Announcing: 2013 Women’s Banjo Camp

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Murphy Henry

As you will be reading in our next Newsletter (coming soon!) Casey and I have decided to do a Women’s Banjo Camp.  It will happen next July 19, 20, 21, 2013, here in Winchester and we are really excited about it! It will be for all levels of banjo-playing women, beginners through advanced. We welcome younger women and we welcome older women.

 

(That reminds me of those T-shirts with the word GRITS printed on them: Girls Raised In The South. Those apparently proved to be so popular that they came out with a batch for older women: SEASONED GRITS! Love it!) But I digress....

 

Part of our reason for doing this camp is to make a real effort to get more women to attend banjo camps—any banjo camps, not just ours. We know there are women out there who are learning to play the banjo, but they don’t often show up at camps. A few do, but not many. So we thought perhaps a women-only environment would seem less scary. If you’re going to fall on your face playing the banjo, somehow it seems easier to do amongst a group of women! And we’re hoping if they have a good experience at our camp, this will give them the encouragement they need to attend other camps.

 

So, please help us spread the word! And feel free to write (themurphymethod@gmail.com) or call (800-227-2357)  us with any questions.

 

And, although we didn’t exactly plan it this way, the camp will coincide with the publication of my book, Pretty Good For A Girl: Women in Bluegrass, by the University of Illinois Press. (Which also published Neil Rosenberg’s classic work Bluegrass: A History.) My book is scheduled to come out in June 2013. As I’ve mentioned, I worked on it hard—but somewhat intermittently—for TEN years! So I am ecstatic to have it out of the house and in the hands of the publisher. I will really feel like it’s done, of course, when I’m holding my first copy! And, if all goes well, we should have copies for sale at our Women’s Banjo Camp next July!

4 thoughts on “Announcing: 2013 Women’s Banjo Camp”

  1. george

    sounds great Murphy and Casey! Good luck with it and CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR NEW BOOK! Sure hope to get back to Winchester sometime in the future!
    george

  2. Michele

    I almost fell off my chair just now. Had sat down with the express purpose of seeing if you offered camps and turns out it was your blog topic today. Hooray! I’m thrilled you’ll be offering an all women’s camp next summer. Not that there’s anything wrong with fellas–I’m married to one of the very best–but I do feel like I’m in the minority as a female player and would love the chance to learn in a more hen-friendly environment. Actually, come to think of it, I’ve been learning in one already, as it’s just been me and Murphy on dvd since January. But still! Time to set out a mason jar on the kitchen counter and start saving pennies.

    Shel

    P.S. I’ve gotten through Beginning Banjo 1 and 2 and have just commenced Misfits. Am so addicted that my husband and daughter are calling me “Banjella” these days. 🙂

    P.P.S. That doesn’t mean I’m any good, though.

    P.P.P.S. But who cares?! I’m having a blast!

  4. Martha Sheperd

    What a fabulous idea to have a camp for women! I don’t play banjo but have been to a couple mandolin and guitar camps and the guys are a bit intimidating, especially the younger ones. Maybe consider having a camp for guitar chicks sometime.
    Good luck with your first all women’s camp and ai know it will be a big success!
    Martha

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