What is Strawberry Jam Camp?

Strawberry Jam Camp was the brainchild of Keith Yoder. Back in 2008, Keith was teaching at several camps across the country and noticed that the participants were all becoming quite accomplished on their particular instruments, but many of them didn’t know how to jam/play with others. Those that did didn’t know the unwritten rules, or “jamming etiquette”. He thought, “If only there was a camp where people could learn to enjoy the fun of playing with others”. That's exactly what Strawberry Jam Camp is all about! The camp covers what to play for rhythm backup, how to play songs you don't know in a jam, improvisation, and more.

Strawberry Jam Camp is held at the St. Mary's Catholic Church. Camp begins at 9:00 a.m. each day (breakfast is included and starts at 8am). During the day, you'll learn both in a large group setting and break out into smaller focus groups. You will also be assigned to a band. With the help of the instructors, this newly formed band will learn one or two songs to perform on Friday evening at 4pm at the Backbone Bluegrass Festival (weekend pass is included with registration). Lunch is included and will be provided by local restaurants. The afternoon sessions wrap up each day around 4:00 p.m. Be sure to bring your instrument! (Guitar, Mandolin, Banjo, Fiddle, Bass, or Dobro)

At Strawberry Jam Camp, you'll learn the 10 Commandments of Jamming. This includes tuning your instrument, listening to others, trying new things, keeping steady rhythm, playing dynamically, and more! You'll learn how to contribute to a jam and support your fellow musicians, as well as going over improvisation and hearing chord changes. 

Strawberry Jam Camp is a camp for all ages and skill levels! We've had campers attend from 7 years old to 90, and many in between. The camp welcomes any skill level, from beginner to advanced- there's always something new to learn! Our junior instructors are all veterans of the camp; they each have been a part of it for over 10 years. Learn more about them here!