Know of any musician retreat centers?

[Charlie Bernstein]

I'd like to do some total music immersion sometime and wonder if there are any places that accommodate that — especially in New England.

Know of anything?

Thanks!

[Simon DS]

Thanks Charlie. I thought about this today.
I was thinking of a technique and difficult concept in music theory and I wondered (for five minutes) how I could teach that to someone.

5 minutes later I had the answer: don’t confuse things with verbal language and explanations.
Communicate with the instrument!

[Jeff Mando]

I'm not sure if you are looking for instruction or simply woodshedding?

About 30 years ago I moved to a new town. I was single and I didn't know anybody. I had no television, on purpose. For about a year I practiced between 6 and 15 hours a day. In those pre-internet days, I would put on a favorite record and learn song after song. If I couldn't figure it out at first, I told myself it has to be on the neck somewhere, possibly a flat, a sharp or a minor chord, or even an alternative tuning. In that year I would easily say I became 10X the musician I was before, and I had been playing since I was a kid. A good immersion, for me.

When I wasn't playing music, I read a bunch of books (mostly about music or musician biographies) and cooked Ramen noodles......

I would recommend the practicing and reading....the Ramen was just because it was quick and I didn't have to leave the house.

[Charlie Bernstein]

I'm not sure if you are looking for instruction or simply woodshedding?

Good question. Woodshedding, maybe with jamming opportunities.

About 30 years ago I moved to a new town. I was single and I didn't know anybody. I had no television, on purpose. For about a year I practiced between 6 and 15 hours a day. In those pre-internet days, I would put on a favorite record and learn song after song. If I couldn't figure it out at first, I told myself it has to be on the neck somewhere, possibly a flat, a sharp or a minor chord, or even an alternative tuning. In that year I would easily say I became 10X the musician I was before, and I had been playing since I was a kid. A good immersion, for me.

Yeah, my home was my retreat center when I was single. Got a lot of writing and woodshedding done.

When I wasn't playing music, I read a bunch of books (mostly about music or musician biographies) and cooked Ramen noodles......

Books yes, ramen no.

I would recommend the practicing and reading....the Ramen was just because it was quick and I didn't have to leave the house.

My house is equipped to cook anything I want. Lucky that way!

Thanks!

[musicofanatic]

There is a week-long music camp with top notch instructors at the Ossipee Valley Music Festival...dunno if that fits into the realm of a "retreat"...?

[Charlie Bernstein]

. . . don’t confuse things with verbal language and explanations.
Communicate with the instrument!

Good thought. I've started giving somone some blues guitar lessons. That's good advice.

[Charlie Bernstein]

There is a week-long music camp with top notch instructors at the Ossipee Valley Music Festival...dunno if that fits into the realm of a "retreat"...?

Worth looking into. I'm not a good student. Mainly looking for some alone time.

[CarlM]

I know of a couple of top notch musicians/instructors who will offer several days or week long immersions out of their homes. It obviously carries a cost. One is guitar oriented but also has fly fishing. I have not done it due to cost.

One is in Wyoming and the other in East Tennessee.

[Steve Mead]

Jay Unger/Molly Mason have a beautiful event center in the Catskill Mountains of NY where they have week long retreats for many different styles of music/dance, etc. I have driven past it many times, it is on my bucket list!
https://ashokancenter.org

[mbruno]

Pre-festival camping a festival is a great idea IMO. I used to go to Greyfox the Friday before the festival opened and hang in line with everyone. During the day (if I wasn't volunteering), I'd either woodshed alone, find a jam to play, or go out to explore the area (Bash Bish!). Not "total" immersion but pretty close If there's a festival near you that allows pre-festival camping, that's a great (and relatively cheap) option. Plus then you get to see the pros do it on stage haha

[Mark Gunter]

Great ideas. The last time I volunteered at the Pagosa Folk and Bluegrass Festival in Colorado, I arrived a week early and camped in my van (for free) in the Rio Grande National Forest off Wolf Creek Pass. Plenty of woodshedding and alone time prior to the weekend festival. I highly recommend it.

[Beanzy]

https://halswaymanor.org.uk/ Simon Mayor does some here https://halswaymanor.org.uk/event/simon-mayors-mandolin-masterclass-2023/ and the BBMG Summer School dive tails in with it nicely.https://www.bbmg.org.uk/summer-school/

[Charlie Bernstein]

Jay Unger/Molly Mason have a beautiful event center in the Catskill Mountains of NY where they have week long retreats for many different styles of music/dance, etc. I have driven past it many times, it is on my bucket list!
https://ashokancenter.org

Yeah, I have friends who've been going there every year since the seventies or eighties. In fact, it's where they met.

[Charlie Bernstein]

Pre-festival camping a festival is a great idea IMO. I used to go to Greyfox the Friday before the festival opened and hang in line with everyone. During the day (if I wasn't volunteering), I'd either woodshed alone, find a jam to play, or go out to explore the area (Bash Bish!). Not "total" immersion but pretty close If there's a festival near you that allows pre-festival camping, that's a great (and relatively cheap) option. Plus then you get to see the pros do it on stage haha

Sounds fun. I don't go to festivals (except the one I play at). Crowds annoy me. That's why I'm wondering about retreat centers.

- - - Updated - - -

Great ideas. The last time I volunteered at the Pagosa Folk and Bluegrass Festival in Colorado, I arrived a week early and camped in my van (for free) in the Rio Grande National Forest off Wolf Creek Pass. Plenty of woodshedding and alone time prior to the weekend festival. I highly recommend it.

If it weren't for the festival. . . .

[Charlie Bernstein]

https://halswaymanor.org.uk/ Simon Mayor does some here https://halswaymanor.org.uk/event/simon-mayors-mandolin-masterclass-2023/ and the BBMG Summer School dive tails in with it nicely.https://www.bbmg.org.uk/summer-school/

What a great-looking place. But I need New England, not old England!

[Beanzy]

.... you know you want to really! Verily 'tis but a hop o'er the pond.

[Charlie Bernstein]

I know of a couple of top notch musicians/instructors who will offer several days or week long immersions out of their homes. It obviously carries a cost. One is guitar oriented but also has fly fishing. I have not done it due to cost.

One is in Wyoming and the other in East Tennessee.

Thanks. Even if they were here in Augusta, I'm not looking for a teacher, just a retreat place.

They have 'em for writers and visual artists, but I don't know of any for musicians, and I figured, if anyone knows of any, it's the Mandolin Cafe folks.

- - - Updated - - -

.... you know you want to really! Verily 'tis but a hop o'er the pond.

=O]

[NDO]

My friend in Montana runs an artist’s retreat in the mountains. Volunteers camp (campers and bunkhouses) and help with building the place for a few weeks and have daily opportunities to practice or jam. We have some great campfire sessions when I bbq a salmon at my place

Search for Artists’ Refuge at Thunderhead.

[pops1]

I live in the woods in Wisconsin, it you want to come here and camp you can be by yourself as long as you want.

[Randi Gormley]

There's Acadia trad camp -- you can attend classes and sessions and concerts and whatnot but you may be able to just hang and play in your room or outside; you can reach out to them and see if they can offer you a space on campus. https://acadiatradfestival.org/ it's at Bar Harbor, by the way.

and of course catskills irish arts in upstate new york. if you don't take classes, you can spend the entire day just playing by yourself or with neighbors just for the cost of the hotel room/meals. and go to concerts and sessions all night.

[mbruno]

Sounds fun. I don't go to festivals (except the one I play at). Crowds annoy me. That's why I'm wondering about retreat centers.

You could always go for just pre-festival stuff when there's a lot fewer folks then head out before the festival starts. That said, I'm honestly a bit curious about how you'll be immersed in music and potentially jamming without other people playing music too... Seems like you'll have to tolerate people at least

For just woodshedding, if you don't have a good spot for that at home (or just want to get out of the house for it), renting a small studio space might work. Or, if it's nice out, I like hitting up a park.

[Charlie Bernstein]

My friend in Montana runs an artist’s retreat in the mountains. Volunteers camp (campers and bunkhouses) and help with building the place for a few weeks and have daily opportunities to practice or jam. We have some great campfire sessions when I bbq a salmon at my place

Search for Artists’ Refuge at Thunderhead.

Thanks! No chance of getting to Montana, but it sounds like he has a great thing going.

[Charlie Bernstein]

You could always go for just pre-festival stuff when there's a lot fewer folks then head out before the festival starts. That said, I'm honestly a bit curious about how you'll be immersed in music and potentially jamming without other people playing music too... Seems like you'll have to tolerate people at least

For just woodshedding, if you don't have a good spot for that at home (or just want to get out of the house for it), renting a small studio space might work. Or, if it's nice out, I like hitting up a park.

I want to immerse myself in my own music. Since I got married, I've only written a couple of songs a year. Really miss it. So I'd like to find something like what NDO describes in post 18 — but not as far away.

No studio rental budget, or I would've started doing that years ago. Sometimes I go to the park, and sometimes when I do that I invite other people. But Maine doesn't have a lot of months where you can really do that.

[Charlie Bernstein]

There's Acadia trad camp -- you can attend classes and sessions and concerts and whatnot but you may be able to just hang and play in your room or outside; you can reach out to them and see if they can offer you a space on campus. https://acadiatradfestival.org/ it's at Bar Harbor, by the way.

and of course catskills irish arts in upstate new york. if you don't take classes, you can spend the entire day just playing by yourself or with neighbors just for the cost of the hotel room/meals. and go to concerts and sessions all night.

Thanks! What I'm looking for is a retreat place like what NDO described in post 18.

[Charlie Bernstein]

I live in the woods in Wisconsin, it you want to come here and camp you can be by yourself as long as you want.

What a great offer! Thanks for that. Wisconsin is a bit beyond the Pale.