WEBVTT

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This week, we're going to the Spirit of the Swanee

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Kids Music Camp to talk to the staff there about

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the history of the camp, the park, and all of

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the different elements that go into creating

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a camp like that. Now, the Spirit of the Swanee

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Kids Music Camp takes place at the Spirit of

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the Swanee Music Park in Live Oak, Florida. where

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the Allman Brothers held their festival for many

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years, Wani Fest. There's several festivals that

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have happened over the years. A lot of things

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have changed in the last few years. A lot of

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fests that went on for a long time did not survive

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COVID, but there's been new ones coming, and

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some of them did survive. And it's a beautiful

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park, and there's been a lot of new development

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there. I highly encourage anyone to go check

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out a fest there. If they have an opportunity

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to, it's a really beautiful place. But this week

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we're focusing on the kids' music camp that has

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been part of the festival grounds really since

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its inception. Pretty much as soon as they had

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the means to start putting it on, they did. And

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it was always part of the goal of the camp. and

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the festivals that they put on there to have

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a kids' music camp. I spoke to four different

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people. I'm just going to play their interviews

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for you one by one. I'm not going to interrupt

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each time. I'll tell you now, I spoke to Elizabeth

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Frable, who has been on the podcast before, and

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spoke about the kids' music camp on her episode.

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I also spoke to Rob Schoen, who is... Someone

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who has taught there for almost as long as Elizabeth's

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been teaching there for 16 years. Rob has been

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teaching there for 13 years. Then I spoke to

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Melissa Glasscock, who was a student there and

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is now a teacher there, whose kids also are now

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students there. And then I got to sit down with

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Charles Cornett, whose family owns the park.

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Very nice guy. He's also the de facto park historian.

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He archived all the photos and knew a lot about

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the history of the park and the camp, and we

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had a great conversation about that. I'd love

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to talk to him again. He's a super, super interesting

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guy. Without anything else to say, I'll just

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break down what the camp is really quick. The

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Swanee Kids Music Camp is a camp that is basically

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a mini music festival. But instead of going to

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see bands play, the kids all go to classes. Adults

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cook meals. Adults teach the classes. They have...

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jam sessions throughout the weekend as well as

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the classes and then it all culminates with a

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big concert on sunday where they get to play

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on one of the main stages they have at the festivals

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so um that's really the breakdown of the camp

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it's for it's free it's uh entirely funded by

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donations i've put a link in the description

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of this episode if that's something you have

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the ability to contribute to. I really encourage

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you to do it. They do really great work over

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there. Check out the Swanee Kids Music Camp and

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the staff and the people behind it. Enjoy. I'm

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here with Elizabeth Fravel, who's been on the

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podcast before. You may remember her. And we're

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out at the Swanee Kids Music Camp. And I'm just

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going to let you tell everybody more about it.

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Sure. Yeah, yeah. How long has it been going

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on? Gosh, a long time. I came on board in 2009.

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And for years I'd been coming to the Spirit of

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the Swanee Music Park for festivals. And at the

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time, in 2009, my kids were young. And I saw

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it advertised on the website that they had this

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music camp happening four times a year. So I

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brought them. They were little. And I have a

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music background and an education background.

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Music education. Put it together. It just came

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to life here for me. I walked into the first

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class with my daughter and I was hooked. I was

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amazed. At that time, we were having classes

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down in the Spirit Hall, and you could hear music

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from the mandolin class and the fiddle class,

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the banjo class, the guitar class. And if you

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stood in the middle, you could hear all the different

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things that were happening, and it just felt

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like such a joyful environment. And the kids

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were having a good time. They were learning how

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to play their instruments. And sometimes it was,

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like, deafening, but overall, it was just amazing.

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I've been coming here for festivals for... Very

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long time. So the Cornett family bought this

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property a couple decades ago and with the intention

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of having this music park here, which over the

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years they have built it out. There was the original

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stage that was here back in the 70s and the 80s.

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And a lot of bluegrass legends came through and

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played here. And then over the years, things

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expanded. The festivals expanded. The amenities

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have grown tremendously. I've noticed a lot of

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new development just since the last time I've

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been here coming in today. So when the Cornett

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family acquired this property and started having

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these festivals here, Jean Cornett, the wife,

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she was really committed to music education.

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So they wanted to have this entertainment venue.

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But alongside that, she was really committed

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to making sure that there were opportunities

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for kids to learn and pass on these songs and

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this traditional music. Maybe not this exact

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thing, but something like this was always part

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of the plan for this park from the beginning?

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I'm not sure exactly when it came online, but

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it was always a core part of what she wanted.

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And it took some time to get the festivals going.

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And then as soon as there was like... extra resources

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that could be given, she started putting this

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into practice. And so it started with a couple

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of instruments and a couple of volunteers. And

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this is such an oral tradition, this kind of

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music. So it naturally lends itself, but like

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to have times that were specifically focused

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to kids learning is what sets this apart from

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a typical jam. So she started having these kids

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camp weekends and the Swanee Spirit Kids Music

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Camp was born. Shortly after she began, she recruited

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Charlie Dame, who's still with us. He's like

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our head honcho when it comes to getting things

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set up. And Mark Stewart joined him shortly after

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that. They're good friends. And then I came and

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discovered, I was like, oh my gosh, this is wonderful.

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They've been doing it for about seven years when

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I came. And then a few years later, Casey Smith

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joined us and she is now, she's the organizer.

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She's our, we like to joke that she's our type

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A and she really has done a fantastic job formalizing

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our nonprofit model and really helping us to

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work in partnership with a lot of the events

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that happen in the park for just fundraising,

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sustainability. And so it's been great. We've

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grown from something that was very grassroots,

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very organic to reflect what the needs are for

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our students. We're a free camp. There's no cost

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associated. The instructors are all volunteers.

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We come here for Friday, Saturday, Sunday, three

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times a year. And then there's also... an intro

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at Thanksgiving weekend. So there's a fourth

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weekend in there, but the kids can get instruction

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on several different instruments. They can do

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banjo, mandolin, violin, bass, guitar, ukulele,

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harmonica, drums, and vocals. So there's nine

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different classes. And from time to time, there's

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also a young children's class. So if there's

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one goal for the students that come for a weekend,

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what would you say, what is the overall goal?

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that you're trying to achieve with individual

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students at this camp over the course of the

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weekend? Yeah, you know, over the years, we've

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had a lot of students that come over and over

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again. And we're really, for all of them, because

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they're all at different levels. Some of them

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are just starting out and learning their first

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few chords. Some of them have been taking private

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lessons and are taking like the fifth class.

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And so... Just instilling this joy of music and

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this sense of musicality and what it means to

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be a musician that listens to people around them

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and elevates the quality of the music, but also

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that kind of ethereal thing that we get from

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playing music, which is creating community. And

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so we're teaching the kids to listen to each

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other, to improve their own musicianship. to

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be on stage because this culminates with a concert

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on Sunday. So getting used to what it feels like

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to have those jitters. And Saturday night we

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have a jam as well. And so everybody's on stage

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in a big fun circle. So there's a really low

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stakes, very loud, very informal way to get on

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stage. But then on Sunday they are sitting in

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a giant bluegrass orchestra and playing through

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the songs that they've been working on all weekend.

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And that's the same stage that gets used at a

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lot of music festivals here. So they're sharing

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a stage that's been used by some of the greats.

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Yeah, yeah. It was really exciting. One of the

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first times that we... transitioned out of our

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smaller space the music hall and started using

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the amphitheater stage because I was like oh

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my gosh like I had just seen Susan Tedeschi and

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Derek Trucks on that stage a couple months earlier

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and then here we were with our students and I

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was just blown away that the that all of us were

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getting that opportunity to be in that space

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because it is it's really special. And the students

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at the school that you teach at get a similar

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experience where they get to play this stage

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where all these bands that come to town have

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also played. Yeah, yeah. When I first moved to

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Tallahassee in 2009, I came out here for this

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camp probably three months later. And I'd been

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coming to Suwannee for many years, but coming

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out here and realizing that my passion for music

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and my job teaching. could mesh was really special

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personally but then as I've gone back professionally

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like I inevitably talk about this camp with my

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students teacher or students parents and post

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online about it so I've had a ton of students

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end up out here and a lot of my friends with

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my daughter included yeah and you talked about

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that on the last time you were on the podcast

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too so I thought that was The way you highlighted

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it then, I thought, was a really great way to

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hear your voice again in introducing everybody

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to what this camp is as I'm exploring really

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behind the scenes. And if somebody wanted to

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start something similar, what would they do?

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Those are the kinds of questions I'm going to

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be trying to get at today. Is there anything

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that you've learned over the years in helping

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organize it? the mistakes that you've learned

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from or, and you don't have to get into the necessarily

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the mistakes, but the lessons maybe you've learned

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from them or just anything that learned over

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the years that, that you wish you had known when

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you first started. And I know that when you came

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in, it was pretty established already, but you've

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also been here a long time now. I feel like 10

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years, probably. I've been doing this for 16

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years now. And, and I just, This is one of those

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places in my life that has always just been such

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a wellspring of inspiration. And I really feel

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recharged at the end of these weekends. Exhausted,

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but so recharged. And I think that a lot of that

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has to do with the mission of the camp, but also

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the people that I get to work with here. They're

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incredible. And I think in the beginning, I wasn't

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quite sure how it all... worked because it sometimes

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feels a little chaotic what are we doing how

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is this going to work but everybody comes through

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there because we're all volunteers the the parents

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they if they see something needs to happen or

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be done they come through if there's a kid that's

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wandered off we someone always catches it so

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there's really this this village mindset and

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learning how to trust and just be at ease in

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this place. There have been so many moments over

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the years that have been there was one year that

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that a group of foster kids came up from Sarasota

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and they had never been in the cold before but

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it actually snowed that weekend it was in January

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and there were snow flurries and so we went outside

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we took a break of course and they were out there

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eating snowflakes and it was it was such a joyful

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moment for all of us to be able to share that

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so there's there's the music but there's also

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you get to enjoy this gorgeous place and being

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outside for most of the time and being in a natural

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environment where the music just seems to flow

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through the trees. It is just one of the most

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beautiful places in the area. I think it, it

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really highlights like what the beauty of this

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part of the country really has to offer. Yeah.

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And we're, so one of my lessons has been just

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to, to trust the people that I'm working with

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and the community that I'm working with. But

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then also fundraising is a huge piece of this.

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We're a free camp. Of course, we provide all

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these instruments that require upkeep. There's

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the grounds, the stage, the staff, everything

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that it takes to put on a full -scale event does

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take funds. And the fundraising thing has been

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really important for this camp. Personally learned

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a lot about nonprofits. And I'm constantly buoyed

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by the fundraising that happens at all the festivals

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throughout the year. LOMAF, Live Oak Music and

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Arts Foundation, and just the way that a lot

00:16:49.279 --> 00:16:52.440
of these festivals, they really put our name

00:16:52.440 --> 00:16:57.980
out there. Hulaween is a huge one. Roots Revival

00:16:57.980 --> 00:17:01.490
and Spring Reunion. I know Wani did back when

00:17:01.490 --> 00:17:04.329
it was a thing. Yeah, there have been a lot of

00:17:04.329 --> 00:17:06.109
festivals, and they've always put our name out

00:17:06.109 --> 00:17:11.309
there. And it's just amazing to see the way that

00:17:11.309 --> 00:17:14.089
has helped our camp sustain and grow. And then

00:17:14.089 --> 00:17:19.309
also, there are now multi -generations of students,

00:17:19.650 --> 00:17:23.609
former students, who are now instructors. I think

00:17:23.609 --> 00:17:26.460
we're going to talk to one of them today. Yep,

00:17:26.519 --> 00:17:29.259
yep, yep. And music educators. So there's a lot

00:17:29.259 --> 00:17:32.140
of people that have gone on to make the arts

00:17:32.140 --> 00:17:35.740
education their careers because of the experiences

00:17:35.740 --> 00:17:40.259
that they had here. If there's one thing you

00:17:40.259 --> 00:17:42.559
could give as advice to somebody that might be

00:17:42.559 --> 00:17:44.259
looking to start something like this in their

00:17:44.259 --> 00:17:49.819
area, what would it be? I would say build your

00:17:49.819 --> 00:17:54.490
team. Build a really good core group. maybe four

00:17:54.490 --> 00:17:58.789
or five people that have similar goals similar

00:17:58.789 --> 00:18:03.049
values and then within that start pooling your

00:18:03.049 --> 00:18:05.890
resources and you'll be amazed because everybody

00:18:05.890 --> 00:18:09.769
that I've ever worked with here is totally vested

00:18:09.769 --> 00:18:13.130
in children's education music education specifically

00:18:13.130 --> 00:18:18.609
it's an easy sell because people understand how

00:18:18.609 --> 00:18:22.049
important it is for children to have experiences

00:18:22.049 --> 00:18:27.230
positive experiences in the arts and and but

00:18:27.230 --> 00:18:30.029
once you start building your network your community

00:18:30.029 --> 00:18:32.410
and you put it out there we need some guitars

00:18:32.410 --> 00:18:36.190
donated we need some strings donated then you're

00:18:36.190 --> 00:18:40.349
building that and it just snowballs once you

00:18:40.349 --> 00:18:44.059
get to a certain point you can say We've fundraised

00:18:44.059 --> 00:18:47.420
this amount of money. Now we're asking for a

00:18:47.420 --> 00:18:51.740
sponsorship. And so you can prove that your organization

00:18:51.740 --> 00:18:57.779
is viable. It's carrying on. We've got our 503B

00:18:57.779 --> 00:19:00.599
tax filings in order. We've got all these things

00:19:00.599 --> 00:19:02.759
formalized. And then you can start to ask for

00:19:02.759 --> 00:19:05.900
sponsorships. And we've been so fortunate over

00:19:05.900 --> 00:19:09.000
the years. Different companies have sponsored

00:19:09.000 --> 00:19:12.369
us. Gold Tone donated a ton of, and I'm going

00:19:12.369 --> 00:19:14.150
to start forgetting if I start naming, but I'm

00:19:14.150 --> 00:19:16.690
going to do it anyway. Gold Tone donated a bunch

00:19:16.690 --> 00:19:20.410
of banjos. We got a bunch of Kala ukuleles donated

00:19:20.410 --> 00:19:24.589
for a while. Elixir Strings gave us a whole bunch

00:19:24.589 --> 00:19:28.269
of strings for a while. Ben Owens Music in Valdosta.

00:19:28.589 --> 00:19:31.609
It's like, as the mom and pops, they have fixed

00:19:31.609 --> 00:19:35.109
so many instruments for us over the years. Debra

00:19:35.109 --> 00:19:39.670
Amesqua from Agua. Mandolins over in Tallahassee

00:19:39.670 --> 00:19:43.950
has done a ton of instrument repair and teaching

00:19:43.950 --> 00:19:47.109
us instructors how to repair instruments. Of

00:19:47.109 --> 00:19:49.769
course, the Cornett family donating this space

00:19:49.769 --> 00:19:54.630
for decades now. We're just really fortunate

00:19:54.630 --> 00:19:58.109
to have the backing of so many. Oh, Krispy Kreme

00:19:58.109 --> 00:20:02.309
has, the Tallahassee Krispy Kreme has brought.

00:20:03.279 --> 00:20:06.680
countless donuts to the rescue for those early

00:20:06.680 --> 00:20:10.660
morning shifts so we've had a lot of really great

00:20:10.660 --> 00:20:13.039
partnerships that have gotten us to where we

00:20:13.039 --> 00:20:15.619
are now and sustained us through the lean years

00:20:15.619 --> 00:20:20.019
speaking of resources and donations there's a

00:20:20.019 --> 00:20:22.380
link if you want to contribute to this camp in

00:20:22.380 --> 00:20:25.079
the description of this episode and is there

00:20:25.079 --> 00:20:27.099
anything else you'd like to share with everybody

00:20:27.099 --> 00:20:29.950
before we Before we let you get back to teaching

00:20:29.950 --> 00:20:33.809
the kids. Thanks for listening. Thanks for supporting

00:20:33.809 --> 00:20:40.029
this mission by giving this podcast a listen

00:20:40.029 --> 00:20:43.910
and a like. And thanks for supporting the children

00:20:43.910 --> 00:20:46.789
in your lives because there's nothing more important

00:20:46.789 --> 00:20:50.089
than the lessons and the love and the opportunities

00:20:50.089 --> 00:20:52.950
that we can give to children. Thanks, Elizabeth.

00:20:53.170 --> 00:20:55.269
It's always great to have you on here. Thanks.

00:20:59.960 --> 00:21:02.460
All right, I'm here with Rob Schoen, who has

00:21:02.460 --> 00:21:05.380
been teaching here for over a decade, and you

00:21:05.380 --> 00:21:09.579
said 13 years? Yeah, 12 or 13. And your kids

00:21:09.579 --> 00:21:14.660
have gone here over the years. Anyway, can you

00:21:14.660 --> 00:21:16.920
talk, just to start with, a little bit about

00:21:16.920 --> 00:21:20.720
what this place means to you, what the camp has

00:21:20.720 --> 00:21:24.920
done for both your community, it seems like it's

00:21:24.920 --> 00:21:27.660
been a big part of your family, but also... Big

00:21:27.660 --> 00:21:30.119
part of your music life, too. So if you can maybe

00:21:30.119 --> 00:21:33.819
just talk about that. Yeah, it is. I'm not exactly

00:21:33.819 --> 00:21:40.019
sure where to start. It's definitely been a big

00:21:40.019 --> 00:21:44.039
part. This place has been a big part of my family

00:21:44.039 --> 00:21:49.299
and my children's childhood, I'd say. It will,

00:21:49.299 --> 00:21:54.900
I'm sure, be the cornerstone of their memory

00:21:54.900 --> 00:21:58.460
of childhood at this point. We've been coming

00:21:58.460 --> 00:22:03.440
here, my wife and I, for 20 years or more to

00:22:03.440 --> 00:22:07.500
go to music festivals. Yeah, yeah. And then when

00:22:07.500 --> 00:22:12.180
our friend Elizabeth invited us to come to Kids

00:22:12.180 --> 00:22:15.619
Music Camp and invited me to help teach, I think

00:22:15.619 --> 00:22:17.500
the first time I taught was the guitar class,

00:22:17.640 --> 00:22:20.579
and then drifted into mandolin, which is my main

00:22:20.579 --> 00:22:23.259
instrument. And I've been teaching the mandolin

00:22:23.259 --> 00:22:27.640
class for 10 or 12 years, pretty much. more or

00:22:27.640 --> 00:22:31.059
less every camp. Yeah. And so that's been really

00:22:31.059 --> 00:22:35.759
fun to help kids. Generally, it's geared towards

00:22:35.759 --> 00:22:39.559
getting kids started. In fact, my children now

00:22:39.559 --> 00:22:42.960
have become fairly accomplished on their instruments,

00:22:43.019 --> 00:22:48.900
and they're ready to move into something more

00:22:48.900 --> 00:22:52.319
advanced. But what we're working on is that thing

00:22:52.319 --> 00:22:54.980
is helping the next kids who are just getting

00:22:54.980 --> 00:22:57.940
started. to learn now do you are you a teacher

00:22:57.940 --> 00:23:01.420
outside of this as well or i am okay uh but not

00:23:01.420 --> 00:23:04.720
music no i don't teach music okay outside of

00:23:04.720 --> 00:23:07.519
this other than just with friends right socially

00:23:07.519 --> 00:23:10.759
right so what about teaching music specifically

00:23:10.759 --> 00:23:15.859
do you think you get a spark out of that's different

00:23:15.859 --> 00:23:18.759
from just teaching whatever it is you're teaching

00:23:18.759 --> 00:23:22.920
in the classroom i teach math and i teach research

00:23:22.920 --> 00:23:25.779
methods and how to study how people learn math

00:23:25.779 --> 00:23:30.220
in my professional life. Teaching music is fun.

00:23:30.440 --> 00:23:33.440
I mean, a lot of it's the same, but I'd say there's

00:23:33.440 --> 00:23:37.839
a lot more frequent opportunities for joy, and

00:23:37.839 --> 00:23:42.319
I feel like my job is to help facilitate joy.

00:23:42.500 --> 00:23:44.039
In fact, I think that's what this camp really

00:23:44.039 --> 00:23:49.180
does, is facilitate joy. And sure, there's the

00:23:49.180 --> 00:23:52.460
technical aspect of teaching music, but... I

00:23:52.460 --> 00:23:55.380
think for the children who attend and also their

00:23:55.380 --> 00:23:58.200
parents or their grown -ups, especially when

00:23:58.200 --> 00:24:00.660
they get to see them on the Sunday afternoon

00:24:00.660 --> 00:24:03.940
performance. That's a pretty joyful thing. But

00:24:03.940 --> 00:24:08.819
I really enjoy helping kids. Kids are generally

00:24:08.819 --> 00:24:11.319
open and interested in learning. They seem to

00:24:11.319 --> 00:24:13.779
have fewer hang -ups than adults. They're willing

00:24:13.779 --> 00:24:18.059
to just try and make noise. There's all these

00:24:18.059 --> 00:24:20.799
little steps in between where when you get something

00:24:20.799 --> 00:24:23.799
to sound like you want it to sound, or you get

00:24:23.799 --> 00:24:26.640
in sync with rhythm with everybody else, you

00:24:26.640 --> 00:24:30.240
get this little spark of joy from that. And it's

00:24:30.240 --> 00:24:32.460
an individual thing. Individuals can enjoy that,

00:24:32.519 --> 00:24:35.519
but it's also, as a group, we can all enjoy that

00:24:35.519 --> 00:24:38.299
and celebrate that when it happens. That's the

00:24:38.299 --> 00:24:44.500
fun stuff. What have you learned over the years

00:24:44.500 --> 00:24:47.160
that you would tell somebody that might be trying

00:24:47.160 --> 00:24:49.660
to start a camp similar to this in their own

00:24:49.660 --> 00:25:01.380
area or in their own community? I think the approach,

00:25:01.740 --> 00:25:06.059
it's really important to approach it to celebrate

00:25:06.059 --> 00:25:11.579
the positive, celebrate what someone can do or

00:25:11.579 --> 00:25:16.160
what they did just do and don't expect things

00:25:16.160 --> 00:25:23.680
to, don't expect the students or the learners

00:25:23.680 --> 00:25:28.480
to do it the way you, don't have too rigid of

00:25:28.480 --> 00:25:30.440
an idea of how you think it's supposed to be.

00:25:30.640 --> 00:25:34.680
This needs to be open to interpretation and everybody's

00:25:34.680 --> 00:25:38.180
on their own path, their own journey. And it

00:25:38.180 --> 00:25:41.940
all comes together in the end. Everybody gets

00:25:41.940 --> 00:25:44.539
joy out of a different aspect of it and they're

00:25:44.539 --> 00:25:47.539
at a different place. And just be open to that.

00:25:48.460 --> 00:25:52.420
And I think that leads nicely into this question.

00:25:53.059 --> 00:25:55.940
If you have one goal for your students over the

00:25:55.940 --> 00:25:58.059
course of the weekend, what would you say that?

00:25:59.839 --> 00:26:03.759
Maybe as broad of a goal as you can that kind

00:26:03.759 --> 00:26:06.740
of applies to all of them. Because they're all

00:26:06.740 --> 00:26:08.940
going to have individual kind of benchmarks that

00:26:08.940 --> 00:26:11.799
they're going to try and achieve musically. But

00:26:11.799 --> 00:26:14.240
if you had one goal for them over the course

00:26:14.240 --> 00:26:15.940
of the weekend, what would you say that is? I

00:26:15.940 --> 00:26:19.039
think feel good about their playing. I don't

00:26:19.039 --> 00:26:21.119
care where they end up as far as a technical

00:26:21.119 --> 00:26:24.240
prowess, really. Make them want to do it more.

00:26:24.539 --> 00:26:27.240
Yeah, make sure that they feel good about it

00:26:27.240 --> 00:26:30.480
and a little bit hungry to do something a little

00:26:30.480 --> 00:26:35.410
better or a little different beyond that. simultaneously

00:26:35.410 --> 00:26:38.329
the goal feel good about what you've accomplished

00:26:38.329 --> 00:26:41.849
what you can do and then also feel a little hungry

00:26:41.849 --> 00:26:44.910
to do a little more so what have you learned

00:26:44.910 --> 00:26:47.089
from your students over the years teaching this

00:26:47.089 --> 00:26:52.789
oh as a musician oh my gosh one of the things

00:26:52.789 --> 00:26:56.769
is taking these tunes that are like well known

00:26:56.769 --> 00:26:59.170
in my head and going back and thinking about

00:26:59.170 --> 00:27:03.109
them like the simple core element of the tune

00:27:04.039 --> 00:27:07.299
and where is that and then also thinking about

00:27:07.299 --> 00:27:12.599
different ways to participate in the music that's

00:27:12.599 --> 00:27:16.140
being played sometimes really i've teach the

00:27:16.140 --> 00:27:17.819
mental and it takes a fair amount of strength

00:27:17.819 --> 00:27:22.740
to press the the strings and i've learned that

00:27:22.740 --> 00:27:25.160
some of the youngest children the five and six

00:27:25.160 --> 00:27:26.599
-year -olds just don't have the hand strength

00:27:26.599 --> 00:27:30.960
to do it and i used to until recently recommend

00:27:30.960 --> 00:27:35.039
against having the youngest children in the class

00:27:35.039 --> 00:27:38.420
because a lot sometimes it turns to crying because

00:27:38.420 --> 00:27:41.000
they can't get the same kind of sound that some

00:27:41.000 --> 00:27:43.240
of the older kids are getting yeah but i've come

00:27:43.240 --> 00:27:47.799
to learn that there's this really important thing

00:27:47.799 --> 00:27:50.220
with mandolin where of just simply muting the

00:27:50.220 --> 00:27:54.640
strings and chopping that that real steady chop

00:27:54.640 --> 00:27:57.319
and rhythm and you don't need to the younger

00:27:57.319 --> 00:27:59.839
kids can do that great actually and professionals

00:27:59.839 --> 00:28:04.730
do that too and that's actually the most The

00:28:04.730 --> 00:28:07.069
important aspect of playing in a group of people

00:28:07.069 --> 00:28:10.250
is having steady, consistent rhythm and also

00:28:10.250 --> 00:28:13.029
staying in your lane and not making the sound

00:28:13.029 --> 00:28:16.690
muddy. And that muted chop is the perfect thing

00:28:16.690 --> 00:28:20.490
on the mandolin. So we work on that, and even

00:28:20.490 --> 00:28:22.789
the youngest kids can get that almost right away.

00:28:22.970 --> 00:28:25.269
It's really fun. That's awesome. They can really

00:28:25.269 --> 00:28:29.470
contribute and participate fully. And create

00:28:29.470 --> 00:28:31.450
a sound that you weren't necessarily getting

00:28:31.450 --> 00:28:36.869
before. Yeah, when you're trying to strum the

00:28:36.869 --> 00:28:41.089
chords, there's a lot to coordinate and the quality

00:28:41.089 --> 00:28:44.710
of the tone can get compromised. But if you just

00:28:44.710 --> 00:28:47.769
focus on that rhythm, all the notes are negotiable

00:28:47.769 --> 00:28:49.730
when you're playing music, but really the rhythm

00:28:49.730 --> 00:28:55.470
needs to be solid. And that's where now in recent

00:28:55.470 --> 00:28:59.150
camps, that's where we really focus. Is there

00:28:59.150 --> 00:29:01.890
anything else that you really want to share with

00:29:01.890 --> 00:29:04.960
people about? this camp and what it's meant to

00:29:04.960 --> 00:29:17.039
you over the years one thing i think that i heard

00:29:17.039 --> 00:29:21.420
a man named seth who's the executive director

00:29:21.420 --> 00:29:27.559
at augusta heritage center in west virginia that

00:29:27.559 --> 00:29:31.400
i'll kind of say that i think he's really right

00:29:31.400 --> 00:29:36.759
is To have the highest level of music, whether

00:29:36.759 --> 00:29:41.180
it's chamber music or big band or rock and roll

00:29:41.180 --> 00:29:43.960
or commercial music or jazz or whatever it is,

00:29:44.059 --> 00:29:49.660
you really need to have a really solid base of

00:29:49.660 --> 00:29:54.160
folk music or everybody playing music. Music

00:29:54.160 --> 00:29:57.950
is not supposed to be a spectator sport. It's

00:29:57.950 --> 00:30:00.569
one of the most human things there is that exists

00:30:00.569 --> 00:30:05.849
in every human culture. And really it should

00:30:05.849 --> 00:30:09.930
be a participatory thing. And you can't have

00:30:09.930 --> 00:30:14.630
the geniuses rise without a really solid base

00:30:14.630 --> 00:30:18.369
of people who play the folk music or the things

00:30:18.369 --> 00:30:22.289
like that. You don't get Mozart without a solid

00:30:22.289 --> 00:30:24.829
base of Austrian folk music you don't get Bach

00:30:24.829 --> 00:30:28.170
without a really large pool of German folk music

00:30:28.170 --> 00:30:30.910
being played and then some of that genius can

00:30:30.910 --> 00:30:36.049
bubble up to the top and be lasting but that

00:30:36.049 --> 00:30:39.730
even goes for commercial music as well and the

00:30:39.730 --> 00:30:43.349
business side of things when you have a really

00:30:43.349 --> 00:30:46.049
large pool of people who just play as a part

00:30:46.049 --> 00:30:48.859
of their everyday life and participation and

00:30:48.859 --> 00:30:51.539
interaction with each other. That on itself is

00:30:51.539 --> 00:30:56.000
extremely satisfying and really human connection.

00:30:56.400 --> 00:31:00.440
But then sometimes what bubbles up from that

00:31:00.440 --> 00:31:06.279
are these really amazing geniuses that push things

00:31:06.279 --> 00:31:10.519
forward in music or the business of music or

00:31:10.519 --> 00:31:14.380
whatever it may be. Rob, thank you for your time.

00:31:14.440 --> 00:31:15.839
I really appreciate you sitting down. I know

00:31:15.839 --> 00:31:18.440
you've got a class to teach here in a few. Thanks

00:31:18.440 --> 00:31:20.079
a lot for sitting down with us. Appreciate you.

00:31:20.359 --> 00:31:24.319
Happy to talk about it. I'm here with Melissa

00:31:24.319 --> 00:31:28.980
Glasscock, who is someone who started here as

00:31:28.980 --> 00:31:34.859
a student. Yes. I was probably seven when I started

00:31:34.859 --> 00:31:40.339
coming to music camp. And now your kid's coming.

00:31:41.079 --> 00:31:43.759
And you teach here? Yes. So I teach the ukulele

00:31:43.759 --> 00:31:47.660
class. And my kids have been coming since they

00:31:47.660 --> 00:31:50.420
were infants, helping alongside me. And now they

00:31:50.420 --> 00:31:54.099
take classes. So they're the first second generation

00:31:54.099 --> 00:31:58.059
kids to come to music camp. Wow. Let's start

00:31:58.059 --> 00:32:01.920
with your experiences as a kid. What did you

00:32:01.920 --> 00:32:04.000
really remember? What do you really remember

00:32:04.000 --> 00:32:07.039
as a kid about this? And how do you think it

00:32:07.039 --> 00:32:12.829
helped shape who you are now? So I grew up coming

00:32:12.829 --> 00:32:15.230
to the festivals here first, and then my dad

00:32:15.230 --> 00:32:20.049
was invited to help out with the mandolin class.

00:32:20.309 --> 00:32:22.049
So he brought me along with him because I was

00:32:22.049 --> 00:32:25.470
this little shadow growing up. So I came and

00:32:25.470 --> 00:32:27.210
I took the guitar class because I wanted to be

00:32:27.210 --> 00:32:29.690
just like my daddy because my dad plays guitar.

00:32:30.769 --> 00:32:36.150
So I came and I didn't know a single thing what

00:32:36.150 --> 00:32:38.630
I was doing. There's this picture of me with

00:32:38.630 --> 00:32:44.720
my like. face at the concert my first year because

00:32:44.720 --> 00:32:48.720
i didn't know what i was doing at all which is

00:32:48.720 --> 00:32:51.700
really hysterical because i still make that face

00:32:51.700 --> 00:32:56.519
whenever i mess up but yeah i mean it's when

00:32:56.519 --> 00:32:58.500
i was seven years old that was my first year

00:32:58.500 --> 00:33:02.720
and and it was pretty small back then it really

00:33:02.720 --> 00:33:06.440
was we had it in the grand hall which is down

00:33:06.440 --> 00:33:10.869
there by the river And it was very small. And

00:33:10.869 --> 00:33:13.950
then it got bigger and bigger every year. And

00:33:13.950 --> 00:33:17.650
now about how many kids sign up each time? Between

00:33:17.650 --> 00:33:21.289
90 and 150 kids. And what's the cap? Do you know?

00:33:21.549 --> 00:33:24.630
I don't know. Yeah, I think it's around 160 or

00:33:24.630 --> 00:33:28.029
150. It changes depending on what teachers we

00:33:28.029 --> 00:33:30.369
have in each class. Right, right. And sometimes

00:33:30.369 --> 00:33:33.569
the cap for my class changes depending on the

00:33:33.569 --> 00:33:36.710
necessities of what we have going on. Gotcha.

00:33:37.780 --> 00:33:41.299
So what was it like the first time you brought

00:33:41.299 --> 00:33:44.859
your kids here as someone who had been coming

00:33:44.859 --> 00:33:49.019
here as your whole life, essentially? This is

00:33:49.019 --> 00:33:53.240
like their second home. They don't like to me,

00:33:53.279 --> 00:33:56.299
this is like a sacred place because I've come

00:33:56.299 --> 00:33:59.579
here. I've come to this park since I was four

00:33:59.579 --> 00:34:03.619
years old. Wow. And so one of the first concerts

00:34:03.619 --> 00:34:07.410
I ever saw was here. Yeah. Yeah. So I can't even

00:34:07.410 --> 00:34:11.630
think of the first time I brought my son, who's

00:34:11.630 --> 00:34:15.130
now eight. The first time I brought him, he was

00:34:15.130 --> 00:34:20.469
five months old, maybe. And which instrument

00:34:20.469 --> 00:34:25.130
did he play that weekend? Yeah. So that was,

00:34:25.190 --> 00:34:29.530
he just came and was with me. And then my daughter

00:34:29.530 --> 00:34:32.369
was like two weeks old the first time I brought

00:34:32.369 --> 00:34:34.769
her here. I've been pregnant with both of the

00:34:34.769 --> 00:34:39.420
kids. teaching classes. Yeah. Yeah. I feel like

00:34:39.420 --> 00:34:44.119
it's definitely formed them into loving music

00:34:44.119 --> 00:34:49.280
and loving all forms of music. What, what do

00:34:49.280 --> 00:34:53.400
you think of this place impacted your music taste

00:34:53.400 --> 00:34:58.420
growing up? I, so growing up, my music taste

00:34:58.420 --> 00:35:01.320
was all over the place because I would come to

00:35:01.320 --> 00:35:06.019
Springfest and Magfest here and That's mostly

00:35:06.019 --> 00:35:10.659
bluegrass music. And nobody in my elementary

00:35:10.659 --> 00:35:12.840
school knew bluegrass music, so I was looked

00:35:12.840 --> 00:35:15.800
at as the weird kid. I'm still looked at as the

00:35:15.800 --> 00:35:18.320
weird kid, but that's fine. Oh, it definitely

00:35:18.320 --> 00:35:21.019
shaped it in some very strange ways because people

00:35:21.019 --> 00:35:22.639
did not know what the heck I was talking about

00:35:22.639 --> 00:35:26.800
with some of the music I listened to. Was there

00:35:26.800 --> 00:35:29.619
ever a time where you rebelled against some of

00:35:29.619 --> 00:35:31.639
the bluegrass? Oh, yeah. What did that look like?

00:35:31.659 --> 00:35:34.710
What were you listening to then? Oh. Okay. So

00:35:34.710 --> 00:35:41.550
2000s emo music, which is still, I still love

00:35:41.550 --> 00:35:47.949
it. Yes. And like metal music. Yeah. Still do

00:35:47.949 --> 00:35:50.949
that. But my heart is still with the bluegrass

00:35:50.949 --> 00:35:54.789
always will be. And I think that goes back to

00:35:54.789 --> 00:35:56.769
something that Rob was just talking about, where

00:35:56.769 --> 00:36:00.429
it's, if you have this foundation of just loving

00:36:00.429 --> 00:36:04.340
like music that is for everybody. Yeah. You can

00:36:04.340 --> 00:36:07.780
go beyond that and other genres, but having that

00:36:07.780 --> 00:36:09.800
foundation is really important. Yeah, and you

00:36:09.800 --> 00:36:16.940
can find the heart in every genre. And it doesn't

00:36:16.940 --> 00:36:20.960
matter what the genre is. As long as it's true

00:36:20.960 --> 00:36:24.599
music, as long as the heart and soul is there,

00:36:24.860 --> 00:36:27.280
it doesn't really matter what the genre is, what

00:36:27.280 --> 00:36:29.519
type of music it is. I like to say there's two

00:36:29.519 --> 00:36:31.940
kinds of music, good music and bad music. Yeah.

00:36:32.199 --> 00:36:34.380
And usually the bad music is just music that

00:36:34.380 --> 00:36:37.260
doesn't make me feel anything. Even music I hate,

00:36:37.260 --> 00:36:38.639
at least it made me feel something. At least

00:36:38.639 --> 00:36:41.539
there's something, exactly. It might just not

00:36:41.539 --> 00:36:47.079
be my jam, but that doesn't mean it's bad. Now,

00:36:47.139 --> 00:36:49.840
music that just doesn't have any heart and soul

00:36:49.840 --> 00:36:53.119
to it, I would say that's bad music. Yeah, yeah.

00:36:54.079 --> 00:36:58.250
So, over the years... You've had a lot of different

00:36:58.250 --> 00:37:01.070
kind of perspectives on this camp as a student,

00:37:01.150 --> 00:37:04.710
as a parent, as a teacher. For somebody that

00:37:04.710 --> 00:37:07.449
might be looking to try and start a camp like

00:37:07.449 --> 00:37:10.969
this of their own in their area or in their community,

00:37:11.110 --> 00:37:13.570
what are some of the things that you've learned

00:37:13.570 --> 00:37:16.750
or that you've seen the camp learn or seen change

00:37:16.750 --> 00:37:19.909
over the years that you maybe wish you had learned

00:37:19.909 --> 00:37:23.170
earlier or would have helped things go smoother

00:37:23.170 --> 00:37:27.409
sooner or something like that? Honestly, looking

00:37:27.409 --> 00:37:32.610
at everything as a family. Now, for the longest

00:37:32.610 --> 00:37:35.349
time, it was like there was a process to everything.

00:37:35.789 --> 00:37:40.570
And we got so caught up in what came next. But

00:37:40.570 --> 00:37:44.969
now we view everything as family. When you come

00:37:44.969 --> 00:37:49.550
into this camp and you're a new person, we immediately,

00:37:49.730 --> 00:37:53.889
we're like, welcome to the family. Because you

00:37:53.889 --> 00:37:57.309
probably won't leave now. But that's how it is.

00:37:57.389 --> 00:37:59.610
And I wish that I had at least looked at it like

00:37:59.610 --> 00:38:04.750
that when I started teaching. Because I was worried

00:38:04.750 --> 00:38:07.429
about my kids leaving my class and going to a

00:38:07.429 --> 00:38:10.110
different class. But that's the point. And now

00:38:10.110 --> 00:38:12.550
I see that and I'm like, no, I want you to go

00:38:12.550 --> 00:38:16.610
to the guitar class or to the bass class. Because

00:38:16.610 --> 00:38:19.369
you're just going to get better and you're going

00:38:19.369 --> 00:38:21.010
to learn more stuff. You're going to find out

00:38:21.010 --> 00:38:24.139
what your niche is. What is, if you have one

00:38:24.139 --> 00:38:25.960
goal for your students, because they're all going

00:38:25.960 --> 00:38:28.119
to have like different benchmark goals that they're

00:38:28.119 --> 00:38:29.780
trying to reach. But if you have one goal for

00:38:29.780 --> 00:38:31.179
your students over the course of the weekend,

00:38:31.420 --> 00:38:36.099
what is that? So in my class, I have one rule

00:38:36.099 --> 00:38:41.780
to have fun. And a lot of little kids usually

00:38:41.780 --> 00:38:44.860
take my class because it's little. And so they

00:38:44.860 --> 00:38:46.840
view it as an easy instrument. And don't get

00:38:46.840 --> 00:38:49.139
me wrong, it is. But for a five -year -old, it's

00:38:49.139 --> 00:38:53.429
going to be hard. So what I always tell my little

00:38:53.429 --> 00:38:55.289
ones that come in and they're so afraid about

00:38:55.289 --> 00:38:57.369
not getting the chords right or their fingers

00:38:57.369 --> 00:39:01.010
hurting and they get frustrated, have fun. I

00:39:01.010 --> 00:39:02.590
don't want you to be stressed out about getting

00:39:02.590 --> 00:39:04.929
those fingers right because next year when you

00:39:04.929 --> 00:39:08.710
come back, they usually come to me and they're

00:39:08.710 --> 00:39:11.489
like, guess what, Miss Melissa? I can do these

00:39:11.489 --> 00:39:15.690
chords now. I can change chords. And usually

00:39:15.690 --> 00:39:19.289
they're doing better than me because they've

00:39:19.289 --> 00:39:21.880
gone home and they've practiced. But because

00:39:21.880 --> 00:39:25.019
I didn't force them to over the weekend, I gave

00:39:25.019 --> 00:39:27.599
them encouragement. Sometimes I'll stay with

00:39:27.599 --> 00:39:30.699
them after class if they want me to. But I always

00:39:30.699 --> 00:39:35.079
tell them, hey, you can chuck. If you are uncomfortable,

00:39:35.519 --> 00:39:38.000
especially if you're on that stage, mute those

00:39:38.000 --> 00:39:40.659
strings if you're uncomfortable. Smile. Because

00:39:40.659 --> 00:39:43.300
I don't want you to have a bad time. Yeah. That's

00:39:43.300 --> 00:39:45.900
my main goal is for them to have a good time

00:39:45.900 --> 00:39:49.440
and enjoy music. If there's one other thing.

00:39:49.760 --> 00:39:52.599
or three other things, whatever that you want

00:39:52.599 --> 00:39:55.739
to share about this camp with people, what are

00:39:55.739 --> 00:40:01.739
they? That music in children's lives is so important.

00:40:02.760 --> 00:40:04.940
Whether they've never picked up an instrument

00:40:04.940 --> 00:40:08.119
before in their life or if they are around musical

00:40:08.119 --> 00:40:11.699
instruments all the time, it's so important to

00:40:11.699 --> 00:40:15.420
just get them introduced to music because I've

00:40:15.420 --> 00:40:18.599
seen both ends of the spectrum. I had this little

00:40:18.599 --> 00:40:21.559
boy that came in and he loves listening to music,

00:40:21.579 --> 00:40:23.420
but he'd never touched a musical instrument.

00:40:23.539 --> 00:40:26.880
His mom didn't know anything about music, but

00:40:26.880 --> 00:40:30.679
she brought him. He is one of my favorite students

00:40:30.679 --> 00:40:36.840
and he has blossomed into a wonderful student.

00:40:37.199 --> 00:40:42.360
So just that introduction into music is the most

00:40:42.360 --> 00:40:45.679
important part for me. So one question that I

00:40:45.679 --> 00:40:48.360
ask every musician that I've had on here, except

00:40:48.360 --> 00:40:51.880
I did not ask Rob, but I wasn't really, the conversation

00:40:51.880 --> 00:40:54.659
didn't really go there. What's the first song

00:40:54.659 --> 00:40:58.000
that you remember loving as a kid? When I was,

00:40:58.039 --> 00:41:02.579
I, my name, Melissa was my favorite song growing

00:41:02.579 --> 00:41:06.000
up because it was the song my daddy would play

00:41:06.000 --> 00:41:09.880
me when I was a baby to put me to sleep. So that's

00:41:09.880 --> 00:41:12.440
the first song that pops in my head, but truly.

00:41:13.210 --> 00:41:15.250
It's so funny because we're doing it this weekend.

00:41:15.530 --> 00:41:18.230
It's in the songbook. The first song I remember

00:41:18.230 --> 00:41:22.969
my daddy putting a CD in his truck when I was

00:41:22.969 --> 00:41:25.429
a kid and I would ask him to play it over and

00:41:25.429 --> 00:41:28.570
over again was Bury Me Beneath the Willow. Old

00:41:28.570 --> 00:41:31.650
bluegrass tune. Classic bluegrass tune. That

00:41:31.650 --> 00:41:35.309
was the first song I could remember asking him

00:41:35.309 --> 00:41:38.460
to put on over and over again. Well, Melissa,

00:41:38.559 --> 00:41:40.219
thanks for sitting down with us for a few minutes.

00:41:40.380 --> 00:41:42.039
Is there anything else that you want to share

00:41:42.039 --> 00:41:45.219
before we? All right. Thank you so much. I appreciate

00:41:45.219 --> 00:41:47.860
you sitting down. Thank you. Thanks. I'm here

00:41:47.860 --> 00:41:54.400
with Charles Cornett. I'm the youngest son of

00:41:54.400 --> 00:41:58.360
Bob and Jean Cornett, six sons. And Bob and Jean,

00:41:58.519 --> 00:42:03.000
my parents started this place in the 80s. And

00:42:03.000 --> 00:42:07.619
it was a spinoff from. They're a very successful

00:42:07.619 --> 00:42:10.000
bluegrass festival in Kentucky called the Festival

00:42:10.000 --> 00:42:12.260
of Bluegrass, and they were a full -time home

00:42:12.260 --> 00:42:15.579
for music festivals. So they moved down here,

00:42:15.679 --> 00:42:18.400
put everything into this. I ultimately got my

00:42:18.400 --> 00:42:21.380
day job with the government over in the Jacksonville

00:42:21.380 --> 00:42:25.199
area. So I've been involved from the beginning

00:42:25.199 --> 00:42:30.460
on things going on here, but as my parents aged,

00:42:30.539 --> 00:42:34.059
my brother James Cornett came down from Kentucky.

00:42:35.190 --> 00:42:37.750
I took over operation of the park, and since

00:42:37.750 --> 00:42:40.710
their passing, he's been the owner and CEO of

00:42:40.710 --> 00:42:45.829
the place. I'm a professional volunteer. When

00:42:45.829 --> 00:42:48.489
they need me to do something over here, we'll

00:42:48.489 --> 00:42:53.789
do it. But I've become a park historian because

00:42:53.789 --> 00:42:58.550
I have the job of archiving all the photos and

00:42:58.550 --> 00:43:02.449
videos of the history here in our family history.

00:43:02.909 --> 00:43:06.940
In this camp, Was your mom Jean's kind of her

00:43:06.940 --> 00:43:11.360
passion project? It was. I tried to find it on

00:43:11.360 --> 00:43:15.320
the way in. A long time ago friend of mom and

00:43:15.320 --> 00:43:18.579
dad's made mom one of these giant goopy hats.

00:43:18.760 --> 00:43:21.599
Actually, dad wore it. It said, Jean Cornett,

00:43:21.699 --> 00:43:26.280
mother of bluegrass festivals. And that was my

00:43:26.280 --> 00:43:31.840
dad's slogan because he learned, dad was an idea

00:43:31.840 --> 00:43:35.280
person. He was an inspirer. Mom was the one that

00:43:35.280 --> 00:43:38.760
had to get the rubber on the road. And learning

00:43:38.760 --> 00:43:42.719
to do bluegrass festivals effectively was, in

00:43:42.719 --> 00:43:46.420
his opinion, like giving birth. So this is why

00:43:46.420 --> 00:43:48.659
this hat needed to be around. And that's true

00:43:48.659 --> 00:43:51.400
of the music festival that started in Kentucky

00:43:51.400 --> 00:43:54.960
in the 70s and then coming down here in the 80s.

00:43:55.059 --> 00:43:59.480
And it was a long slog to make this place successful.

00:44:01.230 --> 00:44:04.710
The kids' music camps evolved from that because

00:44:04.710 --> 00:44:07.510
as they looked around at their aging audience,

00:44:07.989 --> 00:44:11.710
the original people that jumped on their ship,

00:44:11.929 --> 00:44:16.250
they could see that the family connection, the

00:44:16.250 --> 00:44:18.869
connection between the children and the adults,

00:44:19.050 --> 00:44:24.489
was not as strong as it used to be. And Dad had

00:44:24.489 --> 00:44:29.360
a concept called the Wise Village. He got inspired

00:44:29.360 --> 00:44:32.719
by some educational action in eastern Kentucky.

00:44:33.739 --> 00:44:36.639
Having adults teach the children about their

00:44:36.639 --> 00:44:39.820
various skills, music being one of them, and

00:44:39.820 --> 00:44:43.059
music became one of the really popular choices.

00:44:43.260 --> 00:44:45.719
And from that came the Wise Village Pickers,

00:44:45.719 --> 00:44:48.059
who would perform at our festivals, and then

00:44:48.059 --> 00:44:51.400
they would have a mini -camp ahead of it to get

00:44:51.400 --> 00:44:54.320
rehearsed up to play at the festivals. That led

00:44:54.320 --> 00:44:57.300
into... the children that weren't part of the

00:44:57.300 --> 00:45:01.139
Wise Village Pickers becoming part of the event

00:45:01.139 --> 00:45:05.940
as well. So we did a little digging, and it's

00:45:05.940 --> 00:45:09.519
not a whole lot of historic data on this, but

00:45:09.519 --> 00:45:14.539
we think about 1988 was their first semblance

00:45:14.539 --> 00:45:19.409
of a music camp. And from that point on... Pretty

00:45:19.409 --> 00:45:21.969
much every festival that mom and dad produced,

00:45:22.110 --> 00:45:25.949
there was a kids camp component. And then our

00:45:25.949 --> 00:45:32.570
camps here evolved from that was quite limited

00:45:32.570 --> 00:45:37.409
to festivals. And we've had multiple iterations

00:45:37.409 --> 00:45:41.429
of leadership over the years, but it's been a

00:45:41.429 --> 00:45:45.530
staple. And one of the reasons by not having

00:45:45.530 --> 00:45:47.769
it tied to a festival is we have a lot more facilities.

00:45:48.760 --> 00:45:53.500
to offer to the camps and larger groups. Those

00:45:53.500 --> 00:45:56.960
early ones, Miss Becky told me her first one,

00:45:56.980 --> 00:46:00.420
she had 80 kids, got overwhelmed. 40 is more

00:46:00.420 --> 00:46:03.400
typical in that style at festivals. Here we're

00:46:03.400 --> 00:46:07.000
doing typically 120, I believe, is the number.

00:46:07.880 --> 00:46:13.440
But it all goes back to that yearning to keep

00:46:13.440 --> 00:46:18.690
the kids and adults connecting on. on artistic

00:46:18.690 --> 00:46:23.690
measures, on learning inspiration, not necessarily

00:46:23.690 --> 00:46:27.630
in a classroom, but that connection we all feel

00:46:27.630 --> 00:46:33.630
around the campfire at a festival and the kids

00:46:33.630 --> 00:46:36.389
come up and join in and that sort of thing. It

00:46:36.389 --> 00:46:40.570
means a lot to them and sticks with them forever.

00:46:41.469 --> 00:46:45.190
What are some of the lessons that you think you've

00:46:45.190 --> 00:46:47.900
learned over the years seeing them? seeing this

00:46:47.900 --> 00:46:51.619
camp happen especially things that you maybe

00:46:51.619 --> 00:46:55.119
wish you had known earlier or if you were talking

00:46:55.119 --> 00:46:57.320
to somebody that was maybe trying to start their

00:46:57.320 --> 00:47:00.239
own type of camp in their area or their community

00:47:00.239 --> 00:47:03.619
that's a call we actually get fairly frequently

00:47:03.619 --> 00:47:08.039
yeah this how those things work and i literally

00:47:08.039 --> 00:47:11.219
talked to a lady on my way over here that was

00:47:11.760 --> 00:47:14.760
part of those very early ones. And even though

00:47:14.760 --> 00:47:16.960
our festival in Kentucky doesn't happen anymore,

00:47:17.139 --> 00:47:22.000
they are still doing the camps because they are

00:47:22.000 --> 00:47:26.860
the most important part of the festivals. I think

00:47:26.860 --> 00:47:32.599
lessons I've learned is, A, volunteerism is absolutely

00:47:32.599 --> 00:47:36.119
critical. I would love to produce music camps,

00:47:36.239 --> 00:47:40.710
but I'm a total hack musician. Same. That's why

00:47:40.710 --> 00:47:44.230
I'm talking to the musicians. And you need people

00:47:44.230 --> 00:47:48.170
that have that, not necessarily like a certificated

00:47:48.170 --> 00:47:52.769
teacher skill set, but the skill set to help.

00:47:53.989 --> 00:47:56.389
We're getting kids over the first hump. We're

00:47:56.389 --> 00:48:00.510
wanting them to walk away feeling a success of

00:48:00.510 --> 00:48:03.329
having learned a song or two. Something they

00:48:03.329 --> 00:48:04.989
can take home and show their grandparents or

00:48:04.989 --> 00:48:10.239
their big brother. That connection doesn't work

00:48:10.239 --> 00:48:14.840
without the right people helping. And I don't

00:48:14.840 --> 00:48:16.719
know how many volunteers there are this weekend,

00:48:16.880 --> 00:48:19.619
but probably 30 plus when you count everything.

00:48:20.320 --> 00:48:24.340
And it doesn't function without them. And there's

00:48:24.340 --> 00:48:26.300
things that people wouldn't even think about,

00:48:26.380 --> 00:48:31.559
whether it's the registration or the food. Yeah.

00:48:32.159 --> 00:48:35.619
In a lot of ways, it's a festival. So we have

00:48:35.619 --> 00:48:38.739
some skill sets in that regard. We know that

00:48:38.739 --> 00:48:41.019
you can't just throw up a stage. People need

00:48:41.019 --> 00:48:43.559
a place to use the restroom. They need meals.

00:48:43.800 --> 00:48:45.699
They need to know when things are going to stop

00:48:45.699 --> 00:48:47.739
and when they're going to start. You've got to

00:48:47.739 --> 00:48:50.980
at least think about security, all those things.

00:48:51.179 --> 00:48:56.179
And the team currently running this camp, it's

00:48:56.179 --> 00:48:59.420
effectively turnkey with regard to the park.

00:49:00.420 --> 00:49:04.820
They don't ask much. the park other than to use

00:49:04.820 --> 00:49:07.800
the facilities. And I think that's an important

00:49:07.800 --> 00:49:13.480
component. You're making yourselves part of the

00:49:13.480 --> 00:49:16.659
value of the place. It's more of a contribution

00:49:16.659 --> 00:49:19.579
instead of what you can take. What can we give

00:49:19.579 --> 00:49:24.719
back? And it's a multi -way street and only functions

00:49:24.719 --> 00:49:28.900
with that. But I, aside from bringing my grandkids

00:49:28.900 --> 00:49:30.840
from time to time, I don't worry about that.

00:49:31.070 --> 00:49:34.929
camp it's right yeah these folks work hard to

00:49:34.929 --> 00:49:37.750
to make it easy for us and as someone who's been

00:49:37.750 --> 00:49:39.929
here for a lot of music festivals and for a lot

00:49:39.929 --> 00:49:43.949
of kids music camps it's a lot it's easy to fall

00:49:43.949 --> 00:49:46.409
in love with this place oh yeah it's a lot easier

00:49:46.409 --> 00:49:49.130
to fall in love with this place when it's not

00:49:49.130 --> 00:49:52.869
packed oh yeah rim to the brim with people yeah

00:49:52.869 --> 00:49:56.130
when you get to really enjoy the scenery uh when

00:49:56.130 --> 00:49:57.889
you get to see the full grounds too because there's

00:49:57.889 --> 00:50:01.059
a lot of the places here like you mentioned when

00:50:01.059 --> 00:50:03.639
during a festival aren't even accessible to the

00:50:03.639 --> 00:50:06.340
public or their VIP or something like that. It

00:50:06.340 --> 00:50:10.599
seems so daunting. And Swanee Hulene, for example,

00:50:10.780 --> 00:50:14.179
there are people that are camping, maybe not

00:50:14.179 --> 00:50:17.320
over a mile, but about a mile from the stages,

00:50:17.440 --> 00:50:22.559
which is everywhere. And you come out on a peaceful

00:50:22.559 --> 00:50:26.539
night. And I went and watched the bats fly the

00:50:26.539 --> 00:50:29.059
other night by myself. There was nobody else

00:50:29.059 --> 00:50:32.579
there. And that's the kind of things you encounter,

00:50:32.760 --> 00:50:35.039
the wildlife you encounter when it's quieter.

00:50:35.320 --> 00:50:40.159
And on the really special side, you're out scooting

00:50:40.159 --> 00:50:42.920
around on your golf cart or taking a hike, and

00:50:42.920 --> 00:50:45.360
you run across the two kids with their instruments

00:50:45.360 --> 00:50:49.599
practicing under a tree somewhere. And you feel

00:50:49.599 --> 00:50:54.599
like you just hit a grand slam. That's the money

00:50:54.599 --> 00:50:59.829
ball, is watching them succeed. You mentioned

00:50:59.829 --> 00:51:04.130
passing inside, but you asked about Broadview.

00:51:04.610 --> 00:51:09.170
Seeing kids that literally started here in kids

00:51:09.170 --> 00:51:14.329
camp, beginning a musical career, some of them

00:51:14.329 --> 00:51:18.909
successfully. Now, there's been the thing, Lexington,

00:51:19.070 --> 00:51:23.329
Kentucky's been going on longer. There are long

00:51:23.329 --> 00:51:27.730
-term professionals that... Came to our camp

00:51:27.730 --> 00:51:30.030
was one of the first organized things they did

00:51:30.030 --> 00:51:33.650
with regard to their music. And that makes you

00:51:33.650 --> 00:51:36.250
feel great. And then you see the kids that were

00:51:36.250 --> 00:51:40.050
in camp with them getting inspired because they

00:51:40.050 --> 00:51:42.349
have found some success. And I don't mean financial

00:51:42.349 --> 00:51:45.650
success. The adulation of getting up on stage

00:51:45.650 --> 00:51:49.809
and getting there. And one of ours, one of our

00:51:49.809 --> 00:51:53.710
own young man from Thomasville, I think he's

00:51:53.710 --> 00:51:57.849
22 now. He's off in Colorado starting a profession.

00:51:57.889 --> 00:52:01.090
He's been there about a year and starting a professional

00:52:01.090 --> 00:52:04.289
music career and doing very well. I've got video

00:52:04.289 --> 00:52:07.010
of he and I jamming around the fire singing Johnny

00:52:07.010 --> 00:52:10.869
Cash when he was 12. Now, the Spirit of the Suwannee

00:52:10.869 --> 00:52:14.269
Music Park is open year round. It's not just

00:52:14.269 --> 00:52:16.630
open for festivals. Y 'all have live music. If

00:52:16.630 --> 00:52:18.949
you want to tell people about some of that that

00:52:18.949 --> 00:52:21.250
you have going on. Sure. Of course, we've been

00:52:21.250 --> 00:52:25.690
here 40 years now, 40 years this year. And we

00:52:25.690 --> 00:52:30.010
have multiple festivals, typically nine or ten

00:52:30.010 --> 00:52:33.949
major festivals a year, ranging in attendance

00:52:33.949 --> 00:52:41.849
from, say, 4 ,000 up to 30 ,000. And the nice

00:52:41.849 --> 00:52:44.590
thing about that, you can pick and choose what

00:52:44.590 --> 00:52:47.559
you're... crowd size is within that a lot of

00:52:47.559 --> 00:52:50.659
roots music a lot of it is absolutely steeped

00:52:50.659 --> 00:52:55.119
in in what the kids learn here and then every

00:52:55.119 --> 00:52:58.219
weekend generally friday and saturday night we'll

00:52:58.219 --> 00:53:03.440
have a live band in the in the music hall and

00:53:03.440 --> 00:53:08.739
also on thursdays is a karaoke in some form one

00:53:08.739 --> 00:53:12.300
of the most popular is our elvis impersonator

00:53:12.300 --> 00:53:17.420
oh yeah that is really good and he's got a bunch

00:53:17.420 --> 00:53:21.619
of i'd call them semi -pro karaoke singers come

00:53:21.619 --> 00:53:25.099
in as well cool and there's smaller festivals

00:53:25.099 --> 00:53:28.960
um gatherings we have all sorts of family reunions

00:53:28.960 --> 00:53:32.000
and car shows and that sort of thing it's a big

00:53:32.000 --> 00:53:35.840
place we're roughly a thousand acres and there's

00:53:35.840 --> 00:53:39.400
thousands of campsites so much of the year there's

00:53:39.400 --> 00:53:44.179
lots and lots of room and even A typical weekend,

00:53:44.460 --> 00:53:49.300
you can still go find that solitude spot along

00:53:49.300 --> 00:53:51.239
the river. We've got a mile of Swanee River out

00:53:51.239 --> 00:53:54.280
there. And you can canoe and kayak and all that.

00:53:54.380 --> 00:53:56.559
So you can always find the peace and quiet except

00:53:56.559 --> 00:53:59.059
the really big ones. Yeah, for sure. For sure.

00:53:59.400 --> 00:54:02.239
Yeah. Not every weekend is Wani Fest. Right.

00:54:03.019 --> 00:54:06.760
What's your favorite show? Over the years? Yeah.

00:54:07.530 --> 00:54:10.530
I think 2007 Wani Fest may have been it for me.

00:54:10.829 --> 00:54:13.510
There was a widespread panic set that it started

00:54:13.510 --> 00:54:16.469
raining during. That was just absolutely magical.

00:54:17.570 --> 00:54:21.690
George Clinton was there, but he wasn't playing.

00:54:21.909 --> 00:54:23.829
But I was wearing a Funkadelic t -shirt. And

00:54:23.829 --> 00:54:26.449
I'm actually going to be having Danny Bedrosian

00:54:26.449 --> 00:54:28.590
from Parliament Funkadelic on in a few weeks

00:54:28.590 --> 00:54:31.369
here. He's got a new book coming out. But I'm

00:54:31.369 --> 00:54:33.409
wearing my Funkadelic shirt, and George walks

00:54:33.409 --> 00:54:37.010
up to me and he goes, Nice shirt, kid. Is it

00:54:37.010 --> 00:54:42.389
licensed? But yeah, no. Derek Truck's band played

00:54:42.389 --> 00:54:46.369
that weekend. It certainly wasn't the last year,

00:54:46.429 --> 00:54:49.030
but it was one of the last years that WaniFest

00:54:49.030 --> 00:54:57.130
happened. I came with my aunt. From top to bottom,

00:54:57.210 --> 00:54:59.690
whether it was music, the weather was nice, or

00:54:59.690 --> 00:55:02.579
the company with my family and my aunt. All of

00:55:02.579 --> 00:55:04.400
it was wonderful. I don't know how old you are,

00:55:04.440 --> 00:55:05.800
but you had to have been fairly young then, I

00:55:05.800 --> 00:55:11.139
would guess. My 20s. Yeah, I was old enough to

00:55:11.139 --> 00:55:14.440
have fun. And now that I'm thinking about it,

00:55:14.480 --> 00:55:17.460
it may have been a little bit later than 2007.

00:55:18.440 --> 00:55:20.440
2007, I was definitely here. I'm thinking maybe

00:55:20.440 --> 00:55:27.320
it was 2010. 18 years ago. Yeah. All the time.

00:55:28.320 --> 00:55:30.659
It's mind -blowing to me we've been here 40 years.

00:55:31.119 --> 00:55:33.699
My first concert was here. Yeah. Yeah. A lot

00:55:33.699 --> 00:55:35.539
of people. I saw Merle Haggard here when I was

00:55:35.539 --> 00:55:38.019
like seven years old. That's a great one. Yeah.

00:55:38.460 --> 00:55:42.719
Leanne Rimes too. Leanne was like her. It was

00:55:42.719 --> 00:55:45.239
her first year. Yeah. It's like her second really

00:55:45.239 --> 00:55:47.900
big festival. Yeah. That was my teenage crush

00:55:47.900 --> 00:55:49.679
was Leanne Rimes. Bill Monroe was on that same

00:55:49.679 --> 00:55:51.599
show. Yeah. Did you see Bill Monroe? Yeah. I

00:55:51.599 --> 00:55:54.820
sure did. Sure did. I have a poster for that

00:55:54.820 --> 00:55:57.179
one. Yeah, the Suwannee River Jam, I think it

00:55:57.179 --> 00:56:00.099
was. Suwannee River Jam was our country music

00:56:00.099 --> 00:56:02.719
festival that we held for, wow, I can't remember,

00:56:02.920 --> 00:56:07.119
close to 30 years. And it was a victim to COVID.

00:56:07.239 --> 00:56:12.380
Yeah. Didn't survive it. It was pretty easy to

00:56:12.380 --> 00:56:14.880
feel bleak about the music business right then,

00:56:14.960 --> 00:56:20.980
but we found quickly that the number one thing

00:56:20.980 --> 00:56:24.730
is that everybody wanted to play. everybody wanted

00:56:24.730 --> 00:56:29.170
to go and ultimately we started figuring out

00:56:29.170 --> 00:56:33.969
the science a little better but the the talent

00:56:33.969 --> 00:56:37.769
the people we had calling saying please put something

00:56:37.769 --> 00:56:40.969
together yeah we did we did a golf cart country

00:56:40.969 --> 00:56:44.989
festival where you had to arrive in your golf

00:56:44.989 --> 00:56:48.889
cart and all the spacing and all that and some

00:56:48.889 --> 00:56:51.130
of that kind of seems silly looking back but

00:56:51.739 --> 00:56:53.719
That's what the moment called for. I went to

00:56:53.719 --> 00:56:59.099
Shoals Fest in 2021, and they still had a lot

00:56:59.099 --> 00:57:01.699
of precautions. That's Jason Isbell's Fest up

00:57:01.699 --> 00:57:06.139
in Muscle Shoals. It was in that in -between

00:57:06.139 --> 00:57:09.900
time where some of it was starting to feel maybe

00:57:09.900 --> 00:57:14.420
a little silly, but we were also like, this is

00:57:14.420 --> 00:57:16.539
what we've got to do to get it done and to make

00:57:16.539 --> 00:57:20.920
it happen and to make everybody feel safe. There

00:57:20.920 --> 00:57:23.300
were some bands that wouldn't tour unless they

00:57:23.300 --> 00:57:25.199
wouldn't play a place that didn't require vaccinations.

00:57:25.900 --> 00:57:30.320
Sure. It complicated things across the board.

00:57:30.420 --> 00:57:33.320
Oh, it was enormously. And then on the artist

00:57:33.320 --> 00:57:38.340
side, which you described that they had the vaccine

00:57:38.340 --> 00:57:40.739
requirements, some of them, and that was totally

00:57:40.739 --> 00:57:43.619
fluid as well. But their biggest problem was

00:57:43.619 --> 00:57:47.239
they're putting this team of people, and depending

00:57:47.239 --> 00:57:49.179
on how big the act was, the bigger the team.

00:57:50.240 --> 00:57:53.280
loading them into buses together and bringing

00:57:53.280 --> 00:57:56.340
them to a show. And all it takes is for one of

00:57:56.340 --> 00:57:59.739
them to test positive, not to get sick, but to

00:57:59.739 --> 00:58:02.219
test positive, to bring everything to a screeching

00:58:02.219 --> 00:58:05.019
halt. Now everybody's got to go back home and

00:58:05.019 --> 00:58:08.139
there's bills flying all over the place, shows

00:58:08.139 --> 00:58:10.719
getting canceled and so on. It's extremely complex.

00:58:11.179 --> 00:58:14.739
A lot of moving parts that just didn't exist

00:58:14.739 --> 00:58:19.179
before. Yeah, it was a very crazy time. It was

00:58:19.179 --> 00:58:21.480
interesting. The bigger the act, the bigger the

00:58:21.480 --> 00:58:27.920
problems. So it opened a door for more Roots

00:58:27.920 --> 00:58:31.179
acts. People that live together all the time,

00:58:31.219 --> 00:58:35.659
family band, were suddenly doing very well. One

00:58:35.659 --> 00:58:37.860
of my favorites is a group out of Branson called

00:58:37.860 --> 00:58:41.320
the Petersons. And they're just a simple family

00:58:41.320 --> 00:58:44.400
that took up playing bluegrass together. But

00:58:44.400 --> 00:58:46.860
they've got a huge following on YouTube now.

00:58:48.539 --> 00:58:52.099
Much of that was built around the COVID era.

00:58:52.239 --> 00:58:54.840
People, we were so yearning music, the family

00:58:54.840 --> 00:58:57.980
connections. Here we can watch it on TV. And

00:58:57.980 --> 00:59:01.579
I think a lot of people stayed connected to artists

00:59:01.579 --> 00:59:05.539
through COVID and actually ended up feeling like

00:59:05.539 --> 00:59:08.000
they had this kind of a closer connection to

00:59:08.000 --> 00:59:09.820
them by the end of it because they were watching

00:59:09.820 --> 00:59:12.460
these live streams instead of seeing them on

00:59:12.460 --> 00:59:15.050
these giant stages. Anyway. I feel like we could

00:59:15.050 --> 00:59:18.630
talk all day, Charles. We can. Well, and I think

00:59:18.630 --> 00:59:23.769
it's important to recognize with regard to the

00:59:23.769 --> 00:59:26.929
kids' music camps here, we've talked about how

00:59:26.929 --> 00:59:32.929
important the team is. But the leadership, I

00:59:32.929 --> 00:59:37.929
go back to my father. Dad was not a detail guy

00:59:37.929 --> 00:59:41.519
at all. He was an inspirer. And he would inspire

00:59:41.519 --> 00:59:44.679
my mom to take on these projects. They raised

00:59:44.679 --> 00:59:47.840
six sons, so they're pretty good at juggling

00:59:47.840 --> 00:59:53.760
the mob, or at least mom was. And right now we've

00:59:53.760 --> 00:59:57.320
got the amazing Casey Smith as our camp director.

00:59:57.699 --> 01:00:00.639
And I'm not sure where the titles land. I think

01:00:00.639 --> 01:00:07.880
Charlie Dame still holds the title as well. Perfect

01:00:07.880 --> 01:00:11.400
example. Charlie's kind of the inspiration. Casey's

01:00:11.400 --> 01:00:14.539
the rubber meeting the road and getting all the

01:00:14.539 --> 01:00:18.699
pieces in place. And I know Charlie plays, but

01:00:18.699 --> 01:00:22.559
I don't think Casey plays note. But she invests

01:00:22.559 --> 01:00:25.500
a significant chunk of her life into making these

01:00:25.500 --> 01:00:28.820
work. And it just tells you, you don't have to

01:00:28.820 --> 01:00:34.179
be a player to be a part of this. There's people

01:00:34.179 --> 01:00:39.389
to be fed. instruments to be cleaned and adjusted

01:00:39.389 --> 01:00:42.869
and put away after every festival. There's trash

01:00:42.869 --> 01:00:45.969
cleanup, folding chairs. There's always something

01:00:45.969 --> 01:00:49.269
you can do. There's registration. There's all

01:00:49.269 --> 01:00:51.690
kinds of things. And a lot of people want to

01:00:51.690 --> 01:00:55.349
know financially how they can help because it's

01:00:55.349 --> 01:00:57.849
important to note these are free. The families

01:00:57.849 --> 01:01:01.510
are not charged to have their kids in these camps.

01:01:03.119 --> 01:01:06.300
For the most part, everybody involved is unpaid.

01:01:07.659 --> 01:01:11.059
So the financial help is a big part of it. And

01:01:11.059 --> 01:01:13.219
we do have a link to that. I hope so. Put it

01:01:13.219 --> 01:01:16.320
on the screen now. I believe it's semc .org,

01:01:16.400 --> 01:01:19.739
I think is correct. Swanee Spirit Kids Music

01:01:19.739 --> 01:01:23.599
Camps. Anyway, you'll have the link up there.

01:01:23.679 --> 01:01:28.059
For sure. And some of the, we've got long -term

01:01:28.059 --> 01:01:32.059
donors that just make it. a regular thing. And

01:01:32.059 --> 01:01:34.539
then I, for those that want to dip their toe

01:01:34.539 --> 01:01:37.239
in the water Sunday, I assume it's at two o 'clock

01:01:37.239 --> 01:01:40.679
is the typical time for the performance. And

01:01:40.679 --> 01:01:44.739
anybody's welcome to come in and watch the kids

01:01:44.739 --> 01:01:47.099
play that show off what they've learned takes

01:01:47.099 --> 01:01:49.659
about an hour. And there's a raffle there that

01:01:49.659 --> 01:01:54.260
always has some very cool items for you to buy

01:01:54.260 --> 01:01:58.199
a raffle ticket on and contribute to the camp

01:01:58.199 --> 01:02:00.610
that way. So it's. And there's always instruments

01:02:00.610 --> 01:02:04.909
that are needed. It's one of my favorites. I

01:02:04.909 --> 01:02:07.769
can't stop shopping for instruments on Facebook

01:02:07.769 --> 01:02:10.489
Marketplace. But I see people that have things

01:02:10.489 --> 01:02:13.010
on there that have been sitting there a while.

01:02:13.349 --> 01:02:16.170
And I'll send them a note and say, no, you can

01:02:16.170 --> 01:02:20.170
donate that to a worthy cause. And I know that

01:02:20.170 --> 01:02:22.969
at least sometimes they can't when they recognize

01:02:22.969 --> 01:02:28.699
the kid that's got a particular promise. doesn't

01:02:28.699 --> 01:02:31.719
have the means to afford an instrument they'll

01:02:31.719 --> 01:02:35.519
find a way to have one of the because all the

01:02:35.519 --> 01:02:39.619
instruments we have are donated and maybe find

01:02:39.619 --> 01:02:42.340
a way for one of those to end up in the kids

01:02:42.340 --> 01:02:43.980
and that's the other thing that should be noted

01:02:43.980 --> 01:02:46.559
i don't think that we've mentioned yet is kids

01:02:46.559 --> 01:02:48.340
don't even need to bring their own instrument

01:02:48.340 --> 01:02:51.059
they the instruments are typically provided yeah

01:02:51.059 --> 01:02:54.619
at least as much as there's supply for those

01:02:54.619 --> 01:02:57.260
that have instruments are welcome and encouraged

01:02:57.260 --> 01:03:00.039
to bring them though though if mom and dad would

01:03:00.039 --> 01:03:04.260
would make sure they've got strings on them if

01:03:04.260 --> 01:03:06.480
they don't if you don't know how to tune it don't

01:03:06.480 --> 01:03:08.940
worry about it but a fresh set of strings is

01:03:08.940 --> 01:03:12.500
good and but but they have plenty of functional

01:03:12.500 --> 01:03:15.940
instruments here yeah yeah and it's hard to especially

01:03:15.940 --> 01:03:20.360
when a kid is trying to pick an instrument you're

01:03:20.360 --> 01:03:22.260
not going and buying every instrument that they

01:03:22.260 --> 01:03:24.880
want to try right so this is a great opportunity

01:03:24.880 --> 01:03:28.690
for Yeah. For that as well. Yeah, and the kids,

01:03:28.789 --> 01:03:30.769
of course, they pick an instrument going in,

01:03:30.889 --> 01:03:35.030
not something that needs to happen all the time,

01:03:35.070 --> 01:03:39.969
but if it just isn't working on day one, most

01:03:39.969 --> 01:03:41.690
of the time they can find a way of swapping you

01:03:41.690 --> 01:03:46.030
into a different class. Sure. And help you get

01:03:46.030 --> 01:03:49.610
a leg up. And then somewhat all ages, I think

01:03:49.610 --> 01:03:53.449
5 to 15 is the guideline. And then a lot of the

01:03:53.449 --> 01:03:57.440
kids that get to 15, their time to graduate and

01:03:57.440 --> 01:03:58.980
come to camp, they come back as instructors.

01:03:59.500 --> 01:04:02.260
We talked to Melissa earlier. Melissa's a perfect

01:04:02.260 --> 01:04:07.300
example. Is there anything else that you think

01:04:07.300 --> 01:04:09.679
people should know about this camp before we

01:04:09.679 --> 01:04:12.139
call it a day? Of course, help them spread the

01:04:12.139 --> 01:04:18.340
word and recognize that getting in the age of

01:04:18.340 --> 01:04:22.739
video games and social media and TikTok and all

01:04:22.739 --> 01:04:27.619
that, human connections are getting harder and

01:04:27.619 --> 01:04:30.400
harder to find. And this is a beautiful example

01:04:30.400 --> 01:04:33.780
of a way to keep that going. So do what you can,

01:04:33.860 --> 01:04:36.880
whether it's our camps or others, do what you

01:04:36.880 --> 01:04:39.239
can to foster those engagements because it's

01:04:39.239 --> 01:04:42.619
a very critical part of who we are. As someone

01:04:42.619 --> 01:04:45.500
who brought my daughter here, it's some of my

01:04:45.500 --> 01:04:49.159
best memories of being a dad. Yeah, that's mine

01:04:49.159 --> 01:04:52.159
too. And my grandchildren, we've got nine grandkids.

01:04:52.260 --> 01:04:55.280
Oh man. I'll let you up. I'll let you get back

01:04:55.280 --> 01:04:57.039
to it. Thank you for your time, Charles. I appreciate

01:04:57.039 --> 01:05:03.699
it, man. Glad to be part of it. That's the spirit

01:05:03.699 --> 01:05:06.679
of the Swanee Kids Music Camp. There's a place

01:05:06.679 --> 01:05:08.980
to donate in the description of this episode.

01:05:09.079 --> 01:05:15.400
I highly encourage you to do that. This camp,

01:05:15.500 --> 01:05:18.159
I think, is pretty unique in the sense that the

01:05:18.159 --> 01:05:23.860
park built it. into the business plan to be part

01:05:23.860 --> 01:05:26.199
of what they were going to do from the beginning.

01:05:27.400 --> 01:05:29.280
And as soon as they had the resources available,

01:05:29.519 --> 01:05:31.440
they started doing it. And it's been going for

01:05:31.440 --> 01:05:39.380
almost 40 years now. Really great conversations

01:05:39.380 --> 01:05:42.900
there. I really enjoyed talking to everybody.

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Thanks for listening. We'll see you next week.

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I noticed I've got a lot more listeners than

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subscribers too. So hit that subscribe button.

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So then you'll find out every time I release

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a new episode. Have a good week, y 'all.