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 all our instructors in concert. Rounding out the program are demonstrations; and staff-led bluegrass and old-time jams conducted at three skill levels. We also offer jams with a vocals focus. For a full description of individual 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, scroll down 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” thay you’ll find 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. Many students have told us that the quality of music at our concerts is as good as what you’d hear at any folk or bluegrass festival. 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, our 2026 SBC Program schedule is still up on the website. Our 2027 schedule – listing It lists all classes, demonstrations, concerts, and jams for the 2027 Camp – will be posted in late December or early January.

Thursday Evening Activities

Orientation

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

Open Mic & Band Scramble

On Thursday evening following orientation we kick off our program with a student open mic and band scramble. 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 a brief questionnaire 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 – we 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.

Thursday Jams

The Thursday evening program concludes with staff-led jams at three levels featuring either old-time or bluegrass music.

Here Is Our 2027 Faculty

  • Old-Time Banjo: Hilarie Burhans, Joseph Decosimo, Michael Miles, Ken Perlman, Lukas Pool, and Jane Rothfield
  • Bluegrass Banjo: Scott Anderson, Greg Cahill, , Gina Furtado, Ned Luberecki, Alan Munde, and Trevin Nelson
  • Fiddle: Pete Vigour (principal instructor); classes will also be taught by Joseph Decosimo and Jane Rothfield
  • Guitar: Tim May (principal instructor); classes will also be taught by Alan Munde and Michael Miles
  • Mandolin: Brian McCarty (principal instructor); classes will also be taught by guest instructor Ellen Vigour]

*Photos and bios of our 2027 staff are posted on the 2027 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 11; hands-on classes start promptly at 9:15 AM on Friday March 12. Camp ends following lunch at 1:30 PM on Sunday March 14.
  • Check-in for the Weekend Only Option starts at 11:00 AM Friday, March 12; your first camp meal is lunch*. Your program begins 1:30 pm that afternoon and continues through lunch on Sunday, March 15.

* New This Year: the Weekend Only Option also includes Friday lunch.

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