• Celebrating 29 Years, California Coast Music Camp Returns for 2021

    Celebrating 29 Years, California Coast Music Camp Returns for 2021

    PALO ALTO, CALIF. — Celebrating 29 years of meaningful music education, California Coast Music Camp (CCMC) has announced two week-long acoustic camps for this summer: July 11–17 and July 18–24, 2021. Registration will open in May if it is deemed safe to hold camp due to complications from the pandemic.

    The camp is located on a wooded ridge at 4,000 feet, in the historic Sierra Nevada Gold Country in Placer County, northeast of Sacramento.

    CCMC offers more than 30 classes in mandolin, guitar, bass, banjo, voice, ukulele, fiddle, percussion, harmony singing, theory, songwriting, and stagecraft. CCMC focuses on teaching practical, usable skills that you can incorporate into your playing or singing. Styles include bluegrass, swing, blues, old time, country, folk, jazz, rock, Brazilian, Celtic, and more. The camp features extra workshops, band labs, jams, concerts, dances, and performance opportunities.

    Swimming and hiking are non-musical options at CCMC, and some campers bring bikes to explore old roads and mining towns in the area. The camp has fairly flat terrain, with improved roads and trails throughout, and it overlooks one of the main canyons of the American River. Camp includes all meals and activities; for lodging, you can bring a tent or RV or stay in shared cabins.

    But most of all, you get lots of music and music instruction from mandolin teachers like these:

    Week 1 Mandolin Instructor: Steve Kritzer

    Bay Area singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Steve Kritzer is "A Man of Many Musics' (San Jose Mercury News), as comfortable with Celtic, bluegrass, folk, and country as he is with rock, big band swing, and pop. Steve's relaxed personable style on stage and teaching makes him a popular callback at festivals, concerts, and teaching camps from California to Ireland. When not teaching, recording, or performing, he's his "own grandpa" with his 10-year-old daughter.

    Week 2 Mandolin Instructor: Tristan Scroggins

    The son of a National Banjo Champion, Tristan Scroggins was surrounded with bluegrass traditions from birth. Having performed everywhere from rural bluegrass festivals to the Grand Ol’ Opry, Tristan was awarded the prestigious Instrumentalist of the Year Momentum Award at age 22 by the International Bluegrass Music Association and in 2019 he received the Freshgrass Mandolin Award. With more than a decade of experience as a teacher and workshop instructor, Tristan has gained a reputation for his logically laid out curriculum, generous of resources, and relaxed, encouraging presence. Tristan has developed teaching materials based on achieving personal inspiration and practice techniques that allow students to overcome their personal musical hurdles.

    Details on classes for mandolin and other instruments, plus information about the camp itself are available on the Camp web site linked below. Students may register for one or both weeks. Scholarships are available.

    Tristan Scroggins and mandolin campers

    Whether you're a shy beginner or a seasoned professional, CCMC's classes and activities will challenge and inspire you. The supportive atmosphere will encourage you to stretch musically, regardless of your level or experience. And CCMC is fun, and has been since 1992!

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