Student Comments

Students Rate Suwannee Banjo Camp Online 2021

Except for a couple of minor technical glitches I would rate the camp in the Fabulous column. All of the classes were very helpful and the teachers top notch. Thanks for a wonderful virtual experience. Kevin Kerwin (New Hyde Park, NY)

Excellent.  I appreciated the full schedule of offerings and the fact that recordings are being made available so that I will be able to listen/watch recordings of the workshops that I did not attend and review the sessions I did attend.  That is a huge reason I feel like this was a good value.  The classes/instructors were high quality.  I definitely learned some new things and feel like my time was well spent.  Ellen Auriti (Berkeley, CA)

Pretty amazing that you could pull this off! I was very pleased. The hard work to do this was evident  Janet Rollings (Afton VA)

Great online classes.  I also enjoyed the evening faculty concerts.  Even the jams were fun; Alan Munde’s regular jam Saturday evening was perfect.  His jam was the most like being at a live jam. Linda Gamel (Albuquerque)

A great offering of classes; I hope you manage to keep a virtual aspect to the camp next year as not everyone can attend in person. Kirby Watson (UK)

This was a great experience.  I really like that the classes were recorded.  I am still going back and taking other classes.  The teachers are great. Jenny Saltzmann (Tuscaloosa, AL)

You did a nice job.  Well organized.  Good classes.  The best in teachers. Debbie Addad (San Francisco)

I really enjoyed it.  Nice job putting it together.  Didn’t mind the online part one bit! Jon Marks (Richmond, VA)

It was gorgeous! I enjoyed it very much and learned a lot! Thank you so much! Apart from the nice community feeling on the weekend, I also like the fact, that I can watch the recordings of other workshops I did not participate in afterwards. Raik Musiolik (Germany)

So much fun! There were too many offerings, like about 4 in each time slot. But that was partly due to my choosing banjo AND mandolin, and to having difficulty deciding whether to go for lower intermediate or higher. Kathy Schwar (Webster,  NY)

Ran very smoothly. I think that I got more out of the virtual classes than the in-person banjo camp. I could focus totally on the instructor and the content instead being distracted by travel logistics, etc. I loved being able to download the class materials ahead of time. My favorite was being able to noodle during the class without disturbing anyone. A totally enjoyable and successful banjo camp! Eileen Sugars (Duluth, MN)

Incredible experience! Although I missed the ability to jam with people in person, there was a unique opportunity to learn from master musicians without having fifty banjos playing in the same room at the same time. I felt like I was getting private lessons. It added a personal touch to have the artists in a relaxed setting teaching from their homes.  Jim Granfortuna (Browns Summit, NC)

This was a well-run virtual camp.  The instructors, especially Greg Cahill and Scott Anderson, did a fantastic job sharing information, performance and practice tips, and allowing us enough time to work through the music they were presenting. Jim Perone (Alliance, OH)

Great camp, innovating as needed to move from in-person to virtual. Good instructors and close up viewing of their instruction.  Handouts more available than ever before.  Camp Directors and their techs worked to solve any technical problems that did come up.  Well worth the cost.  Howard Pardue (Tallahassee, FL)

This was my first banjo camp of any type.  I was very pleased with the credentials of the instructors/speakers, the quality and understandability of the lesson material and the willingness of the staff to address individual questions.  This was a thoroughly enjoyable experience. Thank you, all. Vince Lombardo, Charleston, SC.

An impressive lineup of classes and instructors that will really impact my development as a banjo player. Penny Hillemann (Northfield, MN)

Classes and instructors were top notch. I had an issue with access on an iPad but the tech support was available almost instantly. In the end I connected on my iPhone and mirrored it to my television and was good to go.  Ed Koran  (Salem, OH)

Of course I would rather it had been an in-person event, but the virtual camp was still a great success.  John Catches (Ponte Vedra Bch, FL)

Remarkable, considering this was the first try at on-line Suwannee Banjo Camp. There were a few technical hiccups, but they really didn’t interfere with my experience, which was very satisfying and productive.  Jim Miller (Savannah, GA)

I have wanted to attend in person for years but the virtual Suwanee Banjo Camp was more than ever expected. The minor glitches were quickly forgotten with the quality of the instructors and the lessons presented. Only complaint is there wasn’t enough time to attend more classes Tom Bailey (Rochester, NY)

It was very well organized and navigating the Zoom tech and classes was easy.  The instructors were great and embraced the new format with creativity and fun.  I really like the fact that we’ll have access to all the recorded classes for a time.  When we attend in person classes you always have to miss other classes that conflict but in this case you don’t.   Mark Bauserman (Port Hadlock, WA)

I received the knowledge to be a better banjo player, and I am now able to see the next destination of my journey with a road map to get there. I really liked the online classes for several reasons:
– I do not have to take notes because the lesson is recorded
– I can learn “attend” the other classes I miss.
– Having the handouts ahead of time is a huge benefit!
– Saves travel time.
– More bang for the buck.  Jimmy Culpepper (Hamilton, GA)

Well planned, well run, friendly and inclusive.  The  handouts were  excellent. Graham Wallace (UK)

I found the SBC a truly rewarding experience.  Great instructors for the most part that were really helpful on advancing the knowledge and techniques; good rapport with their virtual audience; and minimal technical issues in virtual conference delivery.  Fred Doerm (Winnipeg)

The online experience was pretty close to the in-person camp with high quality workshops, jams, and concerts.  I attended one day only and plan to do the same in June for the Mid-West Banjo Camp.  The recordings are helpful to review and solidly the workshop content.  Thanks to everyone involved! Colin Field (London, Ontario)

Suwannee Banjo Camp was excellent.  I have been taking banjo lessons for about 18 months, and this program jump started my understaning of banjo and areas I need to study and practice to improve. David Prince (Little Rock, AR)

I thought it was great!  Smoothly proceeded despite all the things that could have been wrong.  I was lower-intermediate and felt that almost all (really only 1 exception) fit with my skill level.  Teachers were knowledgeable and flexible.  A real gift to be able to talk to really experienced players in a small forum. Nancy Galluzzo (Boston, MA)

The online camp was great. I intentionally took classes that were above my current level and wow do I have work to do!  Jim Herzing (Woodlawn, IL)

SBC has been, for many years, the high point of my year. This year, despite the pandemic, was no exception. Yes, it was different. Different isn’t bad, just different. Lawrence Barker (Knoxville, TN)

I’ve only been playing for a year and a half so this was my first banjo camp. I was hoping to get exposure to lots of ideas, theory, rules and not rules and different styles. My hopes were very much met! Steve Bellen (Santa Rosa, CA)

Great! This was my first banjo camp so I can’t compare it to a live in person camp. I probably would not have been able to attend in person. Virtual allowed me to attend. I hope to attend one of the banjo camps in person (midwest is the closest) in the future. Great subjects. Great instructors. Lots of variety to choose from. The videos will allow me to pick up tips from classes I could not attend. Kerry Burns (Pringle, SD)

The camp was very useful to me, and I have a lot of homework that will keep be busy all summer. Drake Deming (Satellite Bch, FL)

The virtual presentation was just great.  I have enjoyed the in person version for sure, but the convenience and focus afforded in the virtual setting is really amazing. Al Poindexter (Jacksonville, FL)

Great!  I attended Sunday only, and found classes that were interesting and useful for me. I had strong doubts about the camp being online.  I miss visiting with other students and faculty. a lot, there are benefits. I was able to practice and tinker with tunes and licks more than in regular camps: My audio was turned off, so I could translate, say, drop thumb notes to Pull-offs and Hammers.  Now videos of the classes will be available for a month or more online, which is wonderful.  Lew Hendrix (Makanda, IL)

I am grateful that the Suwannee Banjo Camp leaders, faculty & crew were able to offer this 2-day virtual program of live lessons from terrific faculty!  I have not been able to attend the “real time” camp in Florida – this year’s virtual offering made my 1st time attendance possible.  The quality of instruction, the variety of topics and the options for beginners through advanced musicians was impressive.  Nancy Fishwick (Bangor, ME)

Excellent! Ironically, if this event had not been on-line it is difficult to see how I would have been able to attend as I live in the UK.
I thought the camp was extremely well organized and the instructors were great. Many thanks!!  Guy Rogers (UK)

The camp was a complete success, especially having to work around the difficulty of the pandemic. It far exceeded my expectations. Neil Donovan (Chicago)

Even though the camp had to happen virtually this year, I thought it was terrific! As I say every year, best camp ever! All that was missing was the opportunity to see and talk to people in person (as well as the trip to Florida during our northern winter). And I bet you didn’t get any complaints about the food! I did miss the Band Scramble and Open Mic that usually happens Thursday night. Ellen Shriver (Chicago)

The Suwannee Banjo Camp offered virtual workshops that were fun and interesting.  It was an opportunity to learn with some of the best performers in the field.  It was something that I would have otherwise not been able to participate in normally. Thanks so much Ben Bliss (Netsu, OR)