Family Music Camp: Postponed Until 2022
Summer camp is not just for kids. At the McCarthy Family Music Camp, all family members get to enjoy learning and playing music with others, accompanied by the melodies of some of Alaska’s biggest glaciers and most inspiring mountain scenery.
During our tune-filled, action-packed folk music camp, families will engage in multiple instructor-led group sessions and classes. Family members will have opportunities to play together, as well as with individualized peer sessions. Craft activities for youth and exploration of the Wrangells environs will round out the fun.
““Our daughter enjoyed the family music camp so much she cried when it was over.””
““Each instructor brought a wealth of experience, knowledge, patience, and FUN to their sessions. It was so great to have expertise in a variety of instruments.””
““I loved the improv workshop, learning so many new tunes, playing in the barn dance, and the Sunday night round robin. The final performance was joyous.””
Who should attend?
The McCarthy Family Music Camp is open to musicians of all levels; parents can be beginners too! This year we will be accepting students in violin/fiddle, banjo, guitar, ukulele, bass, and mandolin. It is our experience that children are most likely to benefit from the structure of a music camp if they are at least eight years old. However, our goal is to accommodate families. We know there are prodigies out there, or just really cute ukulele players, so drop us a line if you have questions.
Instructors
Information on 2022 instructors TBA.
Costs
Please email info@wrangells.org for any cost inquiries.
Registration
Opening registration will be announced in 2022.
Fun from past Family Music Camps: swimming, biking, and enjoying the annual barn dance. Photos from left to right by Lilly Goodman-Allwright, Addy Wright, and Leanne Phelps
Logistics
Facilities and Venue
The Family Music Camp is offered by the Wrangell Mountains Center, which is based in the rustic town of McCarthy. Our campus, near the foot of a 25 mile long glacier, includes the “The Old Hardware Store”, which is listed on the Register of National Historic Places, and our newly acquired Porphyry Place. The solar-powered campus includes several meeting areas, a communal kitchen, classrooms, storage spaces, a greenhouse, and gardens, which provide fresh greens during meals to camp participants.
Mount Blackburn from Kennicott
Photo by Michael Allwright
Where to Stay and Eat
Participants are invited to camp on the banks of the Kennicott River, a short walk away from campus. Participants may also elect to stay at one of the many other local accommodations. Tuition at the Family Music Camp covers family-style meals, starting with dinner on the 16th and ending with lunch on the 19th. You are on your own for snacks. You are also welcome to clean up in our (private but outdoor) shower. There are two other eateries in town, as well as a place to get a cup of coffee any time. With advanced notice, family members who are not registered in the music camp are invited to join us during dinner for an extra $45/person per day.
Singing and strumming at the final performance
Photo by Addy Wright
Schedule
Participants should plan to arrive in McCarthy by 3:30 pm in time to get settled and enjoy orientation before dinner on July 16th. The workshop ends with noon-time public performance on July 19th. After you register, you will receive a welcome packet with more information.
Want to extend your experience? Come join us for our community fundraising concert in McCarthy, at the Roadside Potato, on the evening of July 15th. Our instructors will be playing same awesome bluegrass and folk tunes to help raise money for the program.
More about McCarthy
The town of McCarthy is set in the heart of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, the largest national park in the country. Wrangell-St. Elias is world renowned for its wild landscapes, high peaks, massive glaciers and rivers, healthy ecosystems, and dramatic scenery, as well as its unique cultural history.
McCarthy is approximately a seven hour drive from Anchorage or Fairbanks (plus time for sightseeing, et cetera). It is possible to fly or arrange shuttles from Anchorage to McCarthy, and occasionally we can help arrange carpools for participants, though we make no promises.
McCarthy and neighboring Kennecott, a national historic landmark, are situated within the Kennicott Valley (note the different spellings between the natural features and historical features.) McCarthy and Kennecott serve locals and travelers alike as a gateway to world-class backcountry opportunities and amazing front country hikes and walks (including access to the Root Glacier); the Kennicott Valley also provides a window into some of the most unique chapters in Alaska's history and an authentic, lively contemporary community.
Questions?
For information about the nature of the camp and instruction, please contact Lilly Goodman-Allwright at lgoodman@mtaonline.net. For more information about facilities, registration or the Wrangell Mountains Center, please contact info@wrangells.org.
Support the Family Music Camp!
With sponsorships of $120 or more, businesses will be recognized in our in our annual newsletter, as well as frequent highlighted verbal recognition during the course of the camp
With sponsorships of more than $250, a full 8 ½ x 11 “thank you” poster will also be posted for the duration of the camp.
We would also like to thank our generous sponsors at Alaska Music & Sound
