & Sarah Noll | Zimbabwean Marimba, Fast/Intricate Russ Landers & Sarah Noll | |