For more information on class structure and camp schedules go here:
CAMP SCHEDULE '20

Home Room Classes

You'll be asked to pick one of the following homeroom options when you register:

Ukulele

Beginner Ukulele  |  Carol Johns
More info TBA.

Intermediate Ukulele  |  Eduardo García
Level: Intermediate (Confident beginners are welcome) Requisites: Feel comfortable singing and strumming along. If you already got your ukulele survival kit unlocked, you’re doing well but slowly you’re starting to get bored of the same ‘ol patterns over the same ‘ol chords. Then this class is for you. Together we’ll build up the tools to give new life to the things you’re already doing. Add a new layer of paint to an old favourite or just a dash of lemon to the latest song you learnt. Everyone is welcome to bring examples and music to share, although, enough music will be provided to keep you playing at all times! ​

Advanced Ukulele  |  Neal Chin
In this class we will work on various aspects of your ‘ukulele playing to help take your ‘ukulele skills to the next level. We will work on several exercises to help bolster our facility with the instrument, explore various popular genres of ‘ukulele music ranging from Hawaiian to jazz, and ultimately increase our ability to use the ‘ukulele in both group and solo play. While we will do a little singing in class, this class is more for the instrumentalist and accompanist. 

Voice

Building Your Bag Of Tricks  |  Dawn Pemberton
(7 singers) SOLD OUT
In a fun, playful and supportive environment we will dig deep and explore the art of performance! This singer's lab  is open to all levels and styles. Together we will learn some fantastic tools to enhance your solo chops, free your voice, build your confidence, inspire your musicality and refine your overall performance techniques. All participants must come prepared to sing one song and must bring a leadsheet/chart or sheet music in their key.

3 Part Harmony  |  Jenny Lester
3 Part Harmony singing Bluegrass style is a process that enables three singers to create a full, lush sound. This workshop will give you solid fundamental tools for understanding and crafting your parts. Join in to sing, hear and feel resonance and theory come together in harmony.
Everyone welcome, no experience necessary.

Songwriters Toolkit  |  Patrice Haan
Songs are built of ingredients - plus a certain something else that only can be discovered by daring to try. Let’s use games of science and enchantment to build your toolkit, and see if a song arrives.

All Instruments

Band Class  |  Ali Romanow
Want to build your skills as a team player? unsure of how your instrument or skills would work within a band? Lets find out! Throughout the week we will work together to learn, arrange and uplift songs as a group. This class is open to all levels and all types of instruments and singers.

Kids Program

Kids Program  |  Anthea Morritt, Max Wallace, Sofya Bice

Guitar

Beginner Guitar  |  Jeff Dill
Are you starting out playing guitar? Or, do you not get to play much and wish to brush up on some fundamentals?  Rhythm guitar is usually a first choice instrument to play while singing or accompanying an instrumentalist. Lets look at some open chord shapes and see how they can be used to create a song.  Different styles of traditional music have each created their own strumming techniques. We can break these down to find the sound and groove of Old-Time, Bluegrass, Irish, and Travis style fingerpicking. Please bring a thick and a thin flatpick.

Intermediate Guitar  |  Marc Atkinson
‘tools for jamming’. In this class we get talking about how to have a plan for continuing to grow as a musician and how to get down to the core of harmony and rhythm. 

Advanced Guitar  |  Tony Marcus
Western Swing guitar. Using a limited number of moveable four note chords, we'll investigate the repertoire of Western Swing bands. This includes songs written for that style with a western flavor, but also older tin pan alley type material which many of those bands recorded. Attention will be given to the somewhat different right hand rhythm feels of Western and Eastern swing styles. 

Fiddle

Beginner Fiddle  |  Jennie Bice
In this class we will explore a broad mix of genres such as celtic, eastern european and french canadian, and also try out different ways to accompany old favourites to make them our own!
We'll have a look at rhythms for many kinds of tunes and turn your fiddle into a bodhran! Add in someadventurous arrangements, bowing techniqe and chording 101, and you've got a recipe for a greatmusical journey!

Intermediate Fiddle |  Miriam Sonstenes
What better way to improve your playing than with easy to learn fiddle tunes from the North American and Celtic repertoire, taught by ear, with correct bowing and ornamentation. Intermediate fiddlers should have a basic repertoire and good technique, but there is always room for improvement, especially when it comes to speed and confidence. A lot of this comes down to bow control. We will take apart some of the bowing patterns found in many tunes to better understand them, and look at the role of the left hand for ornaments, vibrato, slides, and the big one, intonation. Instrument set up, posture and bow hold all determine your tone, and will be reviewed in detail as we learn our tunes. Time allowing, we will add some harmony parts, chording and chopping to round out the tunes. 

Advanced Fiddle  |  Julian Smedley
During this class, we explore the roles given to left & right arms, wrists and fingers while playing swing fiddle. Learn to syncopate and ornament some iconic jazz standards as you simultaneously add them to your repertoire!

Electives & Small Ensembles

Every year we offer a huge range of drop in workshops at Beyond Trad, the classes listed below are just some of the offerings for Elective classes at camp this year. 
SLOW PITCH JAM:
Simple, straightforward tunes, strongly facilitated. Sing and strum along in a friendly open environment.
​SON HUASTECO (HUAPANGO): (Last year it was JAROCHO, this time I’d like to share a different musical region)
Level: Confident beginners and beyond.
Requisites: Confident strumming is required
This is a unique opportunity to learn a traditional Mexican folk style from a native instructor. We will learn a selection of traditional ’sones’ on the ukulele, using the specific strumming patterns called ‘Manicos’ for the Huapango as it is played in the beautiful region known as ‘La Huasteca’ in Mexico.
Song Writing In an Hour
​Low G ‘Ukulele 
Though it is a small difference in tuning, changing from a high G ‘ukulele to a low G ‘ukulele can redefine your approach to the instrument whether your a singer songwriter or an instrumental soloist. We will observe some of the subtle differences and a few tools to fully utilize a low G ‘ukulele including expanding chords, creating a second voice in the bass, and some right hand techniques for low G. Low G ‘ukulele required to attend.
Accompaniment 101- What you need to know when backing up others
Guitar can be a tasteful accompaniment to your own singing or for another performer.  Fundamental concepts include laying down a chordal structure to the piece, providing rhythm and groove, filling in some musical spaces when needed, and staying in the background while the singer or soloist is the musical focus.  We can look at how this task can be accomplished in different styles of music, and adjusted to the other instruments on the stage.
​CHORD MELODY MADE EASY:
Level: Confident beginner & Beyond Requisites: Feel comfortable reading chord diagrams.
If you’re like me, maybe singing is not what appeals you the most about playing the ukulele, but this doesn’t have to be a downside on our lives as ukulele players, we can make the instrument sing for us! Plus, you don’t even have to worry about reading music or TAB for this workshop. All pieces are layered out in a friendly visual way to allow everyone to play this technique right away! We will learn more about the concept of what a Chord Melody is, and cover the techniques of how to create a Ukulele chord melody from any song, plus chord melody pieces to learn immediately and give this concept a go!
Strathspey!- Come explore your inner Scot! We'll learn a meaty Scottish Strathspey, rife with scotchsnaps and attitude! We'll also experiment with traditional and non-traditional applications of thisunusually rhythmed style of tune. Intermediate level advised.
SOUL SESSIONS
Why is soul music so fantastic?! Why is soul music so fun to sing?! Together we will dive in and explore some of the techniques and styles of some of the greatest soul singers like Sam Cooke, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye. Using fun and inspiring songs, we’ll create a mini-choir in which budding soloists can seek, stretch out and soar!
Listening to Layers
Songwriting in an hour
We will start by briefly brainstorming to identifying songwriting skills.  Those who are willing to share a song for the circle are encouraged to bring a song.  This is a creative and safe environment to offer and receive feedback within the group.
Western Swing Strings Things
BAND LAB
Participants will be divided into small combo groups, and given 45 minutes to put together a performance with the help of one of our Instructors (Songs are selected pre-camp and demoed the during the morning Vocal Warmup). This is a great chance to practice performing, communication within a band and make new friends. Tuesday's Lab will feature selections from Folk and Bluegrass world, Thursday's will have selections from Western Swing and Country.
Clawhammer Banjo
Improv Comedy!- Improv comedy is a fun way to learn about the skills and techniques of
improvisational theatre! We'll feature fundamentals of stagework and improvisational comedy,character and scene development, and do it all while playing hilarious theatre games! No experience necessary, but a willingness to be extremely silly is an asset!! Class size: 15 max.
UKULELE KICK-OFF:
Level: Newcomer, Beginner Requisites: Just show  up
Really, that’s it. You don’t even need to own a ukulele for this lesson, there’ll be a few instruments available to have a taste on the instrument, so please pre-register to secure your spot! We will learn all the basics to start having fun with our new instrument. You will learn how to hold it, the name of the ukulele parts, the name of your playing fingers, the basics for strumming. How to read a chord diagram, how to follow a song chart, to summarize… you’ll learn everything you’ll need to start this journey of joy and music with a ukulele (plus a bunch of tunes to get started).
Jazz Violin Greats
Fingerpicking From the Bottom Up
Fiddle For Violinists
Getting that fiddle sound and groove can be a challenge if you've only played classical violin. The key difference is bowing style and speed of vibrato, but there are many other elements that need to be worked on to get that fiddle sound. In this workshop we will go over the most important do's and don'ts of fiddling, and also work on ear training which is the key to learning any style. 
Practice Tech
Knowing how to practice well is something that is expected of all musicians, but not often taught. A good routine, goal setting and staying inspired are some of the things we will discuss in this workshop, as well as how to troubleshoot when progress seems to be at a standstill. Knowing how to best use your time and energy can accelerate your learning. This workshop is also a great place to share your tips and what has worked well for you. If you are in a practice slump, or simply want to gain new practice skills, bring your ideas, a note book and pencil and your instrument (or voice) - there is always room for some hands-on examples.
the “mind meld”, a game of tuning in to your musical pals so deeply you breathe as one in the music. Here are a few exercises to focus attention, improve your blend, and match feels.
The Blue Grass Stack
How to make interesting arrangements without a full band (or Two is enough – who needs the rest of the band?)
Old Paint Duo (Miriam Sonstenes and Jeff Dill) will lead this workshop on duet arranging, sharing some of their experience and tips on creating a compelling and enjoyable sound with just two musicians. From optimum key choice according to vocal range, harmony note choices according to taste (and rules), as well as overall song structure, repeats, intro's and outro's, there are many choices available for crafting your song. Which choices elevate the music and the story, and which distract, or take away?
Intro To Western Swing Guitar
Singin' and Fiddlin'!- This one's for fiddle beginners and beginners plus. We'll learn a few tunes by earwith strong patterns and catchy lyrics that'll have feet stompin'! It's easier to catch a hold of a fiddletune when you can sing it as well, and we'll explore ways to use your vocals to keep fiddle tunes strong in your repertoire.
The Art of the Kanikapila - Hawaiian Jam Session
A lot of gatherings in Hawaii eventually evolve into a kanikapila, or loosely translated as a jam session, with friends and family singing and playing their favorite songs together. The brave instrumentalists take will take a pa’ani (solo) to break up the song while the stronger singers will lead the group as they kahea or call out the first word of the next verse. Join us as we jam through some Hawaiian classics and learn few tools to enhance your next kanikapila!
Intro to Jazz 'Ukulele
The 'ukulele has found it's home in the jazz world thanks to some of the greats including Herb Ohta, Benny Chong, and Lyle Ritz. Join us as we dive into the genre and learn some of the vocabulary and techniques that these great players use including comping techniques, how to construct chord solos, and harmony as viewed by an 'ukulele player. So whether you are a soloist or looking to join a jazz jam session on your 'ukulele this class is just for you! An understanding of how chords are constructed will help you get the most out of the class.
VOCAL CARE 101
In this elective we will cover the basics of good vocal hygiene and discuss how technique impacts vocal health. We’ll also explore how great technique leads to greater expression, access to a wider range of vocal tones and colours and stylistic effects. You will have a better understanding of the do’s and don’ts and leave with a few helpful tools and methods to create your own simple warm up and cool down routine. Please feel free to bring your questions!
​All you need is the I IV V - the Nashville Number System
How do players in a jam know where to put the capos and then start playing along like they have played it before? They are using the Nashville Numbering System.  After some experience learning songs, active listening, and recognizing patterns, one can hear that most songs and tunes are made of predictable parts and some unique surprises.  I will explain these predictable I IV V chords in different keys so that one can play along with different singers' voice ranges. Players can then focus on mastering the surprising bits each time they come around in the song. (If the song is all unpredictable surprises it is called a jam-buster because no one can learn it fast enough.) Experienced jammers can use the predictability of the Nashville number system to anticipate which of their songs are the ones to share.
​Ter-riff-ic  (or the art of accompaniment) - how to play the right thing at the right time, without soliciting withering looks from the singer.
Fiddle improvisation
With no frets, and a wealth of sound possibilities, the violin is an ideal instrument for improv. But with so few limitations, the rules must first be learned: what chord are we on, what are my safe notes, andwhat is the melody I am improvising over? Come learn the basics of improv in a fun and relaxed setting, using familiar tunes and simple progressions, and get hooked on the thrill of improvising!