World-Class Traditional Music Instruction Comes to Mid-Michigan

Weeklong Music and Dance Camp presented by the Wheatland Music Organization

Registration is open for the fourth annual June Music and Dance Week held June 17-23, presented by the Wheatland Music Organization (WMO). Located in Remus, 30 minutes west of Mt. Pleasant, this weeklong camp provides attendees with daily traditional music and dance lessons from internationally and nationally renowned award-winning instructors. Dedicated to providing an immersive musical and educational experience, this event is for those wanting to enhance their current skills or build a solid foundation in a new area. Participants camp at the Wheatland Festival site and all skill levels are welcome. Tuition is $550.00, which includes all meals and snacks, on-site camping, hot shower facilities, and instruction. Deadline to register is June 14. Musical styles include Irish, Old-Time, Blues, and Cajun. Classes include instrumental, songwriting, singing, and dancing lessons, along with one-on-one time with the instructors.

There’s a jam or two every night. Some are slow, some fast, and some around the campfire. On Honky Tonk Night, students sing their favorite traditional song on stage with the instructors as the backup band. Fun Night allows students to step on to the stage to share jokes, skits, poems, comedy and entertainment.

Evening and Saturday activities are open to the public and feature jam sessions, dances, and performances. Passes are available at the Information Building Sunday through Friday beginning at 5:00 p.m. The Last Chance Dance is the one free event open to the public and is on Saturday afternoon.

Traditional arts are considered those learned person to person, passed from one generation to the next, and influenced by culture, family, ethnicity, and era. Music classes include fiddle, guitar, percussion, standup bass, song and songwriting, mandolin, harmonica, accordion, and ukulele. Dance classes include partner dancing to Cajun, Zydeco, and Waltzes. Traditional dance instruction will include flatfooting, Clogging, Squares, Contras, Ceili/Irish, Tap, and more. Morning Yoga and Music Theory are also available.

Registration is open until June 14, 2018. All the details, schedule, and registration information is available online at www.wheatlandmusic.org or by calling 989-967-8879.

2018 Music and Dance Camp Instructors

• Kevin Aucoin – New Orleans, LA – Percussion, Cajun Band Class
• Bruce Bauman – Remus, MI – Old Time Fiddle
• David Bowen – Ann Arbor, MI – Jam Leader
• Jonno Frishberg – Lafayette, LA – Cajun Fiddle
• Bruce Gartner – Mt. Pleasant, MI – Mandolin, Fiddle, Jam Leader
• David Greely – Breaux Bridge, LA – Cajun Singing, Cajun A Cappella Ballads, Cajun/Creole Fiddle
• Drew Howard – Mason, MI (Lansing, MI) – Dobro, Blues Guitar, Bottleneck/Slide Guitar
• Becky Hill – Ashland, TN (formerly Hastings, MI) – Traditional Dance, Morning Yoga
• Don Julin – Traverse City, MI – Mandolin
• Bo Ledet – New Orleans, LA – Cajun Fiddle
• Roger Little – Lansing, MI – Accordion, Cajun Band Class
• Patrick Ourceau – Toronto, Canada – Irish Fiddle, Seisún Host
• Mark Palms – Manchester, MI – Old Time Guitar
• Josh Rose – Grand Rapids, MI – Songwriting, Booking and Performing as a Solo Artist
• Peter Madcat Ruth – Ann Arbor, MI – Harmonica, Ukulele
• Dan Seabolt – Muskegon, MI – Fiddle, Jam Leader
• Rafe Stefanini – Elkins Park, PA – Old-Time Fiddle, Old-Time Band Class
• Mark Stoltz – Honor, MI (Traverse City, MI) – Cajun, Zydeco & Waltz Partner Dancing
• Frank Youngman – Cadillac, MI – Music Theory, Standup Bass, Ukulele