Testimonials from Students

Student Comments MBC 2006

"Fabulous!" (KR: Ada, Ohio)

"Wonderful!" (JD: Ottawa, Ohio)

"Loved it!" (JA: St. Clair Shores, Michigan)

"Wow!!!" (GC: Shelby, Michigan)

"100% Satisfied" (BM: Walker, Michigan)

"Thoroughly enjoyed it" (TE: Haliburton, Ontario, Canada)

"Excellent, well run in all respects." (HJ: Lansing, Michigan)

"Excellent: hard to improve on." (DK: Huron, Ohio)

"Great! Food wonderful, classes informative, instructors approachable." (MB: Jerome, Michigan)

"Excellent, location is good, food good, instructors superb." (EW: Corning, New York)

"The Camp was fantastic! It was fun and the instructors I had, Murphy Henry, Bill Evans, & Ross Nickerson were incredible. Each seemed to build on what the other taught in their classes. The information I received from these classes change the way I will attack learning new songs and provided theory that truly removed the mystery from changing of cords, playing in different keys and how to play by ear. I could not have gotten this much information out of a book this quickly." (BS: Burlington KY)

"I learned enough to get me through another year before the next camp. Great people, instructors and students, alike, and an experience I won't soon forget." (CP: Oglesby, Illinois)

"Outstanding Opportunities for the beginner" (LF: Montague, Michigan)

"A real fun experience for a brand new player." (SV: St. Louis, Missouri)

"Great instructors." (MB: Manchester, Michigan)

"The diversity of teachers and subjects was great!" (DW: Alexandria, Virginia)

"Excellent weekend, well organized and presented" (DB: Erie, Pennsylvania)

"Excellent: great program, well organized, many options." (CK: El Cerrito, California)

"Terrific weekend of banjo immersion. Talented instructors, well-structured classes and plenty of great jams" (RK: Urbana, Illinois)

"Had a blast, great teachers and staff." (MP: Howell, Michigan)

"Overall it was a very positive experience. I'm a guy with a wife, 3 kids, and a career. It's rare (never) that I get 72 hours of banjo playing/learning." (HH: Leawood, KS )

What students liked best about Midwest Banjo Camp?

"The varied selections of courses. (DN: Denton, Michigan)

"The friendliness."(LF: Montague, Michigan)

"High level of access to world class musicians" (DW: Rockford, Illinois)

"The quality of instruction." (DW: Alexandria, Virginia)

"Everyone was accessible, helpful and friendly. The instructors were easy to find and to ask questions outside scheduled class hours." (WE: Haliburton, Ontario, Canada)

"So many teachers very willing to help. Also small class sizes. It also helps that you have classes categorized novice, intermediate, and so on." (JS: Valparaiso, Indiana)

"The patience of the instructors." (JM: Plano, Texas)

"Talented instructors who were patient and friendly." (DB: Erie, Pennsylvania)

"Great teachers." (DK: Huron, Ohio)

"The classes, the accessibility of faculty." (JD: Ottawa, OH)

"Variety of classes, openness of instructors." (RK: Urbana, Illinois)

"Having the opportunity to learn from very good players." (MB: Manchester, Michigan)

"Instructors in class, and socially outside class, make you feel totally comfortable to approach them to ask questions and jam with them. It is a wonderful experience to be in the company of such notable musicians and find them so willing to help you." (HJ: Lansing, Michigan)

"Meeting other players and the overwhelming amount of knowledge shared freely." (GC: Shelby, Michigan)

"The exposure to many styles and pickers." (JP: Vancouver, Washington)

"Variety of Instruction; I picked up lots of new tunes." (FM: Dallas, Texas)

"The concentration of Banjo lore and knowledge" (ST: Hartland, Wisconsin)

"Exposure to so many different styles." (JO: Indianapolis, Indiana)

"Large variety of classes!" (BS: Los Angeles, California)

"The friendly atmosphere." (TE: Haliburton, Ontario, Canada)

"There wasn't anything I didn't like, but the people were the best." (JL: Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania)

"Being introduced to other things one can do/play on banjo other than what were [previously] learned." (MG:)

"Meeting Banjo maestros and fellow banjoists" (BH: Wausau, Wisconsin)

"The community, the accessibility of the instructors and the very fact that I got to play banjo all weekend long!" (CP: Oglesby, IL)

"Meeting my banjo heroes! Hearing stories about Tommy Jarrel and others. Dan Gellert was really interesting. I appreciate the history part too, and all the instructors were great in this regard." (AB: Minneapolis, MN)

"The instruction was great. Most of these folks can teach. Bill Evans was the best that I saw and I am not into blue grass. He did a thing on chord progression that was outstanding." (JC: White Cloud, Michigan)

The Faculty Concert

"Wow... Outstanding!" (DN: Denton, Michigan)

"Blown Away, absolutely impressed." (DW: Alexandria, Virginia)

"Wow! What a line-up." (GC: Shelby, Michigan)

"Indescribably good." (JL: Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania)

"Amazing talent, excellent selections." (DB: Erie, Pennsylvania)

"Blown away; I now enjoy old time as well!" (CP: Howell, Michigan)

"Wow! Inspiring." (BS: Burlington KY)

The Novice Program

"I took all of the Old Time Novice classes this past weekend and I was really impressed. Chris & Arnie were awesome instructors. They were well prepared, very organized and their system of team teaching worked really well. Each lesson built on the previous ones, reinforcing what we had learned and adding to it. They were incredibly patient and never seemed to tire of repeating the stuff we had difficulty with, over and over. I've come away from banjo camps before with a "brain full of information" and when asked what I had learned, it was difficult to name more than one or two things. This time, because of Chris and Arnie's classes, my mind was clear about what I had learned, and how much. I can't say enough good about their novice track. Kudos to you folks too, for putting together a fantastic weekend." (WE: Halliburton, Ontario, Canada)

General Comments:

"Truly a great experience, money well spent. The instructors were awesome provided a wealth of knowledge and being able to either play with or watch them play was incredible. This camp truly had an impact on my playing skill level, it will take a while to digest it all and apply it but when I do it'll have a significant impact." (BS: Burlington KY)

"The planning and execution of the camp were superb and everyone involved, from the instructors and co-directors to those handling all of the administrative functions, deserve the highest praise." (JR: West Chester, Ohio)

"Anyone who has coordinated any type of event knows how much work it takes to make it look easy to the participants, you and your staff did just that. Hmmmm....now that I think of it, good banjo players make playing look easy too." (EW: Corning, New York)

"The staff was excellent. Chris Coole and Arnie Naiman blew my mind and are excellent people to boot. Dan Gellert is channeling some primordial African groove that I want a piece of. He is absolutely amazing! Cathy Barton is an excellent teacher and I really appreciated the focus on repertoire growth in her classes. The Ken Perlman class that I attended was great too. [He] walked us through some drop thumbing exercises that I've brought home." (HH: Leawood, KS)

"I enjoyed camp very much. Murphy Henry, Janet Beazley, and Bill Evans are the best teachers. They seem to be aware that they must connect with students who have a variety of learning styles and they make that connection. They come prepared with some thought as to the direction of the class. They took the time as they moved through the class period to make sure everyone was on board. I learned so much from all three of them. I must say that Murphy in particular creates a an environment in the class that caused me to take a risk (that I wouldn't normally take) to play lead while the rest of the class played back up. It was such a confidence booster." (WB: Ann Arbor, Michigan)

"Thank you and Stan for providing us a great place to meet other banjoists and to learn from the best. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and hope to attend again. Please keep me posted and thanks for all of your hard work on organizing such an event. I know it is no easy matter with the bluegrass events and all we are involved in." (MB: Jerome, Michigan)

"I wanted to thank you and your staff for all the hard work and effort required to pull off an event of this magnitude. It was my first camp and I could not have had a better time. I'm definitely keeping these dates open for next summer." (MG: Saginaw, Michigan)

"This was my first banjo camp, and even though I consider myself a fiddle player primarily, I had a good time all around. Obviously for me having Alan [Jabbour] present was a high point! I neglected the banjo classes for every session he was involved with. I couldn't help myself! Even with my interest in the fiddle, I thoroughly enjoyed every session I attended." (MH: Imperial, Missouri)

"Im new to old-time. This experience really opened my eyes and a few doors. Sign me up for next year!" (EW: Corning, New York)

"Someone asked me why I picked this camp. I said that if Elderly was involved I could count on it being done well. I now think that was an understatement. Thank you!" (EW: Corning, New York)

"Thanks for the personal care taken on each attendee." (DW: Alexandria, Virginia)

"This is great, keep up the good work." (LM: Detroit, Michigan)

"Can't wait for next year's schedule to come out. There's always something to learn." (MB: Linwood, Michigan)

"Thank you for the dedication it must take to pull this off. I feel very enriched to be exposed to top quality old-time music (and I'm a bluegrass player)" ??

"I like all the very specific topics: Instead of just "banjo class: beginner" as some camps have." (JS: Valparaiso, Indiana)

"A really great event, I hope I can make it next year" (DW: Alexandria, Virginia)

"Looking forward to next year, this was great!!" (MB: Jerome, Michigan)

"An excellent mix of different level classes to choose from. All instructors were very knowledgeable and helpful." (GC: Shelby, Michigan)

"This was one hell of a camp. I hope to be here next year" (GC: Shelby, Michigan)

"Just a great experience" (JL: Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania)

"I didn't know exactly what to expect, but I was very pleased with the whole experience and feel that it was well worth it to me Thanks." (PD: Logansport, IN)