Question for members who have attended workshops/symposiums

[Grant1531]

Question for those who have attended symposiums/multi-day work shops/camps....

Obviously any time you get together with great teachers and like minded musicians you will more than likely learn something. I was just wondering what the general consensus would be on the skill level required to attend one of these symposiums. I'm sure there is a broad spectrum but nobody wants to be the "dunce" in the class. There is a great multi-day symposium this summer at UC Santa Cruz (few hours from me) put on by Grisman but I wouldn't want to spend the time and money and be in the back of the pack (if that makes sense). I have many years playing experience with guitar and have had structured lessons in both guitar and Viola but I am new to the mando. I feel like this instrument has grabbed me more so than any other instrument i've played. Thanks in advance for any advice!

[Daniel Nestlerode]

Just go.
1) You get out of these things what you put into them.
2) You can participate or not at your own discretion in anything requiring a performance.
3) You will take home more than you can possibly process in the week.
Mandolin Symposium is very much worth your time and effort.

Daniel

[Ryk Loske]

I can't speak to anything close to you. But here in the New England-New York-Quebec area ..... Lynne and i have been to places in New York, New Hampshire, Quebec and Massachusetts. Mandolin Camp North in Charlton, MA has been far and away our favorite and the most rewarding as a student. All levels thrive from folks who just bought a new mandolin the previous weekend to very accomplished players.

Our attending the Symposium at Santa Cruz is a dream that short of Powerball just ain't gonna get realized. But ... if we were as close as you are i would definitely do it. So you can't keep up with Sternberg, Marshall & Grisman. (Who can?) The information handed out will keep you busy for at least a year and provide goals for your development. The huge plus for the Symposium to me .... shared with Mando Camp North .... is that it just just mandolin. You'd be exposed to all styles and more than likely many different levels. I can only speak to Don Sternberg as an instructor from experience ..... excellent. Patient and very giving. I would expect the same from Mike Marshall and David Grisman.

I think Don Julin will be there. His generosity from the Dummies books to his offerings on YouTube speaks to his desire to teach.

Ryk

[dusty miller]

I've never been to one either but Mandolin Camp North looks really good. I might hit that one up.

[Pete Martin]

People of ALL levels go and any good camp will have all levels covered. Don't worry about being the so called "dunce". Everyone is there to learn and have a good time so go and join in!

[Gary Leonard]

Grant-

Surely you won't be the dunce of the class. I think I have that one locked up. Seriously, I just started mandolin last November. I talked to Stephen Ruffo (contact info on the Symposium website) to see if it would be a good fit for me, then signed up.

Look at it his way, the camp starts on June 22, you have 85 days to practice up!

Gary

[JeffD]

Sometimes/often there are several mandolin workshops, for different levels, at the same event.

In any case I wouldn't care if I were the dunce of the class. I am not competing with anyone in the class, and there are no tests, and we are not being graded on a bell curve. All that matters is that I come away with some insights and understandings I didn't have before.

Then again, I am not very competitive musically. As soon as I get a wiff of the acrid smoke of competition between me and another mandolin player in a jam, or anywhere else, (you can tell) I let them win and mentally or even physically walk away.

Especially in a classroom or workshop situation. A device hasn't been invented accurate enough to measure how little I care how I stack up with the other mandolinners in the class.

[Mandoplumb]

Agree with JeffD. Football players compeat, mandolin players should make music and have fun. About a hundred years ago, when I was just starting mandolin a musician and mentor told me no matter how good I got and no matter how "bad" the one I was listening to was, if I listen long enough I'd learn something. I've found that to be true, so turning it around, I figure that if someone doesn't learn something from me, he ain't listened long enough.

[bigskygirl]

Just go, listen, and try to absorb the advice. I've been to workshops that are just talk and some that involve playing. No one is going to make you get up and play anything if you don't want to. The Symposium is on my to-do list, maybe next year so if you go please post your thoughts afterward, I'd be interested to hear what you think.

BTW - Don Steirnberg is about one of the the nicest guys you'll run into, he's patient and kind and one of the best. I've not met MM or DG but I'll bet they're both great teachers as well.

You might want to consider River of the West Mandolin Camp near Portland, OR. A great camp run by Brian Oberlin who is a fantastic player and teacher, Don is a frequent instructor there.

[Eddie Sheehy]

Get thee to the Symposium...

[DataNick]

I've never been to a camp, though the Mandolin Symposium and the Monroe Style Mandolin Camp are on my bucket list. I've watched from afar, taken part in, and taught in various festival workshops. My feeling is you get out of it what you put into it, and a lot of people I've observed, don't ask enough questions and either don't take notes or audio/video record the answers/demo, and subsequently get into "I'm being entertained" mode rather than "I'm here to learn" mode. I completely subscribe to the old motto: "a short pencil is better than a long memory". Believe you me, if I make it to one of the 2 camps on my list, I will video till the "cows come home".

I've picked up the best "teaching" tips though in informal jams with pros; Nathan Livers showed and demonstrated the effects of pick angle when I let him check out my mandolin. A local pro fiddler, demonstrated to me how he transposes keys on his fiddle by essentially navigating his index finger as a "capo" going up the neck; I'd never really thought of it that way, etc. So for the experience of the event , etc. there are good reasons to go to camps. OTOH, being around better players can lead to picking up hints, tricks, and teaching moments that can be invaluable. I've made it a habit that when I get around a better player/national pro, that I pick their brain about something re: mandolin technique, style, care of the instrument, whatever...I try to stay in "learning mode".

[Marcus CA]

You sound like you're exactly where I was when I went to MandoSymp for the first time. I was a longtime guitar player who had just dabbled on mandolin. Once I heard about the Symposium and saw who was teaching there, I put in some serious practice time, which enabled me to hold my own just fine in the beginners' classes. Also, everybody is always welcome to attend any class that you want. There's just an unofficial understanding that in the intermediate or advanced classes, you try not to ask beginners' questions, or ask those that can be answered very quickly. If you are interested in playing in an ensemble, many instructors write out stripped-down parts for beginners to play.

As Daniel said in his response, "You will take home more than you can possibly process in the week. Mandolin Symposium is very much worth your time and effort." You are going to learn SOOO much from the classes and from talking to people at meals. The biggest negative is that when you go home afterwards and your family and friends ask you how it was, you'll find that they glaze over after the first couple of minutes of your story, and you'll have just gotten started.

[3rdegree]

Having just come back from Nashville Mando Camp a couple months ago, I can tell you I felt the exact same way. While there were several beginner level players, some intermediate and some advanced, we all learned something. I met great people that were as passionate as I was about the mandolin and the bottom line is I became a much better player simply by practicing my ass off for 3 months ahead of time because of the fear of being the "dunce". These instructors have a way of explaining things to all levels of players.

[Billgrass]

As someone else said, "Get thee to the Symposium!"

I went when I was 2 years in. I got a huge amount out of it. In addition to what I learned there, I picked up quite a bit about how to learn, which has been tremendously useful in the last 3 years. I also made a lot of friends who share my passion and are supportive of my meek efforts to attain competency. One tip: bring a dedicated recorder with sufficient memory to record every session you attend. There will be things that are not useful to you the day you leave, but which you will come back to some time later.

[FLATROCK HILL]

Yes, by all means go if you have the opportunity. You'll have fun, you'll learn...what more could you ask?
And don't worry about being the camp/class 'dunce'. I can tell you from experience, they don't make you wear the hat.

[Randi Gormley]

While I haven't attended anything like the Symposium you're considering, I have attended week-long workshops (or nearly weeklong) both as a (relative) beginner and as an intermediate player. From what I've experienced, the teachers are not an issue. They're very welcoming of beginners and try to accommodate as long as it doesn't extend or interrupt class too much. If there will be any pushback (during class) it'll be from other students, and frankly, you shouldn't let that even impinge on your consciousness. As long as you're not one of those people who can't stop noodling on their instrument during discussions or instruction, you should be fine. Just being in an atmosphere like a mandolin camp (or any music camp) is amazingly affirming.

[rainy512day]

You might also want to check out California Coast Music Camp. The camp is not mandolin-centric but there is usually a great mandolin teacher to study with. This year Sharon Gilchrist will be teaching mando in week 1: http://www.musiccamp.org/camp_classes.php#week1. Also check out the California Bluegrass Association Camp (http://cbamusiccamp.com) this year they have John Reischman, Chris Henry and Mike Compton teaching. John is teaching the "advanced beginner" class, that's a pretty incredible way to take your playing to the next level.

[Phil Vinyard]

I just signed up for year number 6 at Steve Kaufman Kamp in Tennessee. http://www.flatpik.com/Steve-Kaufman-Acoustic-Kamp I had the same concerns heading off my first year but it was the friendliest bunch of people I've ever met. Instructors really want you to learn and are very approachable. That seems to be a fairly universal finding at these things.

The big thing it will do for you is broaden your vision. Before Kamp I had never heard of swing mandolin, very little of classical, or even 3 string style Jethro chords. You get exposed to so much and so many tunes! You will come away a different person and a better player.

Go!!!

[dulcillini]

Grant:

Go for it. Do not worry about your skill level. It is obvious from your comments that you know music. I felt the same way you did when I went to a camp. Just go and enjoy yourself. I went to Kauffman Camp a few years ago and learned so much. Actually, to be honest, I did not get a lot out of the classes, but eh concerts were WOW. The concerts alone are worth the camp fee. Hanging out with other players sharing your interests, fellowship, etc. All of this is more than worthwhile. Make it happen. You won't regret it.

[Grant1531]

Thanks for all of the replies and advice everyone! Seems like the answer was pretty much unanimous. I'm going to take a look at the work schedule and all that other boring stuff and see about making it happen this June. If not, next year for sure. I'm looking into those other workshops/camps that were suggested as well. Can't thank you guys enough!