* * SUWANNEE BANJO CAMP* *

Thursday – Sunday MARCH 13-16, 2025

Registration for SBC 2025 Is Open. Sign Up Today

***Just Out: The SBC 2025 Program Schedule***

New for 2025: Full-Time Program in Mandolin

 25 or Under? Check Out Our Youth Scholarship Opportunities

Come study 5-string banjo in gorgeous natural surroundings with some of today’s best players and teachers. Our program features hands-on classes, demonstrations, and two big faculty concerts, and still leaves lots of time for jamming with your fellow banjo enthusiasts. Suwannee Banjo Camp offers four levels of serious instruction in clawhammer, old-time fingerpicking, and bluegrass banjo styles. We also offer full-time programs in old-time fiddle, bluegrass guitar and – new this year – mandolin.

Note: Clawhammer and old-time fingerpicking together are often referred to as old-time banjo.

Suwannee Banjo Camp runs straight through from Thursday afternoon to Sunday afternoon. We offer nine class sessions — three on Friday, four on Saturday and two on Sunday. 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 our entire staff in concert. Rounding out the program are “demonstrations,” presentations, and staff-led bluegrass and old-time jams conducted at a variety of skill levels. For a full description of our program including classes, demonstrations, concerts, jams and other activities, see the Program menu item. For an overview, start with the About Our Program page.

Just Out!!  The 2025 Suwannee Banjo Camp Program Schedule

The SBC 2024 Camp Photo

Click to Access & Download a High Res Version of our 2024 Camp Photo, Suitable for Printing

Attendance Options: Full Camp vs. Weekend-Only Option

The Full Camp option starts mid-Thursday afternoon and runs through early Sunday afternoon; it includes nine hands-on class sessions and all meals from Thursday dinner through Sunday lunch. If you can’t take an extra day off, our Weekend-Only Option is for you. Weekend-Only begins with the first class Friday afternoon. Included are seven hands-on classes and all meals from Friday dinner through Sunday lunch. Included in both options are the two faculty concerts, staff-led jams on Friday and Saturday evenings, and demonstrations on Friday afternoon. Rates for Full-Camp and Weekend-Only Options are on the Registration & Fees page.

Lodging Must Be Reserved Separately

Lodging must be reserved and paid for directly through our host, Cerveny Conference Center. For lodging options and lodging reservation instructions, see the Lodging page.

Commuting

You can easily commute to camp – and pay only for tuition and meals – either from home or from an area hotel or B&B. For more info, go to the Lodging page.

Banjo Classes

For descriptions of our old-time and bluegrass banjo programs, go to Classes, and then choose either the Old-Time Banjo tab or the Bluegrass Banjo tab.

Full-Time Fiddle, Guitar and Mandolin Tracks

For more information on our full-time programs in fiddle, guitar, and mandolin go to Classes, and then choose either the Fiddle Track tab, the Guitar Track tab, or the Mandolin Track tab.

Location

Suwannee Banjo Camp takes place at beautiful Cerveny Conference Center at Camp Weed in Live Oak, Florida. For more info, visit the Cerveny Conference Center website.

Starting and Ending Times for Full Camp and Weekend Only Option

Check-in for the full Camp Opens at 2:00 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.

Scholarships

We are usually in a position to offer several partial scholarships. We would like to particularly encourage those under 25 to apply. We also offer a few work-trade scholarships. For more information or to apply, visit our Scholarships page.

Our 2025 Faculty

• Old-Time Banjo: Paula Bradley, Hilarie Burhans, Joseph Decosimo, Adam Hurt,  Michael Miles, and Ken Perlman
• Bluegrass Banjo: Scott Anderson, Greg Cahill, Eli Gilbert, Casey Henry, Gerald Jones, and Alan Munde
• Fiddle: Erynn Marshall (principal instructor); classes will also be taught by Joseph Decosimo and Adam Hurt
• 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 0thers TBA

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

Covid Protocol as of Summer 2024

• We strongly recommend that all attendees be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 and continue to get annual boosters as recommended by the CDC and medical community.
• We will also follow common sense precautions re Covid testing, masking, and social distancing.
• We reserve the right to ask all attendees to take a home Covid test before setting off for Camp (anyone who tests positive should of course stay home)

This Was Our 2024 T-Shirt Design

This was our great T-shirt design for 2024, featuring our beautiful White Lake at sunrise (viewable from the glass wall of our Dining Room), a banjo, and a majestic avian visitor.

Click on the photo to see the design in more detail

Bluegrass Banjo Track

We offer four levels or tracks of instruction in bluegrass banjo: novice, lower intermediate, upper intermediate, and advanced.

Novice track

The novice track in bluegrass banjo is for students with well under a year’s playing experience. Recognizing that novices have unique learning requirements, we offer a systematic course of instruction that starts from scratch, and which is designed to impart both needed skills and effective practice-attitudes.

Lower Intermediate Track

The intermediate track is for those players who are above the novice level but are still in the process of mastering basic techniques. The focus here is overwhelmingly on acquiring the skills you’ll need to grow as a player. This track is for students who have been playing between nine months and two years.

Upper Intermediate Track

This track is for students who have been playing at least two years. Classes in this track are not necessarily technically demanding, but they generally require that students have considerable familiarity with the instrument.

Advanced Track

These challenging classes give our instructors the opportunity to offer students the full depth of  their expertise and experience.

Old-Time Banjo Track

We offer four levels or tracks of instruction in old-time banjo: Novice, lower intermediate, upper intermediate, and advanced.

Novice track

The novice track in old-time banjo is for students with well under a year’s playing experience. Recognizing that novices have unique learning requirements, we offer a systematic course of instruction that starts from scratch, and which is designed to impart both needed skills and effective practice-attitudes.

Lower Intermediate Track

The lower intermediate track is for those players who are above the novice level but are still in the process of mastering basic techniques. The focus here is overwhelmingly on acquiring the skills you’ll need to grow as a player. Our best guess is that students who have been playing between nine months and two years will feel most comfortable here.

Upper Intermediate Track

This track is for students who have been playing at least two years. Classes in this track are not necessarily technically demanding, but they generally require that students have considerable familiarity with the instrument.

Advanced Track

These challenging classes give our instructors the opportunity to offer students the full depth of their expertise and experience.

Old-time Fingerstyle

Our old-time banjo program specializes in clawhammer (frailing) but we always offer a few classes in old-time fingerpicking, including various 2-finger, 3-finger, and hybrid styles. There is generally an introductory class in old-time fingerstyle; most other old-time fingerstyle classes are at the intermediate or advanced levels. Check out 2020 schedule for offerings when it comes out. Meanwhile, see the 2019 Schedule for our last round of offerings.