About Our Program

Suwannee Banjo Camp is devoted to offering serious instruction in old-time and bluegrass music, all taught by outstanding musicians who are also gifted and empathetic teachers. Over the years we have come up with a cadre of instructors who fit the bill, and who go way out of their way to make sure students have every opportunity to learn in a warm, non-judgmental environment.

Suwannee Banjo Camp runs straight through from Thursday mid-afternoon through Sunday lunch. We offer nine class sessions — three on Friday, four on Saturday, and two on Sunday — with just under a dozen class options offered per session. Each session is one hour and fifteen minutes long. There are staff concerts on both Friday and Saturday evenings; over the course of the weekend you’ll have the opportunity to hear most (and perhaps all) of our staff in concert. Rounding out the program are demonstrations; and staff-led bluegrass and old-time jams conducted at slow, intermediate, and “up-to-speed” skill levels. We also offer jams with a vocals focus. For a full description of aspects of our program, such as classes, concerts, jams and other activities, go back to the Program menu and select the items you are interested in. See below for an overview.

Classes

For information on our banjo, guitar, fiddle, and mandolin classes go to the Classes page and select the tab for the instrument and style that most interests you.

Demonstrations

“Demos” take place on Friday afternoon. They are presentations or mini-performances combined with explication and Q&A sessions. They are similar to the kind of round-robin events called “workshops” at many Folk and Bluegrass Festivals. Click here for more on Demos.

Faculty Concerts

We offer two faculty concerts at SBC — one on Friday evening and the other on Saturday evening. During the course of SBC you’ll have an opportunity to hear our entire staff in concert. To get the idea of what to expect, here is a selection of videos from past SBC Faculty Concerts.

Jams

Faculty-led bluegrass and old-time jams at three different levels are held following each concert. We also feature jams for vocalists and other specialized interests.

Schedule

To get the idea, check out the 2024 SBC Program schedule; it lists all classes, demonstrations, concerts, and jams for the 2024 program. The 2025 Program schedule will be posted by mid-to-late December 2024.

Orientation

Student Orientation takes place on Thursday evening right after dinner, prior to the start of the Thursday evening activities.

Thursday Evening Activities

On Thursday evening following orientation, we kick off our program with a student open mic and band scramble, in which students can perform as soloists, in groups of their own choosing, or in randomly assigned ensembles (some people call these band scrambles).

WHAT ARE BAND SCRAMBLES? Participants fill in strips of paper with the following information: name, instrument(s), playing level, and preferred style (old-time or bluegrass). We then use this information to create several old-time and bluegrass bands, and – to make the experience more rewarding – assign an instructor to serve as coach for each ensemble. Scramble bands then have about an hour to prepare a single number for performance that evening.

The Thursday evening program concludes with staff-led jams at different levels featuring either old-time or bluegrass music. We also offer a jam with a vocals focus.

Our 2025 Faculty

Old-Time Banjo: Paula Bradley, Hilarie Burhans, Frank Evans, Adam Hurt, Ken Perlman, and Maggie Shar
Bluegrass Banjo: Scott Anderson, BB Bowness, Greg Cahill, James McKinney, Alan Munde, and Tony Trischka
Fiddle: Erynn Marshall (principal instructor); classes will also be taught by Adam Hurt and others TBA
Guitar: Tim May (principal instructor); classes will also be taught by Paula Bradley, Michael Miles, and Alan Munde
Mandolin: Carl Jones (principal instructor); classes will also be taught by Tim May and others TBA
Guest Faculty: Niki Portman (bass) and others TBA

Photos and bios of our ’25 staff are posted on the 2025 Instructors page.

Starting and Ending Times for Full Camp and Weekend-Only Option

Check-in for the full Camp Opens at 3:00 PM on Thursday March 13; hands-on classes start promptly at 9:15 AM on Friday March 14. Camp ends following lunch at 1:30 PM, Sunday March 16. Check-in for the Weekend Only Option starts at 11:00 AM Friday, March 14; your first camp meal is dinner (6:00 pm). The program begins about 1:30 pm that afternoon and continues through the morning of Sunday March 16.