Music, Song, & Dance Workshops
Printable workshop and evening event schedules will be up soon!
Scroll down for the schedule! Click on a workshop name to see a description and instructor information.
Lark Camp’s hour-long workshops are organized into seven periods. The first one starts at 9:30 am in each camp, and there’s a “passing time” of 15 minutes between periods. Consult the shuttle schedule to understand which workshops you’ll 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) – 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). It’s up to you to choose when you eat lunch, served from noon – 2 pm. Please plan accordingly.
MEALTIMES: Breakfast is served from 8:00 to 10:00, lunch from 12:00 to 2:00 pm, and dinner from 6:30 to 8:30. NOTE: Last Friday mealtimes are different; brunch is served from 8 – 1:30, and dinner from 5:30 – 8:00pm. No breakfast is served on the departure day.
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 – simply show up at the correct time. If you’re new to Lark Camp, you’re 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 you’re only attending the first or second half of camp, you’ll 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, you’ll be fine in workshops designed for intermediate or advanced levels. Feel free to investigate any workshop to discover which level is best for you – 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 Kids’ 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, they’re 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 you’re 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 | Listening Workshop Benjamin Jaber | Breton Tunes Jim Oakden | Irish Flute John Skelton | Irish Uilleann Bagpipes Benjamin Jaber | |||
| 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 | Kids’ Irish Session/Jam Darcy Noonan | Mountain Dulcimer Holly Tannen | Props & Costumes for Kids’ 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 | ||
| Dance Hall Back Room | Music Theory Demystifed Grace Fellows | Southern Songbirds: Women of Southern Appalachia Rachel Goodman | Nyckelharpa Tunes for All Instruments Tim Rued | Tin Whistle & Irish Flute, Beginning Autumn Rhodes | Irish Music for Anglo Concertina Autumn Rhodes | ||
| Dance Hall Behind Back Room North | Accompany Your Voice Rachel Goodman | Beginning Bodhrán Christa Burch | Bodhrán Techniques Christa Burch | Irish Fiddle, Advanced Dale Russ | |||
| Dance Hall Entrance South | Irish Tune Swap Daniel Schoenfeld | Irish Tune Swap Daniel Schoenfeld | Irish Fiddle Basics Wanda Law | Fiddle, Beginning Wanda Law | |||
| Dance Hall Stairs East | Balkan Songs Lily Storm | Rare Irish Flute Tunes for Any Instrument John Skelton | |||||
| Dance Pavilion | Irish Set Dancing Fundamentals Maldon Meehan | Irish Music for Musicians & Dancers Maldon Meehan | Lark Camp Kids’ Play Susan Spurlock | Lark Camp Kids’ Play Susan Spurlock | Irish Set Dances Michael Riemer | ||
| Dining Hall North (Office side) | Swedish Fiddle Styles & Tunes Tim Rued | Songwriting Grace Fellows | European Tunes for Octave Mandolin & Mandolin Danny Carnahan | Harp for Beginners Luke Brechtelsbauer | Harp Repertoire Variety Pack Luke Brechtelsbauer | Irish Mandolin, Intermediate & Advanced Marla Fibish | |
| Dining Hall South (Fire Circle side) | English Country Dance Music/Ensemble Rebecca King | Fiddle for Fledglings Darcy Noonan | Accordion Boot Camp Dan Cantrell | Singing in a Session with Confidence Shay Black | Folk Song Repertoire Shay Black | ||
| Fire Circle | Greek Rebetika for Voice & Instruments Greg Jenkins | 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 | In Harmony’s Way Song Circle Sharon Carl | Irish Fiddle, Intermediate Dale Russ | Medieval & Renaissance Singing Shira Kammen | ||
| Outside Office | Irish DADGAD Guitar, Beginning Richard Mandel | Irish DADGAD Guitar, Intermed/Adv Richard Mandel | |||||
| 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 | Beginning Ukulele for All Ages Megan Harenburg | Strums for Jazz & Blues Ukulele Megan Harenburg | Songwriting Danny Carnahan | |||
| Behind the Coffee House | How to be in a Band Alexina Boudreaux | Cuban & Puerto Rican Songs Leslie & Michael Hubbert | Jug Band, Rags & Country Blues Vocals & Tunes Frannie Leopold | Cajun Fiddle Tami Allen | Cumbias y Más for Button Accordion & Concertina Miguel Govea | ||
| Dance Hall | Choro Music of Brazil Pam Laughlin | French & Breton Dance Adrienne Simpson | Improvising Swing for All Pam Laughlin | Cajun Dance & Music Jam Tami Allen | Galician Dance Adrienne Simpson | Latin Music Ensemble Jimmy Durchslag | Salsa and Son: Movement and Musicality Cora Hubbert Salsa Rueda & Old Time Son Dance Band Leslie & Michael Hubbert |
| French Camp | French Button Accordion Vickie Yancy | French-Canadian Session La Famille Léger (Louis & Devon) | Hurdy Gurdy Scott Gayman | French-Canadian Call & Response Songs Louis Léger | French Music for All Instruments Scott Gayman | French Session Vickie Yancy | |
| Gate House Porch | French-Canadian Fiddle Devon Léger | Clawhammer Banjo, Beginning/Intermediate Larry Unger | Old Time Jam Bonnie Zahnow | Tunewriting (Look, Ma—No Lyrics!) Larry Unger | Cajun & Creole Accordion Claudette Boudreaux | Cajun French Songs Claudette Boudreaux | |
| JP Land | Singing with Your Guitar Olivier Zyngier | Mandolin, Beginning Booi Volk | Improvise on the Mandolin Booi Volk | Country Blues Guitar, Intermediate WB Reid | Old Time String Band Songs WB Reid | ||
| NEW Fire Circle | Latin Percussion Forrest Robinson | Guitar for Beginners 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 Suso Vaamonde | Gaita (Bagpipe) & Percussion from Galicia Suso Vaamonde |
| Outdoor Dance Floor | Rueda de Casino—Dance! Cora Hubbert | Swing Dance (Lindy Hop), Intermediate Malaika Finkelstein | Swing Dance (East Coast Swing & Charleston), Beginning Malaika Finkelstein | How to Contra Dance – Basics Plus Celia Ramsay | |||
| The Barrio | Old Time & Country Harmony Singing Frannie Leopold & Carlo Calabi | Conjunto: TexMex & Cumbia Miguel Govea & Susan Peña | Cumbias y Más for Guitar & Voice Susan Peña | ||||
| The Pavilion | Jazz & Swing Band Jimmy Durchslag | Beginning Blues Guitar Robert Laughlin | Acoustic Jam for Teens Alexina Boudreaux | Children’s Song Circle Celia Ramsay | Swing & Jazz Vocals Ella Thomasine & Scott Stobbe | Upright Bass, Basic Aaron Hendel | Western Swing Tunes Scott Stobbe & Ella Thomasine |
| Workshop Area 12 | Hammer Dulcimer, Beginning Jim Wells | Dare to Suck – A Social Orchestra Jim Wells | French Cafe Songs Olivier Zyngier | Old Time Fiddle Tunes Judy Stavely | Level Up Your Fiddle Playing – Skills & Improv for All Levels Corwin Zekley | How to Play for Contra Dances Corwin Zekley | |
| 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 | The Music Within: Understanding Musicality in Middle Eastern Dance Natalie Nayun | The Art of Expression: Storytelling through Persian Dance Natalie Nayun | Belly Dance Basics Elizabeth Strong | Zimbabwean Dance Julia Chigamba |
| Kafana (aka Tekke) | Zimbabwean Song & Percussion Julia Chigamba | Turkish Ensemble Sinan Erdemsel | Turkish Ensemble Sinan Erdemsel | Arabic Instrumentals Wael Kakish | Arabic Ensemble Wael Kakish | Greek Songs Lily Storm | |
| Ring of Fire | Arabic Songs for Voice Khatchadour Khatchadourian | Armenian Songs for Voice Khatchadour Khatchadourian | African Hand Percussion Forrest Robinson | Basic Zimbabwean Percussion Delisa Branch Neely | Riqq Faisal Zedan | Middle Eastern Percussion Faisal Zedan | |