augusta heritage center

I just returned from Bluegrass Week at Augusta Heritage and it was magical. There is no other way to describe being surrounded by the teachers and students on a beautiful campus in the cool mountains of West Virginia. The program is intense. During my week I was up at 7am having a great breakfast including food from local farmers. Guitar Class was morning and afternoon with a lunch and midday concert/workshop. Followed by a 'slow jam' dinner, concert, dance and then playing music on the wraparound porch of an historic home. Music goes on to the wee hours. I can stay awake only until 2am but I know there are others who can play until dawn.The instructors are the top in their field. My guitar instructor, Tyler Grant, has been the US flat picking champion. He is also one of the most respected instructors in his field and contributes to programs such as Bluegrass College. To have the one-on-one attention from a musician of that caliber is unheard of. We also had musician author Murphy Henry from the Murphy Method as a guest in residents. The week included two concerts with a collection of some top musicians in bluegrass all playing together including members of the Steeldrivers and Infamous Stringdusters. All of this great music is combined with an energy and positive environment that is truly amazing. I got to sit in on a midnight jam session with Laurie Lewis and Kathy Kallick! I also got to see the future of Bluegrass with some of the most talented youth from around the country. If you can attend a week at Augusta, go. At any age. It will stretch you and energize you. If you can only come for a day, go to one of their summer concerts or dances. You will not regret it.

Every summer, the Augusta Heritage Center on the campus of Davis and Elkins College in Elkins, WV, hosts five weeks of classes, concerts, and dances. The week-long music programs typically include a focus on blues, swing, bluegrass, blues, Cajun, and vocal traditions as well as a variety of craft classes. Classes are taught by master artists from around the country. Music classes are available for all levels from beginners through advanced players. Evening concerts and dances are open to the public, so visitors to the area can experience some of the finest traditional/roots artists. Informal jams around the campus in the evenings. Campus housing for students, but can also stay off campus. For many, participating in an Augusta week is a life-changing experience as they develop (or refresh) skills, make new friends and reunite with old ones, and become part of the community. Note: Campus is hilly and not very handicapped-friendly -- but don't let that stop you, you'll be surrounded by folks ready to help you if needed.

Went to a week long music camp . Blues and swing . If you play an instrument ,sing or want to write a song, get yourself to Elkins . They also have other genres.

This event occurs every August on Davis and Elkins college campus. Each week has a theme. Dance. Country. They have students studying with masters and have shows in evening? Very much worth the visit. Lots to do. They also have a craft market with unusual and delightful offerings. Hope to attend again this year!!

We walked through the snow into the weekly "pickin'" in the Augusta Heritage Center and left thoroughly sated by the 7 incredible musicians who treated us like long, lost family. We were their only audience on a cold winter night, but they played for 4 hours without a shred of sheet music. Two guitars, 2 mandolins, 2 dulcimers, and a harmonica...and an unending repertoire of mountain music and great stories!! It was an evening we will never forget. Don't miss it when in Elkins.

I attended Irish Week a few years ago with a friend and we had a blast. The Heritage Center is on the campus of Davis & Elkins College. We stayed in a dorm room (during the summer when the students are gone) together. Meals and room were included in the price we paid and I don't think we ever left campus. The event is huge fun; you spend the week taking classes in various traditional Irish musical instruments, singing, dancing, and various visual arts. There are spontaneous jam sessions going on all over campus as students and instructors share songs and shoot the breeze. Mini concerts at lunchtime and two large concerts during the week ensure that you get your Irish music "fix". If you love to dance, there is set and step dancing galore, with two Ceilis during the week. The accommodations in the dorm are very sparse and basic--not luxurious, but it is so much fun you won't care. The campus is beautiful and the staff wonderful.